"So, what you in for?" I asked the boy in the cage next to me. His eyes widened in fear, and he shied as far away as possible. Scales covered his skin in patches, and his neon yellow eyes had slits for pupils. I sighed. "It was just an attempt at conversation. I'm not going to hurt you," I said kindly. Over the years, you picked up pretty quickly that some experiments here weren't good with socializing. Being one of the few tests on humans able to communicate in this Itex, life got pretty boring.
The boy still looked out the bars in alarm. My spirit drooped slightly at the terror in his face. He was at the maximum eight years old. Boys his age should be playing ball in the park, not living a life of horror and pain in what I had dubbed "The Lab." No matter how many times I saw these helpless kids, I still felt my heart wrench in pity. At least I wasn't in as much pain as some. For some, the mutations they endured would always be aching.
The door of the small room swung, and a scientist accompanied by back up Erasers strolled in. The scientist didn't even hesitate as he unlatched the dog cage and had the Erasers wrench the young boy out of the cage. Instead of screams, hisses and snarls erupted from the boy. His feet were kicking in every which way, and his nail lengthened into claws. The Erasers held down the boy's arm as the scientist forced a needle through the tough hide that was his skin and pushed down the plunger. It didn't take long before the sedative kicked in and the boy slumped to the ground. One Eraser unceremoniously threw the boy over his shoulder, and the trio started heading toward the door, just as calm as before.
My instincts jumped in right before they left, which was too bad. If I had stayed quiet, only one would have had to suffer. Instead, I started banging on the cage walls. "Take me instead!" I screamed. We all knew that the boy was too weak to take the tests they issued here. He wouldn't come back here alive. "I'll cooperate," I insisted, my head bobbing like a bobble head. That was always my weak point. I knew I was stronger than most of the children at The Lab. Most likely, I would come back alive to my comfy cage with just bruises, cuts, and maybe a broken bone or two. So, I sacrificed myself to the test, especially in the younger kids place.
"Tell you what," the scientist said with a slight accent. Scottish, maybe? But it wasn't heavy enough that I couldn't understand his spiteful words. "I'll send a few of my friends to come pick you up, if you're so excited for our little games. Ok?" he told me cheerfully, leaving the room. The last thing I ever saw of the boy was his face, sleeping peacefully at the moment. The door slammed closed behind them.
I felt like screaming to the world. But, now the only thing to do was prepare myself both physically and mentally for the tests. Sighing, I lay down on the metal floor of the cage. My eyes drifted shut as I fell into a much needed sleep. Unknown to me, just hours away was a savior, waiting for a signal. A signal that would change my life, and disrupt the balance that all humanity relied on. Oh, goody.
WwWwWwWwWwWw
Soft light flickered through the leaves as I searched the trees for Val. The flight to Phoenix would take at least three hours, and we were already cutting it close. I had promised Fang I would give Jeb a chance with Max, but time was going to cut short. Yes, Fang was the leader, but some rules were made to be broken.
"Val!" I called out, gazing through the gaps in foliage. "Look, I need your help. Can you please come out?" Still, the only noise I heard was the rustling of leaves. I sighed, and leaned against the hard bark of an oak tree. Exhaustion was a familiar feeling, being on the run, but that made it no more pleasant. It probably not the best idea to stay up all night waiting for Valencia and Jace to wake up. Fang told me I could sleep, but I was stubborn, and I had to pay the price for that now.
I closed my eyes, slowly sliding down to the base of the tall oak. My body and mind relaxed, and I tentatively opened my mind to the pictures. When I had first acquired my power, it had been unbearable. With no control whatsoever over my visions, images would barrack me every hour. Experience was the only thing that could help me control my power.
Colors and sounds eased their way into my mind. Setting aside most of them, I focused on Val. Gradually, blurs of colors solidified and I could see Val sitting on a high branch overlooking the canyon nearby where we camped. Now that I had the information I needed, I just closed my mind as I would close a door. Back to reality, I opened my eyes unhurriedly.
I stood up and started tromping to the tree I had landed on. I grasped the limbs and shimmied up to the highest branch. It was too hard landing or flying off through the tons of branches. Once I got there, I pulled myself up and unfolded my wings. Shaking them slightly to loosen the muscles, I spread them wide and jumped.
Fly is too hard to describe for you to fully understand what it's like. Imagine running faster than humanly possible with no walls to cross or rules to follow. Just you and the birds. And, of course, the occasional plane. Banking east, I felt the wind shift and I adjusted my feathers to go with it. When I saw a figure sitting in a tree, I angled down and alighted on the branch.
Val didn't even look up. Her looks were startlingly different to her brother and her personality. Just in the few hours I had had to learn about them, I found out that Jace did the talking. With his chestnut hair and dark brown eyes, he looked rather plain, but his outgoing personality made him stand out. Val, on the other hand, talk as less as she could; if you didn't know her, though, you'd think she was some peppy cheerleader. Her hair strawberry blond hair and icy blue eyes contrasted completely with her persona.
"Hey, Val," I chirped, jumping down next to her. "I know we barely know each other, but I need your help. I'm guessing you've heard of Maximum Ride, right?" I saw a flicker of recognition in her eyes, and she nodded her head faintly. I smiled and went on. "I thought so. She's pretty popular among the lunatics that call themselves scientists. Well, I need to tell her something and I've picked up that you can help me with that."
Val rose up and gazed at me. "Yeah, I think I can help you with that." Smirking, she climbed up and shook out large tan wings. I held back my surprise; the files hadn't said anything about wings. Apparently I wasn't great at hiding my surprise. She grinned at my expression. "Pretty awesome, huh?" she said happily. "Jace doesn't have a pair, though. Just little ole me."
I shrugged; it wasn't my place to ask. "Where to?" I asked, back to business.
Val observed the canyon, and her eyes focused on a small town across the long drop of Earth. "First, we need to find a road with lots of people. I'll help you from there."