MAX
I gave my flock a quick glance. Iggy's nose was still swollen, Gazzy's arm was tucked up protectively against his chest, Ari and Nudge looked fine, if not a little nervous. My wrist already felt a lot better than it did after our scuffle with Fang and Angel, but it wasn't quite healed yet. How the hell was I supposed to fight a bunch of hulking... things with a tender wrist?
Nudge rose to Gazzy's level, looking anxious as he took out her pocket knife and his baseball bat from where they were attached to her bag. Just looking at the baseball bat made my head hurt. He passed the bat to Nudge and she took it, a frown growing on her face.
"I don't want to go back!" She shouted to Gazzy, suddenly looking terrified. At least, I think that's what she yelled.
I felt my eyes narrow, but before I could say anything, the Voice was speaking again.
Now Max.
My eyes met with Ari's and he gave a quick nod. I swallowed and led the way, tucking my wings in and putting my feet together.
I'm pretty good at pretending I know what I'm doing, but honestly, I'd never fought this high up in the air before. Most of the combat style's I was good at would be useless in the air. I swallowed my doubt and let myself catch momentum.
Together, the flock followed my lead and we shot through the clouds. I whistled straight down, completely missing any of the Erasers. Iggy's boots caught one straight on, sending the thing spinning. I tossed my wings out and hovered, quickly assessing the situation from below. I could feel fear coiling in my stomach, making me feel shaky.
The Eraser things were huge wolf-looking men who were probably 6'4 and two hundred and fifty pounds each. They had huge wingspans, near twice the size of mine. I'd gone up against people that big in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu before and won, but there was no way I could manage in the air. There were seven of them and they had guns. Guns!
They also seemed much more in control of flying than Ari and I, like they had some frequent flier miles on their card.
"God... Damn it..." I clenched my teeth and shot towards one of the wolf-men, ready to to disarm him, just like Jeb taught me. I got him pretty good in the wrist, but before I could get a good grip on the gun it went tumbling towards the earth. I was met with an elbow to the gut and a wolfish grin.
I doubled over, struggling to stay upright in the air. The Eraser sneered and lunged for me. I barely managed to dodge the brute's fist, grabbing his arm and letting his built up momentum send him tumbling through the air.
Out of nowhere, Nudge dropped down and cracked her baseball bat down on the Eraser's wing, completely splintering the bat. The Eraser howled in agony, his wing curling in and sending his body spinning. The Eraser lost altitude quick. Without a blink, Nudge flipped the bat so the sharp side faced down, like a dagger. She surged back up to help Gazzy's with the Eraser who was closing in on him.
That kid was terrifying.
There were five Erasers still in the air. Iggy was pummeling one of them, a streak on blood cutting across his face, looking almost like claw marks. He was in one of his WWE irrational fighting modes, which I was thankful for at the moment. Gazzy and Nudge were holding their own, but Ari was being double teamed.
There was one Eraser on each side of him. Ari had his fists up in a defensive stance, looking completely unphased, but I knew him better than that. With a quick snap of my wings, I rose up and shoved one of the Erasers away with my shoulder.
We both banked away, trying to gain our balance back. The Eraser recovered first and threw a punch. I barely managed to put my arms up and block, but the punch still jarred my skull. I winced and countered with a quick jab at the Eraser's throat. He came back with another crushing punch.
Somehow the Eraser noticed my hesitance to use my left hand. He went to elbow my stomach and when I dodged left he was there, overwhelming my left side with fists and jabs. After a weak attempt to fall back, the Eraser gripped my wrist in his hand, squeezing hard.
I couldn't help it. I screamed. The pain was throbbing in the back of my head as the Eraser took the opportunity to sock me in the jaw. I tried to kick him in the groin, anything to relieve the pressure on my injured wrist, but it was no use.
Just as the crazy wolf-man started to twist my arm back, Iggy came barreling down on the Eraser. His fists barely made contact with the Eraser's gut before he was spinning into a hard kick, nearly knocking the man out of the air. The Eraser released me in an attempt to catch his balance and Iggy was on him before he recovered, slamming the palm of his hand into the Eraser's nose.
Blood splattered as another gunshot cracked through the air. I wasn't sure if it was Iggy's blood or the Eraser's gushing nose.
There was a shout behind me and I quickly spun to see an Eraser with a gun aimed straight for me. I let my wings fold just as another gunshot hammered. Ari lunged for the Eraser with the gun. I snapped my wings back out and moved to tackle the Eraser Iggy had been fighting from below, but I quickly noticed Iggy was no longer fighting him.
I couldn't help it. I snapped my head around looking for Iggy. Where the hell did he go?
Below you, Max. The Voice added monotonously.
He was falling. Completely unconscious. I felt my heart catch and then I was diving after him, but something yanked so hard on my hair that I went dizzy. The Eraser had his claws clenched into my ponytail. He was sneering into my ear, blood dripping down his face and chin.
I grabbed at the Eraser's hand, pulling back his fingers as hard as I could, my eyes still fixed on Iggy. There was a muted snap, but the Eraser kept holding on. I started to thrash, trying to break the Eraser's grip. It didn't matter how. I just needed to-
Iggy was just a speck below us. He was falling so fast. All I could see was the endless green sheet below us.
He was going to die. Oh god. He was going to splatter in a field somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
I mercilessly dug my fingernails into the Eraser's arm and dragged them down, but it just made the Eraser chuckle darkly. It was hoarse and gravelly, like something from a horror movie. I shut my eyes tight, trying not to think of Iggy, but he was all I could think of.
A sharp pain spiked through my skull and a low drone built in my ears, blocking out everything but my heartbeat, which seemed like it was pressed up against my brain. There was something pressed against my chest and then, just as my eyes opened, my body hit the ground and tumbled, scraping against the mud and dirt.
Iggy was sprawled out a few yards beside me. His eyelids were half open, but only the whites of his eyes were visible. The world was spinning and I could feel the urge to vomit building in my stomach.
Holy shit. I teleported again.
Deliriously staring up at the sky as my vision started to ink out, I heard The Voice whisper in my head. The sound was a little distorted.
I can't help you there. Good luck Max.
A shadow covered the sun and started to englulf me, just as my eyes sank shut.
SUNDAY
"Max? Max..." A voice croaked quietly.
I grunted and forced my eyes open, instantly feeling the brunt of my body's injuries. I was stiff as burned bacon, like I'd slept in a space way too small. With a little effort, I managed to haul myself up, immediately smacking my head on the roof of... of...
"Am I in a dog kennel?" I wasn't exactly speaking to anyone, but there was a response from somewhere in the low light.
"Max! Oh thank God! I didn't... I thought..." Iggy's hoarse voice broke and I quickly scrambled to the side of my cage.
"I'm here Ig. We're okay." I assured him, although I really had no idea. I slid half my hand through the bars of my kennel. Iggy hesitated, then intertwined his middle and pointer fingers with mine.
"You've been unconscious for three days." His voice was a little afraid.
"Teleporting is a real workout." I said with a cheeky grin, trying to cheer Iggy up and show him I was actually alright.
I could figure out where we were and what was happening later. I was just so happy Iggy was okay. I'd really thought he was going to die.
Iggy pressed his forehead against the side of his cage and I noticed a bandage wrapped around his eyes. I could make out some dark red smudges on the fabric in the low light.
"God, Ig, what happened?" I asked quietly, watching as Iggy's other hand inched up to his face, brushing against his cheek.
His voice was soft. "They put chemicals in my eyes. Wanted to see what would happen."
They?
"I can't see anything Max. I can't see anything." His hand squeezed mine through the bars and I felt my eyes sting with the beginning of tears.
"Iggy..."
"It's not just us. There's cages of kids and animals they're experimenting on." Iggy's voice broke and he began crying as well. "What they do... It's torture. I can't sleep. Im so scared they're gunna come back for more tests. A- And I was worried since you weren't waking up."
Iggy paused, his teeth grinding. I looked down at our hands, feeling a chill run through me. The Voice's words echoed in my head again, but it was just a memory this time.
I can't help you there.
"What happened to the others? Where is my brother?" I asked quietly. The thought of Ari in the hands of some insane scientists made me want to break something. And Iggy... oh my God... I was going to make them pay for what they did to Iggy.
"I don't know. I haven't seen them. But Max," Iggy paused, seeming to listen for a moment. "These people know things they shouldn't. Things I've only ever told Dave and my dad."
"What are you saying?" I asked, feeling something in my gut flip.
Iggy just shook his head curtly. "You have to see for yourself."
ARI
The two Erasers dropped my cage with a loud crash and my shoulder banged painfully against the metal bars. I glared at the Erasers as they ginned and strolled out of the room, swiping a key card behind them. I ran my hand over my left arm, ripping off the gauze taped to the places those sick scientist bastards took blood.
That's all they've been doing to me. Injecting and taking with needles and then ministering my vitals. It's like some sort of freak sci-fi alien abduction story, except I've been abducted by people instead.
There was a wild gesture in the cage beside mine and I looked up to see Nudge crouched, her fingers clenched around the bars of her cage.
I was glad to see a familiar face. The last thing I'd seen before two Eraser's overpowered and tranquillized me was Iggy falling like a piano. I didn't like the guy, but he didn't deserve to die a pancake. Up until now, i had no idea what had happened to the others. I'd assumed that most of them had gotten away, but maybe that was wishful thinking.
I felt really self-conscious next to Nudge. Those freaky scientists took my clothes while I was still passed out. It was probably a safety precaution, but all they gave me was a pair of sterile white sweatpants in replacement, similar to what the Erasers wore. All the scars and fresher cuts on my arms and chest were completely visible. No one had commented on them yet, but I could feel Nudge's eyes on me.
She was in a white hospital gown and she looked a little like an angel, like a sad angel.
"Ari... What are they doing to you?" She asked quietly, her eyes softening.
"Nothing too painful." I replied, my voice coming out rough and gravelly. Seeing Nudge had me thinking back to some of the doctor's words. I wasn't sure what to makes of what I'd overheard. "You and Gazzy... You've been here before?"
"I'm sorry we didn't tell you guys. We were waiting until you trusted us some more. And there wasn't much to tell besides what we did say. The whitecoats just run their fucking tests while Bachelder stares at us like we're some kind of celebrity. I thought we were done with this place forever. God. I'm so nieve!"
"Wait," I interjected, feeling my heart pound in my chest. "You said Bachelder. That's my last name."
Nudge's eyes widened and then narrowed. "Actually... You do kind of look like him." Her voice wasn't accusing, but it was wary.
"Is his name Jeb? Jeb Bachedler?" I asked, feeling my fists curl. Nudge just nodded, tucking her feet under her and resting her cheek on her knees.
What did that mean? It had to be a coincidence. My dad was a cop. Or was he? Thinking back, I'd never gone to work with him. What kind of police officer went on weeklong 'trips' for work?
I searched through my memories, trying to find something to prove myself wrong, but it only made things worse.
When we had been fighting the Erasers I had the worst sense of déjà vu. Only now did I realize that was because I'd seen people like the Erasers all the time when I was growing up.
They were standing a few rows over at the grocery store, they were walking parallel to us at the mall, even the janitor at my middle school. My entire life, I'd been surrounded by those monsters.
Everything. Everything has been a lie.
I swung my fist, punching at the metal kennel. I felt a sharp pain in my knuckles and Nudge gave me a sharp look. The metal had bent to the shape of my fist.
"You've gotten stronger..." She commented. I nodded numbly, rubbing at my knuckles. I was surprised as well. "Don't make a scene though you hot-head. I'm sure Gaz is figuring out a way to bust us out. We need to lay low until then. Got it?"
I nodded, even though that was the last thing I wanted to do. And I wasn't hot-headed... was I?