I woke up to a sharp pain in my side. I tried to sit up right, but found I could barely move at all.

"Calm down Max," came the voice of the person I hated the most. I forced me eyes open only to see the eyes of Jeb Batchelder staring down at me. The rest of his face was covered by one those masks doctors wear in hospitals to keep germs and toxins out. I tried to speak but my mouth was covered. I looked around and figured out I was lying on a hard operating table. My waist, arms, legs, and head were all strapped down. White coats surrounded me on every side, and there was a single light hanging above my head.

I tried to move again, but the restraints were so tight I could barely breathe. My breathing sped up and under the pressure of the restraints I could barely suck in the necessary breaths; I began to feel dizzy at the lack of oxygen.

"You need to calm down Max; we're just performing a few necessary tests, to make sure you're able to withstand the procedure." Jeb told me. I hate the way he says procedure. I tried to curse him off, but was once again reminded of the strap over my mouth. I tried to relax, forgetting the smell of sterilizer, in order to take in the necessary breaths. Once my breathing was under control Jeb nodded to the other white coats, who smirked with excitement.

They all gathered various needles and equipment before approaching me. My childhood came back in a flash. I remembered being strapped down, poked and prodded every which way. Some of the injections and tests caused extreme pain, but I never knew what they were for, what they meant, or if they were just for fun. And right now, life was about to repeat itself.

A white coat came at me with a needle, and I had no choice but to brace myself for the injection. The needle was inserted into my neck and I felt a pain so fierce, so dire and desperate, that I couldn't help but cry out against the strap covering my mouth. My back arched upwards and I clenched my fists, drawing blood with my own finger nails. My wings pressed into the table uncomfortably folding against the steel.

Under his breath I heard Jeb mutter, "…causes pain," and then jot something down on a pad. The pain was so immense a fog began to spread through my mind; black slowly taking over. My body relaxed as my subconscious began to take me.

"Give her the other one." Jeb ordered, noticing me about to pass out. Another white coat injected me with something different, and everything instantly went black.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Is she waking?" Someone asked as I began to arise from the depths of my mind.

"We're trying sir, that serum really put her out."

"It was stronger than I thought; she wasn't supposed to pass out." This time I recognized Jeb's voice. As I slowly began to wake, I became aware of the table still under me, and the straps still around me. I felt beyond exhausted, practically at the edges of life; I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes.

"Give her one more, we need her awake." Jeb ordered. At his command a pain ran through my body so severe, my eyes bolted open. I recognized the pain as a shock, and my body arched in violent pain…Is this what Fang felt? How did he do it? I gasped out against the strap.

"That's enough" Jeb commanded. The pain ended, as the current escaped my body, and I was left breathing heavy, but very awake.

"Un-strap her, take her to the testing zone, we need some before and after results, in order to compare her ability now with her ability after the procedure." Jeb commanded to the surrounding white coats. They did as they were told and removed the restraints that had practically become part of me; they had dug in so far. When I was free of their captivity I tried to get away as an automatic reaction. I rolled to my side, but was too weak to sit up. Instead I fell off the table with a violent thud, landing on my hands and knees. Several white coats reached under my arms lifting me upright.

I tried to speak but my throat was dry and hoarse, and no words would come out. I was dragged from the room, Jeb following behind. Walking out of a set of double doors, I was brought into an area that looked like a grassy courtyard. We were outside and surrounded by erasers. I was pushed to the center of the yard, where I was dropped, and fell to my knees. The white coats circled around with the erasers, pen and pad all in hand.

"Stand up Max," Jeb said from behind me. "I know you can; you're strong Max, stand up." I hated to be seen so weak, especially in the eyes of the enemy and willed every muscle in my body to comply. I stood on my knees, and closed my eyes. I focused on lifting my legs, and pretended there was no such thing as pain. When I opened my eyes, I was standing, fists clenched.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jeb nod to a single eraser who stepped forward. At this moment I realized what they wanted. They wanted to see me fight; they wanted to know how many erasers I could take, how much damage I could inflict. They want to know this 'data' so they could compare it to the 'data' after this so-called procedure. I knew what they wanted and I wouldn't give it to them, for once I wasn't going to fight.

I looked up to see an already morphed Ari smirking in delight. "This is my lucky day; I actually have permission to beat the shit out of you for once." He jeered, receiving a disapproving look from Jeb.

Then he swung, but I didn't budge. His paw hit me square in the face causing me to stagger backwards. I stifled my cry but never fell to the ground, proud of myself. I felt a small stream of blood trickle down my face.

"Fight back Max; don't let him do this to you." Jeb tried coaxing me, maybe using a little bit of reverse psychology. I knew what he was trying to do, and I fought every instinct I had ever known, and stood still, not throwing a single punch.

"What's wrong, birdie, are you scared?" Ari mocked.

Then he attacked again, kicking this time, hitting the backs of my knees, wiping my legs right out form under me. I fell to my back, crushing my tied wings, feeling the wind knock out of me. Once again a stifled a moan and centered my mind. I focused both mind and body on one thing; getting back up. I closed my eyes, and lifted my legs. I picked my self up and turned to face Ari, my glare so severe; a human would have staggered under it. He looked angry, confused, and extremely frustrated at my lack of protest.

"What is she doing?" I heard a few white coats ask in the background.

"He's hurting you Max, fight him," Jeb tried to coax in an encouraging voice.

"I thought you hated me Max. Are you scared of me now? You should be." Ari jeered before striking me once more. He sent a wicked blow straight to my stomach, cracking a few ribs. I fell to my knees throwing my hands in front me to catch my fall. I fought against the pain, not crying out, and struggled to suck in my needed breaths.

Doing as I did before I closed my eyes, centered my mind, and stood up. I fought every instinctual fiber in my body not to beat the shit out of Ari. It was what they wanted, and I refused to satisfy them. Ari growled in frustration, about to snap.

"Pressure her," a white coat suggested to Jeb. Jeb looked from him, to Ari, then lastly to me. He thought for a moment than nodded at a group of erasers off to the side. They smiled in excitement and stepped forward.

They circled around me growling, and snarling like wild animals circling their pray.

"Don't be stubborn Max; you only make it more difficult for yourself. Why won't you see that we're only making you better, only improving you?" Jeb asked exasperated. I refused to reply, standing still and not speaking a word. He rubbed his temple in frustration and sadness, giving the circling erasers one last nod.

They pounced on me in a flourish. I was brought to the ground in a matter of seconds, ignoring the sudden pain of each violent blow. I felt several bones crack, and blood seep from my body in places I wasn't even aware. I closed my eyes, and gritted my teeth in attempt to disconnect my mind from my body. I focused on my flock to get me through the attack.

"Enough!" Jeb shouted, and the erasers reluctantly stopped, Ari landing one last painful kick. "Pick her up." He ordered the surrounding erasers.

They obeyed his order, roughly picking up my bloody and beaten form. Exhaustion was taking over and I could barely keep my eyes open as Jeb approached.

"This will get you no where Maximum," he said lifting my chin with his sickly pale fingers. Instead of replying, I mustered my strength and spit directly in his face. It feels so good, every time.

His fists clenched, and his face turned red with anger. He removed his fingers from my chin, "One day, you will thank me…one day…" he said more to himself than me, as if trying to convince himself of this. I managed a small satisfying smirk before I was jerked away by the erasers. They carried me out of the courtyard type area and down the hall to the room with the cages.

"Max!"

"Oh my god, Max!"

"You Bastards!" My flock shouted as I was dragged back in the room. The erasers threw me back in my cage, and locked the door. I landed in a shaking heap, curling up on the bottom of my steel cage.

"Max?" came a deep, husky voice. I know that voice!

"Fang?" I asked looking up. He nodded his beautiful head as my eyes met his. "You're awake! You're okay!" I croaked out, crawling to the front of my cage.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. What'd they do to you?" He asked from his cage, his eyes filled with rage and hatred, and his fists clenching.

I decided I had to tell them what they had planned for me; they needed to know, so they would understand when I didn't love them anymore; that it wasn't really me. This thought alone brought me to tears, something I had been painfully fighting the last hours.

"Do you remember what we talked about a couple of days ago, after my brain explosion at school?" I asked Fang, thinking back to the time when he said, he would never let them turn me into a drone.

"Yes…" he replied nervously.

"It's gonna happen," I stated flatly, looking away from his eyes.

He sucked in a breath.

"What's gonna happen? What're they doing to you, Max?" Nudge asked frantically.

"No…" Fang whispered, his eyes taking on a severe blackness. I looked back to him and nodded my head, as silent tears slowly ran down my cheeks.

"What-?" Nudge started

"They want to destroy Max's ability to feel human emotion. Basically they're turning her into a drone." Angel said quietly, informing the flock. They all fell silent, shocked at the thought.

"You'd be their slave…" Iggy stated quietly, realizing the extent of what this meant.

"No," Fang said suddenly, looking me in the eyes. "We're getting out of here before then, that's not happening…I won't let it."

I met his gaze, hoping more than anything that he was right.

Fang coughed, than leaned back in his cage breathing short, shallow, and raspy breaths. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but pain and exhaustion over took me before I had the chance. I passed out curled up and shivering in my steel box.

A/N: You like? Make sense? REVIEW!!