This Maximum Ride

Chapter 10 – Max POV

I felt funny. Restricted. Like I couldn't move. I opened my eyes only to find myself strapped to a metal operating table. I tried to scream but a hand clamped down over my mouth. The hand moved away when the person it belonged to seemed to decide that I wasn't going to scream. I looked around the very white room and saw Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, and even Total in similar positions as mine. And on top of everything else my back felt really weird, I could almost feel the touch of feathers. I'm going crazy aren't I? I shook my head to clear it.

"Subject 248 has woken up." This guy in a white coat said into a walkie-talkie, "The others should be waking up shortly."

I heard a muffled reply come through the walkie-talkie and then the room fell silent. The room strangely had an antisepticky smell to it, I noticed as I breathed in and out. This whole room was creepy, but what do you want for us having been knocked out, kidnapped, and then later waking up only to find ourselves in this weird room? I definitely now think that Nudge was right about the name.

'Got that right.' I heard. It sounded like it was coming from inside my head. I really am going crazy now, aren't I? Surely I'm not being sent to the cuckoo farm next, unless this was the cuckoo farm? I quieted my head and listened to all the sounds around me. The only sound in the room was footsteps but the guy wasn't stomping, actually he was doing quite the opposite. It seemed to me that I had better hearing now than I did before. Weird, right? I ignored my hearing and looked around again and this time noticed that my family was now all awake.

"Hello again, Maximum." I heard Jeb's voice say before he stepped into the white room.

"Why hello, father dearest." I said, faking enthusiasm. I would've clapped my hands together if it hadn't been for the metal bonds restraining them.

"You may have some questions," Jeb started, totally ignoring me, "And they will all be answered, but before that I'm sure you would like an explanation."

"How 'bout you start with why we're strapped down. 'Cause that is so not cool." Nudge yelled at Jeb.

"That's actually point 2." Jeb smiled, "Point 1 is my work. You see I'm head to a place I believe people call The School, though it doesn't really matter.

"Now what I do here is basically only over seeing everything that goes on. I direct what these other scientists do. Here, at The School, I am responsible for directing these other scientists to take humans and mix their DNA, normally with some kind of animal."

"You mean genetically engineering?" Fang asked.

"Yes, people call it that. Now onto point 2," Jeb continued, "The reason you are strapped down is because you were operated on. And, as we've learned, people tend to struggle after that."

"What! You can't just abduct people. There are laws normal people do tend to follow." I yelled at him.

"We aren't people of the law here, Maximum. And as I'm sure you all are thinking, it's was perfectly fine to operate on my daughter. You see she has the potential to be great."

"She was already great." This comment came from Fang and I flashed a smile at him. Even in our predicament Fang still was always able to calm me down slightly. He definitely made my life more livable.

"I'm sure she was, but now she's better." Jeb said with a toothy smile before continuing, "Oh, and also Maximum you might like to know that you were not a crack baby. Valencia was just trying to protect you from me." His grin broadened as he said that.

"Well, I can definitely see why she would do that. I mean just look around you." I said.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked what your DNA is mixed with yet." Jeb said as if he hadn't heard me speak.

"Are you gonna gloat or tell us?" I snapped.

"As of about a week and a half ago you are all 98 human and 2 avian. Except the pooch here who is 97 canine and 2 human with the rest a mix of avian and a little of something else."
"Hey!" Total shouted, "Who are you calling a pooch?"

I'm pretty sure that we all had shocked looks on our faces as we turned to him, at least I did.

"What?" Total asked. Suddenly his eyes brightened, "Hey! I can talk. And my back is all tingly."

We all looked at his back and simultaneously noticed that where there was usually just scruff there was now a tiny black set of wings coming out between his shoulder blades. I heard gasps all over the room, including my own. These wings were not the fake kind you buy at party stores, they were the type you normally would find on birds. Come to think of it my back was tingling too.

'So is everyone else's.' I heard in my head.

'Who is that?' I asked.

'Angel. I don't know how but I can read everyone's thoughts and can send them thoughts too. But it's kinda hard.'

Oh, um...I don't really know what to say.

"Yes, Total can talk and also has wings, much like the rest of you. You will each have your own powers that are different than the ones everyone else here has. And you also have wings. I think I'll let you figure all that out on you're own though." Jeb said.

"I have just one question," Nudge said, "Are you going to let us off of these operating tables? 'Cause it's kinda hard to figure that out strapped down."

"You'll be moved to a more permanent cell in the building. You're lucky Maximum, if I wasn't related to you you'd be in a dog crate like every other experiment here." He said.

He pulled out a walkie-talkie and mumbled something into it. "Looks like you're going to get to meet some of the human-wolf hybrids and you're very own half-brother." Jeb smiled again.

So I finally updated. And this chapter is longer. I'm really excited to go to Bamboozle tomorrow and this seem like a good thing to keep my mind off of it. I'll try and post another chapter tonight. Review and you'll get a quote.