Chapter 24: Yet

Remember that mushy gushy night with me and Fang in the café drinking gross coffee from dainty little mugs on dainty little saucers?

Remember that dopey love song that was playing?

Remember how I wanted to make that one moment last forever?

Time for a reality check:

I am Maximum Ride. I am a flying mutant birdkid with screwed up DNA and a screwed up childhood and a screwed up life.

In other words, no such luck for yours truly.

Fang and I headed home that night, flying above the bright city lights, acting like nothing had happened, like nothing had changed.

Well, here is a newsflash for those of you too forgetful to remember or too lazy to look back a few chapters: a lot had changed. Well, at least I thought it had.

Apparently, Mr. Tall Dark and Silent did not agree.

Damn it. I was so close… and yet so far. And now I sound like the Olsen twins. I am officially an idiot.

We coasted towards yet another cave where the Flock, minus one, had chosen to bunk for the next few days. Nudge had set up a pink sleeping bag (goodness knows where she found that) in one corner, while Iggy chose to brood in another, his headphones constantly in his ears and his fingers tapping on the hard floor. Angel had arranged the contents of her backpack in a neat little circle around her, her head resting on an old towel. Fang and I generally took turns keeping watch near the edge of the cave, recruiting Iggy every once in awhile. There was an empty spot near the back of the cave, right next to Angel's spot, reserved for the current AWOL member of the Flock in some sort of unspoken agreement.

This was usually how nights were spent at Birdkid Central, whichever cave that might be at the time. So when Fang and I skidded towards a stop at the edge of the cave, we were surprised, to say the least, at the variation in this common routine.

Our three flashlights that we only used for keeping watch were all on, and there were hushed voices coming from the back of the cave. As Fang and I entered, our footsteps slapping loudly on the rock, the voices halted abruptly.

"Hey, guys…" Nudge drew out the words as we came face-to-face, obviously covering something up.

I cut straight to the chase with basic word choice.

"What is going on?"

"Nothing much," Angel said, grinning. "How was your date?"

I narrowed my eyes, while Fang stood there impassively. "Number one: it was not a date. Number two: no more games. Tell me what is going on now before I choke it out of you."

Angel rolled her eyes, used to my empty threats.

"I think there is someone here who you might want to see," Nudge said suggestively, stepping aside to reveal a small figure.

"Oh, my goodness."

I ran forward and threw my arms around the Gasman.

. . .

He clung to me, his small body shaking.

"Max… I'm so sorry, I didn't think, I was just so mad, and then she found me –" he broke off, sobs shuddering through him.

"Oh, Gazzy." I smoothed his hair and held him to me. "It's okay. You're safe now. You're home."

He gradually calmed down, and I pulled him into my lap, Angel right at my side, rubbing the Gasman's back.

"You don't have to tell me anything if you are too tired," I started, but he cut me off, words spilling out of his mouth at a Nudge-worthy speed.

"As soon as I landed, I was guilty, I tried to find you. I got a map and everything, but I could not find our cave. So I went and asked a police officer, but he didn't help me, instead, he chased me when I ran away, and I ran straight into – into… into an Eraser. It was a girl, and she captured me and took me to Itex headquarters.

"My mother and father were there. They asked me to let them do tests. I said no. They told me all sorts of bad stuff about the Flock, but I didn't believe them… didn't want to believe them… and I was there for a really long time. Time seemed to pass slowly, like I was under some sort of drug or something.

But then, for some reason, one day I snapped out of it. When we went to the Christmas feast, I wrapped up a stink bomb in Christmas wrapping paper, and it triggered when they opened it. A bunch of gas clouded the room. I escaped, and found Nudge when she was out flying with the hawks. And she brought me back here. And now I'm home."

He buried his head into my shoulder.

"Gazzy, oh, I'm so sorry that all this happened to you. I really am," I said, and I meant it. The poor kid was only eight years old, and he had just been reunited with his parents, only to lose them forever.

I could hardly imagine it, and I've been through a lot.

"Wow," Iggy said, shaking his head in awe. The rest of us raised our eyebrows in question.

"I mean… to escape from some high-tech, security loaded, mega-million business's headquarters… that must have been one mean stink bomb."

The Gasman giggled, and I smiled down at him.

Man, was it good to be together again.

. . .

We crashed early that night, Nudge hunkering down in her sleeping bag. Gazzy curled up in his reserved spot, and Angel gradually scooted closer to him, until they were holding hands in their sleep, their heads bent towards each other. I smiled. Poor Angel – she had really missed her little brother.

I went to work tidying up the cave, figuring that we probably had best be out of here by tomorrow afternoon. As I picked up Gazzy's backpack, a white envelope fell to the ground. I picked it up and flipped it over, reading the front.

MAXIMUM RIDE

Uh-oh. Letters addressed to me usually meant bad news.

I ripped open the seal, and unfolded the white sheet of copy paper inside, my eyes gradually widening as I read the bold print.

TO MAXIMUM RIDE:

ON BEHALF OF ITEX, THIS LETTER IS INFORMING YOU THAT IF YOU DO NOT TURN YOURSELF IN FOR TESTING AT OUR HEADQUARTERS, WE WILL ENSURE THAT SOME OF OUR NEWEST CREATIONS, SPECIFICALLY ENGI NEERED TO TERMINATE YOUR FLOCK, WILL BE SENT TO YOUR LOCATION ON

1-15-08

YES, MAXIMUM, THIS IS CONSIDERED BLACKMAIL.

YOU HAVE EXACTLY 20 DAYS TO MAKE YOUR DECISION. IF YOU DO NOT PRESENT YOURSELF AT ITEX HEADQUARTERS IN THIS TIME, THESE MACHINES WILL BE SENT TO TERMINATE YOUR FLOCK. AND YES, THEY WILL SUCCEED.

DO NOT FAIL US, MAXIMUM RIDE.

ITEX

I groaned, staring at the letter in my hands.

Say it with me now, folks: Oh, crap.

Posted for Bookaholic711's Project PULL.

RnR?