Hello fellow poeplez! Phew, I'm coming closer and closer towards the ending! Boosha! So, hope you enjoy this chapter. Peace!
--
Great. This is all just absolutely perfect! Being back at the School strapped to a cold, icy metal table in Velcro belts that I can't rip through. And to top it all off, I'm stuck in a room that smells like chemicals and burning flesh all by myself while my flock are probably in cages somewhere being tortured by these stupid whitecoats.
I scrunched my face, feeling hot tears beginning to leak out. Damn Miles. Damn him to effin' hell. That little traitor. Why did we trust him in the first place? We should've been more careful after all the danger that seems to stick to us like freakin' glue. I should've saw through him and his flock. Should've figured out that there was something different about them. There had to be some kind of flaw that I could've spotted. That any of us could've spotted.
My eyes drooped down. I shouldn't be complaining about feeling this bad. I mean, Fang's probably feeling way worse than me. Miles was his childhood friend and to see him betray us has to make any person feel like total crap.
The sliding doors to the room opened and the darkened room I was in lit up just a bit until the person walking in turned on the lights. I squinted my eyes as they adjusted to the luminescence.
"Max?" a voice that was all too familiar to my ears.
My eyes narrowed into angered slits as I stared in the face I wished would burn inside my mind. "Oh, great. As if I didn't have enough problems," I said acidly.
Jeb raised his hands in a surrender motion, giving me a reassuring look. "Listen, Max. I have extremely bad news that I must tell you while you're still here."
I blew him a raspberry. Bad news? What does he mean by bad news? And what does he mean by, 'while I'm still here'? Where the hell am I going?
"You need to listen to me, Maximum. This is another test that the head Director is giving you."
I rolled my eyes. Again with the tests.
"Let me guess, I didn't do so hot?"
Jeb nodded his head. "Maximum, you must learn to take these tests seriously. If you don't, they could lead to dire consequences."
"Like what?" I asked, trying not to sound so interested.
Jeb sucked in a confident breath. "Max, the Director and I have been watching you and your flock for some time now. You were one of our greatest experiments and we expected great things from you. But with all these tests we've been giving you about working up to your abilities in combat, we're having second thoughts about keeping you … alive."
Alive! What! Are they thinking of killing me?!
"I think you still have the expectations of saving the world and the Director still thinks you're designed to help us destroy it. But you rely on your friends too much."—He looked down disappointedly—"Friendship is a weakness, Max. You must keep your eyes on the prize and not let other people get in the way of your goals…. At least, that's what the Director thinks. And if you continue to act this way towards fighting, then we're going to have to do-away with you and give the position to someone else."
"Like who?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow.
Jeb looked like he was containing something super secretive. Something that the Director would probably kill him if he told me. He swallowed hard and looked up at me with unsure eyes. "If you can't live up to your ambitions, Max … we're going to have to give the job to Miles."
--
Third Person SwitchFlashback
Fang loved time to himself once in a while in his cell room. He loved the piece and quiet and it gave him time to think about things that were bothering him or the day he was having today.
He rested inside his cage in a small huddle. To think, being in such an uncomfortable thing would be so annoying, but you got use to it. Fang curled up in a small ball, feeling little streams of liquid rolling down his cheeks. He'd been crying for quite a while now about the dream he had last night.
He was surrounded by nothing but darkness in his dream and he was just a small boy during this time period. Around four-years-old. He was already crying because he was all-alone. No one by his side to comfort him and it was beginning to rain too. His clothes were drenched in soggy crystals and he could see images of a woman and a man within his grasp.
He'd call out to this man and this woman. They were a happy couple. The woman was beautiful and young and the man was strong and handsome. He'd call out to them, but the more he'd call out, the more they seemed to drift apart.
"Mom! Dad!" he would yell, but all they did was fade into the darkness, leaving four-year-old Fang all by himself with nothing but the hard rain keeping him company, mixing in with his tears.
He clenched his fist, baring his teeth to keep from more tears leaking out. He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want to live his whole life without any parents by his side. He knew they were out there somewhere, but the School was keeping him cooped up from seeing them.
That's when a pair of iron bars fell on the young Fang. He was trapped and didn't have the strength to get out. He held onto the bars, shaking them as he saw the man and the woman looking back at him, their eyes glazed as if they were hypnotized.
"Help! Mom! Dad! Help me!" he yelled, shaking the bars but only saw the man and the woman drifting off farther and farther until he couldn't see them anymore. "Mom! Dad! Please! Help me!" he would yell as the iron bars began to close on his body, shrinking smaller and smaller until Fang had to crunch down on his hands and knees. "Mom! Dad!" "Fang! Hey, dude. You alright?" Fang awoke from his thoughts, glancing over his shoulder to see Miles leaning on his hands and knees, hovering above Fang with a worried look reflecting in his dark eyes. "Why are you crying?" he asked. Fang wiped his eyes with his dark sleeve, ridding the saddened tears from his face. "I'm not crying." He spat. "I'm probably getting allergies or something." Miles narrowed his eyes unsurely, crawling closer to Fang and then taking a seat next to him, resting his hands on his knees while he leaned against the iron bars of his cage. "You wanna talk about it? Come on, talking about it will make you feel better." Fang was silent, looking away from Miles as he felt his eyes fill with more tears. "Come on," Miles sang, reaching over to Fang's ribs and began tickling them. "Come on! Turn that frown upside-down!" Fang's cheeks puffed up as he held in his consuming laughter, squirming away from Miles' hands but just couldn't seem to get away from them. He felt his face growing red as a multitude of nerves began to jangle inside of him until he couldn't hold his laughter in any longer. "S-stop, Miles!" he yelled, exploding in a fit of chuckling as he rolled and tossed and turned, the tears leaking from his eyes morphing into tears of laughter. Miles laughed himself, moving his drumming fingers up from Fang's ribs to under his armpits, to his stomach, and to his neck, making Fang grow red with exceeding laughter until his chest started moving up and down with lack of breath.
Fang panted, lying in a position with his arms and legs spread wide open as he looked up at Miles. "I (huff) (puff) hate (huff) (puff) you."
Miles smiled, patting Fang on the chest. "I love you too, buddy."
Fang shot him a playful glare, rolling back on his side so that his back was facing his best friend.
"Feel better?" he asked him.
Fang avoided eye-contact with Miles before glancing over his shoulder and giving him a smile. "Yeah. Thanks, Miles."
Miles shrugged his shoulders. "It's all part of being best buds."
Fang grinned, glancing over to the side before looking back up at Miles. "Miles."
"Hm?"
"Can you do me a small favor?"
Miles cocked his eyebrow. "Depends on what it is."
Fang rose up to a sitting position, setting himself next to Miles. "Will you promise me that … you'll never leave me?"
Miles was silent for a minute, looking at Fang as if he didn't understand what he was asking him before he bragged him in headlock. "What are you talking about? I ain't going anywhere."
Fang struggled, breaking free from Miles' grasp. "I know, but … a lot of people here aren't really good friends like we are. There're a lot of people who keep to themselves and are all alone. I don't want to be like them, Miles and I don't want you to be like them either. So, I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, we'll always be friends. Okay?"
Miles stared at Fang once more as if examining the features on his face. He smiled, letting out a small chuckle. "Sure, dude," he said, bringing out his fist. Fang smiled and tapped it proudly; his on top, then Miles on top, then collided in a firm clash.
End Flashback
--
Fang rested his head on his arms, placing them on top of his legs as he sat in his bundled up cage before pounding his fist against the metal floorboard. He gritted his teeth, feeling the pain seep through his arm like loud, ringing bells. He buried his head in his arms, muttering curse words at Miles before he felt hot tears leak through his eyes. Never in his life has he ever felt so betrayed. So hurt. He knew him and Miles were rivals now, but he missed the fact that they were friends and seeing him betray him right under his nose was just something he couldn't believe.
And it was all his fault. If he would've just found a way around the whitecoats; if he would've fout his way from their grasp and freed Miles, then they wouldn't have experimented on him. Miels wouldn't be an Eraser and they'd still probably be best friends.
Suddenly, the sound of sliding doors opening reached Fang's eardrums as he shot his head up and immediately wiped away all the tears that managed to escape his eyes. He didn't want anyone seeing him like this; showing any emotion, especially sadness.
He heard footsteps walking towards him, the dark shadow revealing itself in the brim of light that shone above Fang that lit the dimmed room.
"Hey there, buddy." Miles sang in a mocking tone, making Fang narrow his eyes viciously. "Boy, I never thought it'd feel this goog to see you behind bars again."
"Why are you doing this, Miles?" Fang asked, his eyes still narrowed. "I mean, I understand you wanting to put me behind bars but why are you doing this to Max and the rest of the flock. What did they ever do to you/"
Miles chuckled, resting his arm against the top of the cag. "A simple 'I-scratch-your-back-you-scratch-mine' deal. While you left with Max and the rest of your little group, I was training in the training grounds, getting experimented on more and more until I was good enough to be used on dangerous missions. And when I heard about the mission of going after young Maximum Ride and ally her so that they could bring her back to the School for their own personal games, I just had to take it. Just so I could see you again." He tappedhis chin affectionately, making Fang move away.
"I thought you loved Max, Miles."
Miles glanced at Fang across his shoulder, turning back and shrugging his shoulders. "Eh, she ain't anything special compared to the power of becoming an Eraser gave me." He clenched his fist.
"you're making a big mistake, " Fang told him. "Being consumed by all that power can turn you into something ugly."
Miles scoffed, running his fingers through his hari. "Please, with a handsome face like this."
Fang narrowed hi eyes angrily. "I'm serious, Miles. What happened to our friendship? All the things you said last night; the promise you made me keep: if you ever hurt any of us, whether it be mentally or physically, it would be my job to stop you."
"It was all an act, moron!" Miles yelled. "I don't give a rats ass what the hell I turn inot or whether you get hurt or any one else in your stupid flock. That was all part of the act, Fang. Don't you get it? I had to do, say, and act any way that would make you and your block like me and the rest of my team. Nothing I said meant a thing."
Fang was silent, looking at the traitor that stood before him as if studying him; studying the slight anger glimmering in his dark brown eyes.
"Yes you did"—he clenched onto the iron bars—"I've known you more than anyone, Miles. By the quivering of your voice when you told me to keep that promise, all those tears you were making—"
"It was all an acti!" Miles yelled, his features scrunching up with fury. "I didn't mean any of it!"
"The Miles I kenw wouldn't joke about anything like that!"
"But I'm not the Miels you knew!" he yelled. "I'm the new, better, stronger Miles! The Miles that betrayed you and your friends! I'm not the Miles who use to wait around every freakin' day hoping that you'd come back because I was sorry we ever had that supid fight in the first place! I'm the Miles who hates your —— guts and wants you —— dead!"
Silence filtered throughout the room as Miles glared at Fang viciously, baring his fangs that were now peeling through his gums while Fang just stared at him seriously, his features calm and collected as if he were giving a stare-down to Miles.
He moved to the side, glaring at Miles from the side before he spoke forcefully. "No you wouldn't. Deep down inside, behind all that pompous power, you're still the same Miles. The same, innocent Miles who wouldn't even think of killing off anyone. Face it, you didn't have the heart to kill anyone back then, and you don't have the heart to kill anyone—including me—now."
It came out of nowhere. Fang didn't even see it coming, but kind of expected it deep down inside as Miles reached through the cage and grabbed Fang by the collar, baring his Eraser fangs at him as his eyes grew bloodshot.
Fang did nothing but smirk. "Go on. I dare you to hurt me. If you say you're not the same Miles you were back then, then hurt me, like you want to."
Miles stared at Fang, his eyes beaming with madness while Fang just gave him a look of placidness as if daring him to do what he was telling him. Miles snapped, curling his hand inot a hard fist and sailing it through the bars, smacking it straight into Fang's face.
Fang swaggered back through the cage, his head drooping down and his body limping slightly, feeling the slight smoung of blood dripping through his mouth. Miles looked down at him seriously, stepping back without saying a single word, leaving Fang alone in the darkened room, droplets of blood trickling out of his mouth and hitting the metal ground. A small smirk crept up Fang's lips as he let out a satisfied chuckle, wiping the blood away from his lips as the light to his abandoned room shut off.
--
Woohoo! Just one more chapter or two and then I'm done with this story! Major thanks to the people who haven't given up on this story and have waited patiently for me to update. You guys rock! \m/-\m/
Well, see youz next time! Peace!