Disclaimer: I own only Carter, and subsequent characters I designate as mine. James Patterson owns everything else. These events take place after Maximum Ride: The Final Warning.

Chapter 1

Divine Intervention

The sign read:

ATTENTION!

QUARANTINED AREA NEXT HALF MILE.

ATENCIÓN

ÁREA DE CUARENTENA, A MEDIA MILLA AL LADO

Well what if you couldn't read English or Spanish." I thought perturbed.

I nimbly hopped over the yellow police tape and continued on my way home.

Passing through the street of the deserted, sanctioned off part of the city, I strolled unnoticed by technicians and Radiologists. A little radiation poisoning here, methane leaks there, it was all quite stupid I thought. What was life without a little adventure?

"Dead. Anything without meaning is better off dead." I believed with my whole being. That was why I continually lost myself to books. Maximum Ride in particular.

Gazing at the sky, the same fantasy grazed my mind everyday at about this time, when I was all alone. If I could be so quickly thrust into another world would be so unreal, but I hoped for it even more so.

As I passed the familiar dark alley between Dawson and Crooks I shuddered. The buildings here reached high enough to not let light pass into the narrow back street.

It was dark as pitch and especially uninviting now that the quarantine had begun. Suddenly, without obvious reason, I stopped walking, craned my neck to see the top of the large building to my right.

The simple action may have changed my life forever.

I immediately spotted six figures in a tight "V" formation, sloping easily through the air. My heart rate steadily inclined to beating loudly in my ears.

I had pictured this moment thousands of times, but even I new better then to think that it could possibly be...

that this could be anyone other than...

But I had to try. No one was around so it wasn't like it was a big deal.

I built up the needed courage as the window of opportunity slowly slipped away.

"MAX!" I cried. If it was her, she'd having no trouble hearing it.

"FANG!"

And just in case she thought it was only the wind,

"MAXIMUM RIDE!"

The flock of birds wavered a bit but eventually made there way out of view.

A little disappointed I kept walking. What did I expect anyway? Her personality alone wouldn't allow her to associate herself with anyone outside of the flock.

I passed yet another dark alley, back to my boring, uninteresting li-

"Hmph!"The air rush from my lungs when some unrecognizable thing plowed into me at full speed, sending me flying to the brick wall of the alley. I slammed with back breaking force into the side of the alley and fell down hard, clinging to a dumpster for support.

"WHO are YOU and HOW do you know our names!"

I was in a daze, heaving, trying to replensh the oxygen in my lungs, while now fighting the excruciating pain drilled into my back. But knew that same thing that hit me was now holding me by my collar against the brick wall.

"I-I eh." I stuttered.

"Who are you and how do you know us!" The thing commanded.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness of the alley, I recognized the thing to be a dark skinned boy, with eyes as dark as his skin, though I still couldn't make out any features in the darkness of the alley. He was holding me aloft with ease.

"Answer him!" Came another, more willful voice from behind the boy.

My eyes focusing to the sitution, I realized the boy was not alone, I couldn't think fast enough to answer the boy. Who, through his impatience, lifted me off my feet and tossed me against another wall.

"You heard what she said! Now, HOW!"

I looked up into the boys eyes, immediately transfixed. The eyes were dark and cold, Black as the alley itself. But I couldn't suffer another blow, I could already feel the searing pain of one or two broken ribs.

"I-I-" quickly scraping up an excuse other than I read it in a book. Not willing to admit that to anybody. "I don't know, i just recognize-"

"Can it!" The boy said sitting down on his haunches to see eye level with me. "You and I both know that's a lie. The truth. NOW!"

"OK, ok." Now realizing the full extent of the situation. I took a shuttered breath, analyzing and organizing the situation, if these were the people I thought they were, they would know: "I read your bios on the Institute for Higher Living's mainframe network."

I flinched, expecting to be hit.

"Now that I can believe." The boy stood up. "but that still doesn't answer the first question."

I thought my next course of action through. My answer could write the next page in a very new, very unbelievable world of fantasy I was just dumped into. If these were the people I never thought conceivable into this world, I was now my own author of my own story. I new what I wanted to be.

"The name's Carter. And who I am is kind of complicated," I managed, "The memories start at the age of three. In a four foot by three foot animal crate. In the basement of damnable place in southern Nevada." I finished, grinding my teeth as memories flooded my persona. Memories that were totally alien yet getting more and more familiar as they came in a torrent of new ideas, places, thoughts, and experiences. I was becoming what I had spoken of, living fourteen years of a different life in approximately thirteen seconds.

"The School." Someone mumbled behind the boy, who was now unmistakably the notorious Fang.

"I was released three years ago with two others as things started to break down. Thanks to you guys."

Someone pushed past Fang and helped me to my feet. "Then you're one of us." The girl said.

"Now wait." Fang argued, "you and I both know not to go around making assumptions like that!"

"How would anyone else know that, Fang. The conditions there..." She trailed off, "they were unmentionable. And the whitecoats had no idea. But I do see your point. Angel? Honey, search his mind if you would. Please."

A young girl stepped forward, about seven. Golden curls of hair wisked around her. "With pleasure Max."

Immediately I could feel a presence in my mind, searching, scouring through every detail of a life unlived. Not being able to reach the life I left behind, which was now fading into oblivion, never having existed.

The rogue being sifted through my emotions, abilities, and experiences, authenticating them all. Disappointed, the presence began to withdraw from my mind.

"I resent that." I spat. The girl, Angel, ignored me and retreated behind Max.

"He certainly lived, or survived, at the School, but I couldn't find anything that would suggest him dealing with any of our enemies."

Max looked at Fang with the I-told-you-so expression, then returned her gaze to me.

"But," Angel continued, "He didn't seem to have any abilities, he was much the same as a normal human."

I hadn't spoken of any avian DNA being grafted into mine. So it hadn't come true. I didn't know what it would do but I knew I had been waiting for this my entire life.

"But I do," I blurted out quickly. They all turned to me. "You know how they grafted you all with a two percent surrogate of avian DNA? Well I was grafted with three percent."

My mind snapped shut. Blank slate. All I knew was replaced by unfathomable pain, as my body began to mutate, change. What was supposed to happen in the womb was happening now. My vision went blurred then turned around and became super sharp, raptor like, as a tapetum slowly began to form in my retina. My bones began to hallow out, becoming less dense but superiorly strong. My muscles suddenly became very, exhaustingly tired and sore as they augmented themselves with the new found DNA blueprint.

Finally the anguish shifted to my back. Which shuddered and buckled uncontrollably as my shoulder blades elongated and arched. Super strong muscle tissue wrapped its way along the bone. My lower back curved to accomodate two more extremities. Knew growth of down feathers soon appeared along with small stabalizing feathers.

The pain tore at my mind. Holding back a scream, all of a sudden:

Blackout.

The Flock stood there, dumbfounded, wanting to know what to do, while unable to put thoughts to action.

In haze, bright colors flashed, dancing behind my eyelids. Shifting, twirling, and cutting across my field of vision. I felt awake, but knew I was unable to control my movement, I was as good as paralyzed.

Mesmerized by the dancing colors, I began to recognize shapes and figures, like a play drawn out by a three year old. I soon realized the colors and shapes were like a map, or blueprint, to a newfound past I had not previously know.

Quite simply, the patterns were knowledge.

techniques, forms, abilities, talents, experiences, and wisdom I had never encountered before, all settling into their places in my head.

With a snap, and a jarring blow, like I was hit in the head, I blinked slowly awake. The whole flock was gathered in a tight huddle around me, their faces grime in the dark light.

Eventually the excrutiating pain subsided, and I was left shaking on the ground of the alley.

"What the hell was that?" Fang said. The whole flock stared at me bewildered and confused.

"Nothing, nothing, but-" A new shock of pain wafted over me. "My rib-" I gasped, I-I think-" I keeled over, and vomited, holding my side in agony.

"Fang, you son of a-"

"Not now. He needs to get to a hospital."

An overwhelming sensation of hate clouded my conscience. I didn't know why, but for unknown reasons, I would go no where near a hospital. "NO. Anything but a-a- hospital," I choked out, "and I don't think I have to explain myself."

"We all know what that is like-Fang. The important thing is: Can you move?"

I wieghed my options. Walking would include extreme rotation of my hips and midsection.

"Absolutely not."

"Can we carry him?" Another person asked, I recognized probably as Iggy.

"Not entirely, between me and Max I supposed we could go up and out. You up to it?" Fang looked at me.

I thought about it and nodded. It too would be a struggle but I had to get help somewhere.

"A vertical takeoff?"Max asked Fang. "It could bring up new problems."

I thought it as Max said it. A vertical takeoff was hard enough, and supporting me would make it near impossible.

The flock unflurled their wings from slits in their shirts.

I had never seen wings as beautiful or as powerful as the flocks. Especially on humans.

I slowly and painful slid my shirt off, ripped two big gashes on either side, and slipped it back on.

Glancing at the flock, I noticed they had not taken off yet. Rather everyone except Iggy was staring, wide-eyed at me. I even noticed Nudge's mouth was hanging open a little.

"Duuude. That's so cool." A little boy commented, standing next to Angel. I guessed he was Gazzy.

I hadn't the slitest idea of what they were so dumbfounded for. A new wave of pain shook my from my trance. I didn't know what to expect when I opened my wings, but I surely didn't expect what I was about to see.

Sliding the feathers through the slits in my shirt I extended them to a full sixteen feet. I tried not to act suprised; I knew I should have been used to this by now. But it was the unofficial first time I'd laid eye upon my own wings.

And I certainly didn't expect to have wings that were a deep shade of red that slowly turned to a burnt orange near the tip of the feathers.

They stood next to me, Max on my right and Fang on my left. I put my arms around there shoulders, folding in my wings to get out of the way of theirs.

"On three okay?" She said smiling. "One."

"Two." Fang breathed.

They bent their knees, and with one quick, powerful downstroke, and surge through their legs, they burst upward

"THREE!"

I let out a yell, I don't know if it was of pain or of excitement, but it didn't matter, so we went up and away, the alley far below us.

They wavered a bit between strokes, having to support my wieght, and it was quite awkward before we built up enough momentum to begin gaining altitude.

The rest of the Flock was waiting for us, hovering above the buildings. Each of them silent, amazed at the events that had just transpired;

Who was this kid?

What were the chances of running into him?

and most importantly; Was he friend or foe?

My mind was now racing.

Where were they going to take me, if not a hospital? Who would treat a mutant?

I tried to keep concentrating on flying, but the pain in my side was a hinderence to every motion. It seemed as though I was falling with each upstroke.

"So where- ouch exactly- argh are we going?" I asked, catching my breath, while focusing on not getting nauseous. Each breath I took seemed to split my side in two.

"Dr. Valencia Martinez, my mom, she's a veteranarian. She'll know exactly what to do." Max answered quite proud of herself.

I could only hope.

geekyreader - Thanks, hope you enjoyed. Keep on reading and reviewing :)