Hello, sorry it has been a really long time updating this next chapter I've just been having a really busy summer and all but here you go. I like reading the reviews both with comments and those to help me improve. Thanks a lot for sending me reviews and here you go chapter 16. I promise to update faster next chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own the Maximum Ride character.

Chapter 16: Trouble Yet Again

IPOV

Ugh, where was I? What had happened? Wait, what was going on? I groaned again blinking to find the world black all around. My blindness was back, at least for now. My head was throbbing, pounding my skull each time like a bongo drum beating away.

The sounds around me sounded too loud and painful with my ears, even the soft whispers. I couldn't concentrate on what was exactly happening around me or where I was.

It was time to find out.

Slowly with all my strength I managed to sit in a crumbled, yet correct upright position thumping my head onto a metal roof above me, my hands swiped across the bars of my cage. Well that explains where I was. Now to figure out what was going on. No one else seemed to be in the room with me. Or at least no whitecoats.

There low pained moans and agonized cries of children in pain all over hit my ears like a train first. I listened to every frightened shriek, every horrible choked moans, small whimpers, whispers from every child in here.

There were so many. So many children enduring this torture by these creeps, these basterds. Every child who let out a pained cry or sob made the pit in my stomach grow and grow.

How long had some of them been here? Rose has been here fourteen years, her whole life. I've tasted freedom, smelt freedom, felt freedom before. I know what it's like on the other side of this world or nightmares do any of them?

"How many more stages left?" A thick accented voice spoke from behind the thin wall next to me. It amazed me no one has figured out I can actually hear!

"Two more after this one fully kicks in. Then it'll be terminated." Jeb's wicked voice spoke to the stranger. I leaned in closer towards the wall hoping to get in as much information as possible, at least for now.

"Excellent. Then we began our phase for the world. How much longer?" This man seemed more excited than a kid on Christmas morning. I think I'll call him Stranger.

"I'd say no more than a week. Which means the subject will need to be moved before then." Jeb muttered to himself sounding disappointed. Their footsteps moved away from the wall now making their voices quieter to the human ear. But I could hear every word crystal clear.

"Yes and what about Maximum Ride?" Stranger asked quietly, Jeb laughed next to him. My eyes snapped open of course to nothing. Max? What about her now? If they even think about touching them I'll-

Well I don't know what I'll do but mark my words they'll regret it.

"Yes, yes. She is on her way along with experiments 02, 05, 06, and 11. All of them are coming closer and closer to us. Just waiting to fall into our group of men waiting for them. It's only a matter of time before we have them all for us." Jeb said, a sly smile covering his excited little voice. "Just imagine the great Maximum Ride here with us, along with all the other subjects."

A wave of nausea hit me as the door opened with a loud bang, my ear drums exploded in pain when I felt my self beginning to slip under.

No stay awake! Don't go under!

It was too late, my last thought as I was swallowed under the dark unconsciousness was: I had to stop them. I couldn't let them reach the Flock.

MPOV

I reread and reread the note clutched tightly in my hands over and over by the campfire. It couldn't be true, there was no way, I couldn't even process the thought that Iggy could be-

He couldn't be dying. No he just, he just couldn't.

We had traveled so far for him now; he just couldn't leave us for good. We had to save him, if what they said was true. I looked all day and all night for clues or something to help us in our journey. And I did get two. But these two I wished were the only clues they had messed up on. The only clues that was wrong and meaningless.

Poison.

Jeb.

Iggy really was dying, they were killing my brother. My own little brother was being used as a death subject awaiting his death bed that god knows is when. They were killing one of the five people in my life that I loved more than my own life.

And Jeb. Jeb was freaking behind all of this. That son of a b- I mean that damn traitor was helping to kill my little brother. Little brother . . . Iggy was taller than any of us even Fang, he was bigger, could cook better than anyone here and a genius (an annoying genius) he always seemed like one of the kids. Always younger than us.

"He always hated that you know." Angel spoke up for the first time today. I jumped at the sound of her voice snapping my neck over to her. She was the only one awake right now, or at least Fang was pretending to sleep.

Good job Max, letting all your thoughts of horror roam around the six-year-old mind reader.

I moved next to Angel letting her lay her head of blond beautiful curls on my shoulder.

"He hated that just because he was blind you guys treated him like he was a little kid just like us even though he was the same age as you and Fang." She whispered softer watching Gazzy as he snored softly next to Nudge.

I gulped watching her sad, hallow face. Any other time I would be arguing her that it wasn't the truth and that we did treat him as a fourteen year old. But now, after all this stupid thinking, I realized, she was right.

"I know he probably did. And I hate that we didn't even notice until he was gone." I sighed rubbing her shoulder. "I just can't believe he always kept this in to himself."

"Well he didn't want anyone to feel bad or worry anymore. He would have just been treated even more like a little kid." I hated how every word coming out of her mouth was true, and exactly right, I hated how this was how he would have continued to felt and we would have never even seen it coming.

"Is he really going to die? Is Iggy really going to be gone?" Tears were now streaming out of her deep blue eyes onto her pale cheeks now.

"Of course not sweetie. We'll find him and the-" The tiniest snap of a twig straightened my spine and froze my breath in my mouth. Next to me Fang sat straight up looking at me, then glancing around tense already beginning to wake Nudge and Gazzy up. Then under me Angel's eyes widened into the size of saucers.

"We're surrounded. They are going to get us." She croaked when I pulled her to her feet looking in every direction for our attackers. Fang stood against my back watching the front of our hideaway while I took the back; the kids stood close to us already ready to begin fighting. Blood lust in there eyes, and strength vibrating through their bodies made me proud.

One by one our attackers came out of the shadows watching our flock already out numbering us 5 to 1. With more coming.

It's worth a try. I thought to myself.

Exactly Max, you always have to try. My voice spoke back as the fight unfolded like a scene from a movie.

So there you go chapter 16, I'm thinking probably five more chapters are left of this story. Tell me what you think so far and I promise I'll get my next chapter up faster than this one. Thank you for taking the time to review, love them. Bye.