A/N: Hi guys! So, so sorry for taking forever with this chapter.

I've been re-reading Harry Potter. Maybe that can justify this?

Anyway, the last chapter I posted was posted RIGHT when the FF e-mail service was not working, so you didn't get any notifications for it.

Before reading this chapter, PLEASE go back and check if you've read the one before.

It's a really good chapter.

Could I ask of you to review both, even though I was really late with this one? :3

"FBI, nobody move!" a guy screamed, taking out a huge gun. My eyes widened, and I put an arm around Nudge, pushing her behind me.

How does the situation go from a few cops to full-on crime show FBI guy with a scary weapon? The guy was wearing a black suit and tie, very formal, and the stereotypical sunglasses.

"Easy there," he said, lowering his weapon. I thought it was a bit of overkill for seven kids and one single mother, but now was really not the moment to object. Under heavy surveillance, and weapons in all of the agents' hands, we were led to the living room.

Oh yeah. Let me rewind. So it all started when Fang showed me his laptop.

"Max! You will not believe what I found," he said, shoving the laptop screen at me. I opened my eyes wide and read. It was the NASA website, showing a picture of a smiling Gasman and Iggy, his mouth open seemingly in protest. Underneath was a caption, reading "The generation's newest geniuses."

Underneath was a detailed explanation of how to make a revolutionary new bomb. With pictures and a step-by-step guide. I didn't click on the "How-to" video.

"NUDGE! IGGY! GAZZY!" I shouted. There was running noise coming from various parts of the house. I pressed my lips tightly together as I heard them run down the stairs.

In an instant, Nudge had appeared, along with the generation's newest geniuses. "I know you've done a lot of bad things," I started. "I have too.

"But there is something you are totally not allowed to do, ever, ever, ever, no matter what. And that would be hack NASA."

"I'm sorry," Nudge said.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SORRY? SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TROUBLE WE'RE GOING TO BE IN? THAT WOULD BE BROADCASTING OUR LOCATION TO THE WHOLE WORLD! THE ERASERS CAN JUST COME GET US BY TRACKING THE SIGNAL! NOW MOM AND ELLA ARE IN DANGER TOO! AND YOU THINK THE GOVERNMENT WILL JUST LET US GET AWAY WITH IT? NO! NO! NO! YOU THREE ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE, YOU'LL SHRIVEL UP AND DIE BEFORE I FORGIVE YOU!"

"No need to send us a Howler," Iggy muttered.

"IGGY!" I boomed. I was about to call him something a lot less polite than "Iggy," but Mom appeared at that moment.

"Max? What's going on?" she asked.

"These three," I said, gesturing to the offenders, "just hacked NASA."

Mom paled. "I, um, uh…" she stammered. I knew she had no idea what to do. A knock at the door tore her away from her dilemma and she went to answer it.

"Hello?" I heard from the front door.

"Hello, ma'am. Would you be so kind as to inform me whether there is anyone named "Iggy" or "Gazzy" in this residence?"

"No, I'm sorry. Now, if you'll excuse me—"

"I'm sorry ma'am. We're going to have to enter."

There was a horrible rushing noise as policemen started marching in the door. I expect Mom was thrown aside by the tsunami of law enforcement. A man with a fancy suit appeared, pointing his gun at us.

"FBI, nobody move!" Nobody was moving, of course. The guy obviously thought a pre-teen girl, a blind teenager, and me, a skinny sweatshirt-wearing kid were a real threat, because he said "Easy there," as if he were talking to a rabid animal.

We filed into the living room. A white-faced Mom was already there with the rest of the flock. The look Fang sent me pretty much summed up the situation: it plainly meant, "Well this is crap."

I nodded and sat down on the empty couch. An FBI guy checked the room, looking behind picture frames and in every little crack. As if we would have explosives in there.

For a moment, worry washed over me. Living with Iggy, you learn not to be surprised and to expect the worst. Fortunately, there was nothing the guy found and no one thought to check Iggy and Gazzy's room.

We sat there in silence as the rest of the cops joined us in the living room. Four of them barricaded the entrance to the room and one of the FBI guys faced us. "Are you Iggy and Gazzy, who hacked into the NASA databases?"

"Don't say a word!" Mom said. "I want a lawyer."

The FBI guy glared at her as she took out her cell phone. "Hello? Mr. Pierpoint? It's Valencia Martinez. I'm the guardian of the bird kids. I have to ask you a favor on their behalf."

Mom walked out of the living room, two cops following her. She came back in a minute later, looking relieved. "Mr. Pierpoint and a few of his friends are jetting over to sort things out."

She slumped onto an armchair and put her face in her hands. The policemen and FBI agents shuffled out of the room, but a few stayed to guard the entrance to the living room.

"What do we do now?" Angel asked.

"We wait," I answered. There was a pensive silence that unfortunately lasted only half a minute.

"I'm bored," Nudge said. She immediately regretted it, seeing the look on my face. A few more minutes passed until Angel spoke.

"SOMEONE SAY SOMETHING! It's too quiet!" she exclaimed.

"Who knows the difference between explode and implode?" Iggy asked.

"Me! Me!" the Gasman said, raising his hand.

"Go ahead."

"Implosion is when there is too much pressure outside of something, and the object collapses. Explosion is when pressure from the inside sends everything flying out."

Iggy wiped a tear theatrically. "I've taught you well, Gazzy."

I groaned. I didn't need to hear them popping out random pyro facts for an hour.

"Hey! Look what I found!" said Angel gleefully. She brandished a small plastic doll.

"Ella's old Barbies!" Nudge breathed. The girls exchanged a look and threw themselves on the ground.

"Mine's name is Janie," Angel said.

"That's such a stupid name…" Iggy trailed off.

"Mine is Callie Sparkles Joanna Feather Bagel von Snowglobe," Nudge announced.

That's when the torture really started.

"Janie, you need a facelift!"

"Let's get those shoes in every color!"

"Yeah, then let's get matching noses!"

"Ooh, now I'm tattooing my puppy's name on my forehead."

"What? How come you have a puppy? I want a puppy!"

"My puppy's name is Cinderella!"

"I have five puppies!"

"I have ten!"

"I have every puppy that's ever been born and that ever will be!"

"No fair! That's impossible!" Angel cried. "Max, tell her she can't have dead puppies and future puppies!"

I buried my face in my hands. "Nudge, you can't have dead puppies," I muttered.

"I'm not playing then!" Nudge said, throwing her Barbie over the edge of my couch, narrowly missing my head.

"How come you threw Callie von Snowglobe?" Angel demanded.

"She committed suicide!" Nudge shouted.

"She can't commit suicide! Max!" Angel wailed. To top it all off, she burst into tears. I clambered off of my couch and picked her up. I let her sit on my lap like when she was little. I stroked her tangled blond curls as she calmed down.

"You tell her, Angel," said Iggy sarcastically. "Think about her family. They'll be so sad."

"Don't care," Nudge muttered darkly, turning over in her armchair. Angel crossed her arms and jumped off of me to go sit somewhere else. I leaned my head heavily against Fang's shoulder.

Knocking at the door made us all jump up. Mom went to answer it, two policemen guarding her. We all watched as Nino Pierpoint strode in with four official-looking people with briefcases, three women and a man.

"Hello, I'm Nino Pierpoint," he said pleasantly, shaking the hand of what looked like the head FBI guy. His face relaxed as he recognized the famous billionaire.

"Hello, Mr. Pierpoint. We've received intelligence that two individuals, "Iggy" and "Gazzy," have broken into a NASA website to post something about explosives."

Mr. Pierpoint chuckled and I knew we had surprised him with yet another degree of making messes. "Ah, you know, children," he said, smiling again at the FBI guy.

"Yes, but—"

"Did you know these are the famous bird kids? The Flock that's all over the news?"

"Really? I—"

Slowly, Mr. Pierpoint walked over to the door with the FBI guy, still talking pleasantly. The rest of the policemen filed out too, and when the last one was gone, Mom slumped onto an unoccupied couch.

"Why?" was all she could manage.

A/N: Review this chapter, and don't forget the one before this!

I'm out!

~greysky3