Okay, here it is…last chapter! Thanks to those who have read the story…there WILL be a sequel, called The End. I think I'll start it tonight…
Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.
12
Max POV
I opened my eyes. The bright lights on the ceiling hurt my eyes, and I quickly shut them. The cold metal under me made me shiver. My head hurt, and I felt like I'd just had the weirdest dream. Where was I? That's when it all came back. I was at the School. In a cage. In the middle of my absolute worst nightmare.
Aw, crap.
I sat bolt upright, accidentally smashing my head on the roof of the cage. I ignored the pain, staring wildly around. The Flock was in cages too. Iggy was on my right; he was knocked out, and his weird goggles that made him see were gone. Across from me, was Angel. She huddled at the back of her cage, curled up in a ball. Nudge was next to her to Angel's left, huddled at the back of her cage, her brown eyes full of the fear that we all felt. Next to Nudge, was Total, with his head on his tiny black paws, whimpering. And to Angel's right was…Gazzy? Gazzy was alive? Gazzy was alive! My little mutant heart went thumpity- thump- thump in my chest, nearly exploding with happiness. Gazzy was alive!
"I'm glad that you're back, Max" Angel whispered. My gaze flicked back to Angel. Her blue eyes were large, and she had a bunch of bruises from rocking her cage to get out. "What do you mean?" I whispered. Angel blinked. "You were in an isolation tank thingy" she responded. An isolation tank?
Yes, Max, the voice said in my head. An isolation tank. Nothing that had happened to you in the isolation tank had happened for real. It was just a test to see how you reacted to awful, stressful things. I had a bunch of things to tell the voice then and there, but I didn't. Because I'd just done a head count, and counted only four of the flock, other than me. And as I looked to the cage to my left, I realized that it was empty. Fang was missing.
Fang POV
I crossed my arms, glaring at the two people that sat in front of me. From what Jeb told me, my parents. I kind of believed it, because the man looked exactly like me, except for his eyes, which were a dark green. The woman had dark eyes, like mine, but she had brown hair. She looked strict, and wore glasses, making her look like a librarian. The guy looked like he took a lot of drugs, wearing loose, baggy clothes, and his black hair sticking up everywhere. The two were not looking at each other, and didn't sit side by side. We were sitting at a long rectangular table, one of my "parents" on either side, and Jeb at the head of the table.
I ignored the delicious smell of food under my nose, even though my mouth was watering and my senses told me to dig in. I just flicked my gaze from "parent" to "parent" and then back to Jeb. "Yes, Fang, soak it in" Jeb said, his blue eyes locked onto mine. "These are your parents." To be honest with you, I didn't like the look of them at all. My mom looked like a total biatch, and my dad looked like a pimp. Nothing like what I'd expected.
From what Angel had told me, my mom had been a teenager when she'd had me. I assumed that she would be a drug addict, looking like a hooker. But she wasn't. She looked like one of the most ugly, evil vultures I'd ever seen in my life.
I glared at Jeb too, still not trusting him fully, even if he was Max's dad. I would never forget how he'd betrayed us. I didn't trust him. I folded my arms across my chest, setting my jaw and increasing my glare. I felt my dad's gaze bore into me. "So, this is my son" he said, his voice rough, like he smoked a lot. "Yes" Jeb replied. I didn't say anything. Dad snorted. "And you have…wings?" he questioned, sounding disgusted. I looked at him, but didn't respond. "Yes" Jeb said again. "From what I've seen when he was in the isolation tank" Mom spoke up, "He doesn't talk much." Jeb had told me about how the past few weeks had been a dream.
"No, he doesn't" Jeb replied, calmly. I flicked my gaze to her now, looking at the gaze of strictness in her dark eyes. Her gaze was locked onto mine, and I didn't blink. I just glared at her. After a few seconds, she looked away. I blinked, turning back to Jeb. "It's time for him to go back, Jeb" one of the whitecoats standing in the doorway spoke up. Oh yeah, whitecoats were hovering around me, ready to take me back to the Lab. "Oh, yes" Jeb said. "Bye, Fang". I didn't respond. I just gave my parents and Jeb one, final glare, and then I stood up, following the whitecoats out the door, back to the Lab Room.
Max POV
I heard the doors slam open. I opened my eyes, and looked over. I saw a few whitecoats walk in, Fang behind them. He looked upset, like something was bothering him; his dark eyes were clouded over. Two Flyboys came in after him, making sure that Fang didn't run away. The whitecoats led Fang down the aisle, to his cage. One of them held the door open for Fang. "In you go, mutant" said the other. He shoved Fang into the cage, and the door slammed shut and locked behind him. Fang turned around at the very back of his cage, scowling at the whitecoats and the laughing Flyboys. The whitecoats and the Flyboys walked back down the aisle, out the door, slamming it shut behind them.
I leaned on the side of my cage, my head turned toward Fang. "Fang, what's wrong?" I asked. I saw that the Flock perked up, listening. Fang swallowed, and he stared ahead. "Fang?" I persisted. Fang took at deep breath, and then whispered "I met my parents". I heard Nudge gasp, and Total's head lifted up. "What?" Iggy asked, shocked (he'd woken up about ten minutes ago). "I met my parents" Fang repeated. "And it was one of the worst experiences of my entire life. My…my mom is a total bi-…evil vulture, and my dad is…he doesn't seem to care about me. He's a drug addict. I can tell, just by the smell of him." Fang still gazed off ahead, looking so upset it made my heart hurt.
"I'm sorry Fang" I said. I reached a few of my fingers through the squares in my cage, and gripped the bars on Fang's cage. Fang turned his head toward me and actually smiled a really sad smile. Even though it was sad, that smile made the world seem just a little brighter. And, of course, to ruin the Hallmark moment, the doors burst open. All of us retreated to the backs of our cages, huddling in fear.
Ari came through the doors, followed by two of his Flyboy pals. Ari was grinning from ear to ear, and as the Flyboys entered, I saw why. The Flyboys dragged a girl between them; her worn out sneakers dragged on the floor, and she looked dead with her head hanging down and her eyes shut. She looked to be only a year younger than me, at age 13. Her pale, olive skin seemed to have lost all color; her skin was nearly white. Her long, black hair draped around to her chest like a cloak, and her faded, patched, dark jeans were caked in mud. Her black t-shirt with a white skull on the front was torn in a whole bunch of places, and you could see her black tank top beneath it.
Ari and the Flyboys halted in front of us. Ari looked directly at Fang, and said "You're going to love this, Goth Boy." I saw Fang's jaw clench, and his hands become fists, but he held his tongue, not wanting to make Ari mad at him when he was in this position. I saw the girl's eyes flutter open, and was nearly stunned at what a beautiful dark green they were. The Flyboys dropped her to the ground, so that she landed on her knees. "Get up" Ari demanded. Ari kicked the girl in her gut, and I felt so sorry for her. The girl sucked in air, clutching her stomach. I could see her various bruises, cuts, and scars along her body. But even though she must be in a lot of pain, the girl stood up, glaring at Ari, daring him to hit her again.
"Show your brother your pretty wings" Ari laughed, his voice coming out as a hiss. The girl glared at him, folding her arms across her chest. "I said, show him your wings!" Ari yelled, punching her in the face. Blood spurted from the girl's nose, but she still glared daggers at Ari. Without warning, one of the Flyboys chopped at the girl's back, exactly where the space between our wings would be. If we got chopped there, our wings would shoot open; that's the only way to make them open involuntarily. And, just like us, this girl had wings. Once the Flyboy had chopped her in the back, her wings shot open. They were ten feet in length, pure ebony black, with a few gray streaks thrown in there.
The force of the chop to her back knocked her to her knees. Ari turned his head toward Fang, and whispered "Goth Boy, meet your sister, Super Goth Girl". I saw Fang's eyes widen, and he seemed to stop breathing for a moment. I felt that way too. Fang had a sister?! Fang's sister sat on the cold, marble floor, her nose gushing blood. She was still clutching her stomach, and breathing heavily. Her eyes were shut again. "Pathetic weakling" Ari muttered, disgusted. Suddenly, without warning, Fang's sister shot out her leg, spinning around in a circle. Her leg hit Ari's feet, and he fell to the ground. Fang's sister spun so fast that she knocked the Flyboys to their feet as well, and she knocked her foot into Ari's head.
On her feet in two seconds, Fang's sister went into a front flip, bringing both of her heels down onto the two Flyboy's spines. The Flyboys fell limp, dead. Ari had rolled onto his back, and in half a second Fang's sister had her foot on Ari's chest, holding him down. I swear, she looked so badass the way she glared at Ari with her nose gushing blood, staining her black shirt, and the tips of her black wings glowing purple in the bright light. "Who's the pathetic weakling now?" she whispered. She lifted her foot for half a second, and brought it down on Ari's nose. Hard. Ari yelled in pain, and Fang's sister kicked him hard in the side, rolling him over onto his stomach.
She grabbed the metal bar that was in Ari's belt loop and brought it down hard on Ari's head. Ari passed out. Without pausing, Fang's sister dashed to my cage, brought the metal bar down on the lock, and broke it. The door to my cage swung open, and I jumped out. I watched as she did the same thing to Fang's and Iggy's cages. They jumped out too. Before turning around, Fang's sister backed away from us a few steps, hocked a loogie onto Ari's head and whispered "Stupid idiot." Then in three seconds, she was at the little kid's cages, and undid theirs too. They hopped out and gazed at Fang's sister in pure wonder. Fang's sister smiled at them.
Just then, Flyboys poured into the room, and clashed head on into us. I kicked a Flyboy in his chest with a hard round house, and he fell to the ground. I brought my heel down hard on his gut, rolled him over, and did the same thing to his spine. One Flyboy down, only about fifty more to go. Fang's sister twirled the metal bar fast in a circle, creating a whirling metal circle of death. She knocked Flyboys down so fast that my eyes couldn't even follow it.
I got down on the ground and spun my legs in a fast circle. I took out a few Flyboys, and stood up. "Max, come on!" Fang called to me. I spun around, now facing the exit. The little ones were already through the door, running through the hallway. Iggy was going through, and Fang and his sister stood side by side, looking almost like twins. I punched at one more Flyboy, and then sprinted as fast as I could toward the door. I hopped over cages, and ran through the door. Fang and his sister were hot on my heels, and the little ones were waiting outside.
I took the lead, blindly running down the hallway, making random turns and hoping I'd find the exit. A blinking red light was flashing above us, and a robotic voice was yelling Intruder Alert, Intruder Alert! Flyboys were pouring in on all sides of us, and I took down as many as I could. None of us were knocked out yet, but we were all pretty badly scratched. That's when I saw it; a large window, big enough for all of us to leap out of.
I put on a burst of speed, and charged head on at the window. "When you get in the air, fly away as fast as you can!" I yelled at the Flock. They all nodded, even Fang's sister. I braced myself for the impact of the window. I crashed through it, falling a few feet, then snapping my wings open, and hovering. The Flock jumped out behind me, opening their wings and flying off. The sun was rising as we flew as far away from the School as possible. I quickly looked around at everyone, and made sure they were alright. Just as I was about to call "Is everyone ok?" a big explosion sounded behind us. I whirled my head around to see a gigantic fireball erupt around the School, caving it in. I felt my eyes widen. "Most explosive bomb we've ever built!" Iggy yelled proudly.
Iggy looked bummed about something. "What's wrong?" I called to him. "I can't see" Iggy said sadly. "I'm blind…again." Fang's head snapped up. "Oh, I almost forgot!" I cried calmly. He reached into one of his jean pockets, and pulled out weird, black goggles. "One of the whitecoats dropped this when we were walking back to the Lab" Fang explained. He handed the goggles to Iggy. "I believe that these are yours". Iggy smiled, sticking them on. He grinned. "I can see!" he whooped. I grinned too.
After about an hour of flying, we landed in a hollow of trees. Fang's sister flopped down in the dirt, leaning against a rock. She was breathing heavily, and looked totally wiped. I turned away from her; I'd deal with her in a minute. But I turned to Gazzy. His blond hair was all ruffled, and he had dirt, blood, and bruises all over him. I stooped down to his level, and pulled him into a tight hug. "I dreamed that you died" I whispered. Gazzy hugged me back. "It's alright Max" he whispered. "I'm not dead. I'm fine." That fact that he was being so tough made me choke up and want to cry.
I pulled away from Gazzy, ruffled his hair, and turned to our newest member of the Flock: Fang's sister. She looked at me, her green eyes locked onto mine. I walked over and sat down next to her. Fang sat on her other side, and the whole Flock gathered around her. Iggy handed me my knapsack (surprisingly, we still had it). I pulled out a water bottle from it. "So…" I said casually, handing Fang's sister the water bottle. "You got a name?" Fang's sister sat up, wiped the dried blood off her face, opened the water bottle and took a swig. She spat the water out on the dirt, and I could see the blood in it. "Name's Sam. I'm thirteen years old, and from what I understand, he-" Sam nodded to Fang, "is my brother." I nodded. "That seems about right" I responded. Sam looked at Fang, studying him. Then she looked around her, at each of the others, taking in their appearances. "So" she said casually. "You guys got anything to eat around here? Those rotten whitecoats didn't feed me nothin". I looked at Sam's frail, thin body, grimacing at how I could see her bones. But nonetheless, I smiled at her, nodding. "I'm sure we could find you something…"
Epilogue
The Director sat in her chair, at her desk. She drummed her long fingernails on her desk, her face scowling. She slumped in her chair, unlike her normal perfect posture, and became lost in thought. Those rotten mutants! They were a nuisance to all of Itex, and she had to stop them! The Director knew that their expiration dates would kick in soon…yes, very soon.
The Director stood up, and crossed the room, to the large window in her office. She folded her hands neatly behind her back, and stared at the rising sun. She knew what she had to do to get rid of those mutants once and for all. She had to kill them with her own two hands. Of course, she wouldn't do that literally, she'd leave that to the expiration dates. But she knew how she was going to make the mutant's last moments the worst moments of their entire, God forsaken lives.
Smiling, the Director turned away from the gorgeous sunrise, and walked out of the room. From what she understood, she had a specific traitor named Jeb to punish…
IT'S DONE!! I hope you guys liked it. It took me FOREVER to write. Like I said, there WILL be a sequel called, The End, and I will start it tonight! Thank you for reading!! And please R&R!!
