[A/N] OK… Few things you guys need to know before you read. This is the voice talking. Max replying. Ok, basically this is just an explaining chapter for the previous chapter. But it's a bit longer so I hope you like it.

That was it. I had reached my limit. My whole body was in pain, and my head was aching from pain. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to slow down and get away, escape. My brain did the only thing it could do. Shut down. Suddenly, I was surrounded by darkness, my wings folded inwards and I could feel the sudden rush of air as I plunged to the cold hard earth. The last thing I could remember that day was Fang's voice calling out my name…

Maximum…

Oh, hi voice. I don't even get a 'hello'?

Look what you have made us do.

What!? You did this!?

If only you had listened to me, maybe then…

LISTENED TO YOU? I was practically your slave! I can't believe this! I screamed inside my head furiously.

Maybe what? Maybe you wouldn't have taken Nudge and then Gazzy from me? Who the hell is gonna be next, huh?

Calm down Maximum.

CALM DOWN? I swear, when I find out who you are Voice, I'll find a way to put a voice inside your damn head and torture you just as you did to me.

I see I won't be able to talk to you now. But please Maximum, keep what they give you. You might find them useful in the future. But now it is time to wake up.

With that I jolted awake to find the Fang and Angel sleeping soundly and Iggy staring at me. "Geez Max, you really scared us… We lost Gazzy and then we thought we would have lost you. Luckily, Fang was able to catch you in time; otherwise you would have been…" Iggy whispered leaving the sentence unfinished. Though he didn't show it, I could detect an ounce of sadness, fear and relief in his voice. That was when I promised to never cry, blank out or feel sorry for myself until my flock was whole again. I was their leader and yet I was the weakest. What was wrong with me?

"Iggy what are the injuries?"

"No broken bones, it's just manly cuts and bruises that will probably heal by the end of tomorrow. But-"

From the sound of my voice, Angel and Fang woke up and bombarded with questions before Iggy could finish. Most of them were about me and my black out. But somehow I managed to not tell anyone – even Angel about what the voice had told me. When the entire ruckus had died down, I managed to find Angel under the nearby tree; she had hardly spoken to me since I woke up. I limped over to her with a badly bruised body and a sprain ankle. She was crying.

"Max, did you see where they took Gazzy?" stuttered Angel.

I shook my head and sat down. "Sorry, Sweetie, I didn't. All I know is that the whole thing was a trap. They sent a helicopter so that one of us would let go and get pushed back into the Erasers. They would grab whoever it was and escape in a cargo plane that was behind us…"

Angel looked at me amazed while Fang and Iggy demanded why I didn't tell them. I stood up angrily, "Hey! By the time I found out, I blacked out because of the stupid Voice!"

"The Voice?" Fang shouted back.

Oh shoot! This isn't going to turn out good. I looked at Iggy and tried to change the subject. "What happened to the train? Why did it explode?"

"It blew up. It was Itex's train, Gazzy saw it first."

I heard Angel whimper at the sound of her brother's name. "How did he know!?"

"Max, he was at the front. The train was labeled 'Big Boom Itex'" Fang who answered still thinking about the Voice.

"Oh great, so they've been one step ahead of us this whole time. First it was Nudge and the card, and now it's Gazzy…"

"With the sand timer…" I stared at Angel who spoke showing a very confused face. She held it out, answering my question. It looked like an ordinary sand timer, but it didn't feel like one. The glass was rough and it seemed a bit too heavy. Maybe I was just too paranoid.

My fingers ran around the whole thing. They felt every crack, bump and dent on the timer. It seemed like a waste of time but I wasn't. Thanks to my paranoia, I found an invisible lid. 'Pop' the lid opened, jaws dropped and a note dropped onto the bark-littered ground. Carefully I unfolded it and read, "Gasman is gone. He is never to return. How far you run, no matter where you hide, we'll find you. Itex. One, one, two, three, five, eight, thirteen, dot, dot, dot"

"What the?" Iggy mumbled in amazement."What's with the numbers and the dots?"

"Dunno. "

"So what do we do now?" asked Fang.

"I say we start a war – with Itex."

[A/N] I know there's a lot of talking and it's a pretty boring chapter. But the next chapter will be better! I've also got a few things to ask/tell you guys…

The first person who knows what the number thing is and puts it in a review, I'll answer any 3 questions you have for the next few chapters. But please, if you don't want me to spoil it say so.

For chapters to come, would you rather, Fang and Max or Iggy and Max. And no, this story isn't gonna turn into a romance story… I just need to know

Chapter 5 is already written, so when you click the review button, I'll click the update button… and that leads me to my last point…

REVIEW!