Well, here I am again, after a very long break. :p I apologize once again for my tardiness in writing. Hopefully, it won't happen like this ever again. (Glares angrily at self.)

Alright, here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: Still don't own this. Probably never will. :'( (Though, with my constant updating skills [ha-ha], you guys probably don't want me going anywhere near James Patterson's legit stories, haha. *Rolls eyes at self*)

"That stupid, arrogant, son of a no-good woman..." the woman screeched through clenched teeth, glaring at the monitors, staring as Jeb and Valencia walked through the door, Maximum Ride shutting it behind them. He had done it. He had actually told them about Angel's health! Jeb Batcheldor told them!

Oh, he would get it for this.

Turning to her phone, she pressed the same button she had used twenty-four hours earlier to bring Batcheldor into her office. The biggest mistake of her her life, she realized. "Bring me Gunther-Hagen," the woman ordered, her voice hard as she relayed her message.

"Right away, ma'am," a female voice said through the intercom.

She broke the signal, sitting back in her seat heavily, sighing in anger. That Jeb. That stupid, stupid Jeb! Why would he tell them? Why would he even think about telling the flock such a thing? Did he not know the full stage of the situation? The severe consequences he has just now unleashed?

Obviously not. Else he wouldn't have said anything.

Rubbing her head, she moaned back a curse, her temples pounding. She should have told him, she knew now. She should have covered that with their briefing. She should have said something! But she didn't. And now, she'd have to fix it.

The buzz sounded, opening the door to reveal Dr. Gunther-Hagen, head of the genetic-engineering department. He looked at her, his bushy mustache annoying the woman, though she would never say so. He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, his hands behind his back, looking at her expectantly. "You called?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

The woman rose, sitting up in her large chair, radiating the power she held in her grasp. "I did," she said simply, folding her hands and looking up at him. "How are you?"

The man seemed taken aback by the question. "Fine," he answered. "And yourself?"

She raised her hand dismissively, smiling a smile she didn't feel like sharing but was used to given her position. "Fine, just fine," she said with fake cheer that only she could detect.

Dr. Gunther-Hagen shifted from foot-to-foot nervously in the silence that followed. "So, what is it you want?" he asked finally.

The woman smiled again, then stood, looking at the monitors on the wall. "You remember Angel, correct?" she asked, watching as the children interrogated the adults.

Dr. G-H nodded, looking at the monitors as well. "Her condition is better. She should be able to join the Forces in two, maybe three days."

"Jeb told them."

He turned to her, not understanding. "Told them..."

"That she is alive."

The doctor's eyes widened in shock. "He didn't!"

She nodded. "He did."

"He can't do that!" Dr. G-H exclaimed, staring at the screens in shock.

"He could, and he did," she said simply, stepping away from the monitors to sit back at her desk, flipping through her paperwork to find a file.

Dr. Gunther-Hagen shook his head in a daze, amazed by what he had just heard. "What do we do, then?" he asked, turning back to her. "If he tells them of Angel's location, and they attempt a rescue... We can't allow that!" he said finally, his eyes wide.

"Exactly," she said, picking up a file and handing it to the doctor. "Which is why we must fix this mess before it's too late."

The doctor took the file and looked over it, calculating the results of the plan before him. "It wouldn't work," he said, handing the file back to her. "It's too soon. She's barely ready to walk yet, let alone carry on a fight with the likes of those fighters. We have to give her time to heal-"

"We don't have time," the woman insisted, taking it back and waving it between them. "Thanks to Batcheldor, we have to force the plan early, or else risk exposure and, with it, the failure of the altogether Goal." She dropped the folder on her desk, sending a wave of air around her. "Now you will go and get her ready for discharge! Understood, doctor?"

He paused a minute, then nodded, clearly not liking the idea. She ignored the concern on his face. She didn't pay him to like her ideas, she payed him to carry them out. And he knew it. "I will do so," he said, turning to leave.

"Before you go," she called, stopping him at the door. "I need you to give me Dylan's original files, the ones before he was actually created, if you please?"

The Doctor turned to her, looking confused. "Why do you need Dylan's papers?" he asked.

She just shrugged. "Because I do. Can I trust you with that simple assignment?"

He nodded after a moment's hesitation, pulling the door open. "You can, ma'am," he said. "Is that all?"

"Yes, you may leave." The door shut behind him. She turned back to the monitors, watching as Max asked Jeb question after question. She grabbed her headphones, turning them on so that she may listen to their conversation. Shaking her head, she let out a deep breath. What am I going to do with you, Batcheldor? she thought to herself.

The more she thought about it, the more she knew. And a small smile stretched across her face.

Perfect.

That's all for now! Comment if you would like. Like? Hate? Eh? Please tell me what you think. :)