It wasn't long before we were back at Alice's in Yakutsk. Everyone rested while Alice made us a hot meal and fixed up our wounds.
"I knew it wasn't going to end too well. Look how exhausted you all are." Alice said feeling guilty. I told her she wasn't to blame and that something good came out of it.
"What good came out of that mess!" Gazzy moaned rubbing his cheek.
"We know what weare up against, what they can do and how we can get around them. We are still alive and we know where to get help from." I said. Angel came and sat next to me and I told her to clear her mind.
"You can do this sweetie. I know you can. Just concentrate real hard on Fang and tell him we need his help." I told her and she nodded squeezing her eyes shut.
"You need his flock's help, not just Fang's." Dylan corrected and I couldn't help thinking that he thought this was all a big plan for me to see Fang again. It wasn't, although it did sound like a good idea I must say.
"Max, you need to get these thoughts out of your head. You need to be thinking firstly on how you are going to stop the band on inhuman boys and then secondly on how you are going to save the world." My voice tormented my private thoughts about Fang. Actually, the only thing I need to do is get YOU out of my head. I laughed silently.
"Max, he can hear me! He can actually here me!" Angel yelled even though I was right next to her.
"That's great sweetie, I told you you could do it. Now what's he saying?" I asked impatient. I had to be honest, I was really looking forward to hearing Fang's voice again. Even more so at the thought of seeing him again.
"Max..." The voice said reminding me to stop thinking about Fang. Go hang yourself stupid voice!
"Fang says...he isn't sure.." Angel told me surprised.
"What? He won't help us?" I exclaimed and she shrugged her shoulders. "Tell him I need to talk to him now!"
"Okay Fang is going to come talk to you. I'm giving him a mental image where to come. He should appear in the living room at any moment." Angel said. I glanced around the room looking at the flock who were also eagerly looking for him. Dylan was watching my gaze and I guess it was obvious to him that I still cared for Fang very, very much.
"Even though he isn't yours to care about anymore." The voice butted in, but I ignored it.
I waited for a few moments and then as Angel said he would, he appeared in the middle of the lounge, looking around with interest.
"Fang! Oh my gosh it's so great to see you again! I missed you so much, we all did!" Nudge screeched excitedly.
"Fang your looking handsome." Angel giggled and Dylan shifted in his seat. I sensed he was on edge about Fang being here.
"Will this take long? I plan to watch a movie soon with my flock." Fang spoke suddenly sending shivers down my spine.
"No. It won't." I lied motioning him to follow me into the kitchen. When he closed the door behind him, I was expecting him to say something along the lines of 'Max, I've missed you.' Or 'Max good to see you again.' Although I got something entirely different.
"Max, I don't have much time and I don't particularly want to be here. Just cut to the chase." He said standing next to the door, a fair distance away from me.
"Firstly, it's good to see you too! Secondly, there's a bunch of guys with inhuman gifts who want to steal the gifts of others. We need your flocks help in taking them down. We can't do it alone." I barked. He scratched his neck and didn't say anything for several minutes.
"Well...I suppose it couldn't hurt. Should make your saving the world job a little easier." He shrugged and inside it felt like a bright light had just exploded within me.
I walked over to Fang smiling and hugged him. I didn't feel his arms wrap around me like I had felt so many times before. I remembered how going to Africa had changed everything. Meeting Dylan and Angel's 'still stupid to this day' prophecy about Fang dieing. I couldn't believe that Fang could actually...not care. I could smell his scent on his clothes which brought memories flooding back. I felt a tear suddenly fall down my cheek and in that second I wanted to burst out crying and never let him go. I hated being apart from him. And being this close just made it hurt more.
"Max I think you should let go now." He spoke sadly. He wanted me to hold him. He did care! Over the years, I've learned to read Fang like a book. Every smile, every word that came out of his mouth told a story. And by the tone in his voice I could tell that he missed me.
"But that isn't exactly what you want is it?"I said looking into his dark eyes. He hesitated, almost as though he was going to shake his head. But he didn't. He didn't say anything.
"Fang what's wrong?" I said putting my finger under his chin and raising his head up to look at me.
"I can't be here for the simple fact that 1. I'm not supposed to be here and 2. Dylan's here which means that I should not be." He said quickly.
"You can be here don't be silly." I said holding his face.
"No, I can't. I left for a reason. We don't need to go over this again. I can't come back. I can't be in love with you. I'm sorry." He trailed off hanging his head again. I could tell this was hurting him. A lot. I was quiet for a few moments thinking what I could say to change his mind. He had told me he could never say no to me and this proved that he still had feelings for me.
"Don't worry about Dylan he's..." I began.
"He's yours. He was created for you. So you two could be together and lead the flock. Save the world and, I don't, know..." He said miserably.
"But, we can make our own minds up about who we want to be with. They can't tell us who we can and cannot be friend with. Who we cannot be lovers with. We are 98% human after all. Not 50% robot." Fang looked a little more convinced but I knew he wasn't going to give in easily.
I heard a familiar female voice coming from the lounge and when I opened the kitchen door a crack, I noticed that someone had invited Sandy over. Great. She looked even more prettier than she had done before. She was talking to Alice and Dylan laughing with them and putting her polished nails all over him.
"Who is she?" Fang asked and I hoped to God he didn't find her attractive.
"That is Sandy, Dylan used to have a big crush on her when he was little. You know in his other life. He was a bit of a pushy bugger, according to Alice, and now she's taken quite the shine to him now he's all nice and gorgeous." I explained.
"How do you feel about that?" Fang asked with a strange bounce in his voice. I looked at him but was unable to read his face.
"Well, it bugs me..." I said. I wasn't jealous. Just cautious.
"Oh I see..." Fang said. Nudge came over to the door spotting me and Fang and pulled us out.
"Are you going to help us Fang?" Nudge asked and all eyes turned to him.
"Oh hello! I'm Sandy. You must be the amazing Fang I've heard so much about." She said holding out her hand. He shook it quickly and smiled. She curled her hair with her finger and bit her lip. She was trying to flirt with him! She was trying to seduce MY Fang! Now I'm pissed!
"Correction: Was your Fang."The voice interrupted. I realised I was in a serious dilemma. She was going to flirt with both of them. And I couldn't let her do that!
"Don't you have somewhere else to be? We have important world saving matters going on here and your getting in the way!" I said rudely. She flinched and looked around at everyone. No one is going to save you love. They won't help you.
"Max, don't speak to her like that. She hasn't done anything to you." Dylan scolded and I froze. Did he just tell me off? Fang also looked surprised.
Sandy went and stood next to Dylan and thanked him. He smiled and helped her put on her coat. They look simply adorable together. If only he wasn't so gorgeous...and made for me... I would let her flirt with him all she liked!
"Finally, something we agree on." The voice said and I smirked. Why I smirked I don't know but just the thought of me and the voice agreeing on something made everything seem so sinister. I wasn't going to let her flirt with any of the guys that I loved. Heck, not even Iggy!
"I'm leaving. The Queen has spoken. Goodbye everybody." Sandy waved to the flock and she blew Fang a kiss. My blood boiled in my body and I felt like ripping her eyes out.
"Max your supposed to save the world. Not go killing people."The voice told me. I sighed and watched as Sandy left with Dylan. Wait...Sandly left...with Dylan? WTH?
"Where is he going?" I yelled.
"He's gone to collect something? I think its old photos I don't know." Gazzy said who was sat by the door. I crossed my arms over my chest and stood staring at Fang.
"I'll help. Let me get my flock and we will be here in a few okay?" He said putting his hand on my shoulder and vanishing.
I waited for 20 minutes and no sign of Fang or Dylan.
"Okay, what the heck is taking them so long?" I paced up and down the living room like a sitting duck. "For all we know the four guys might have moved to a different area by now."
"I'm sure they wouldn't because they probably think we might come after them again and they beat us before so they don't exactly have anything to run from." Angel said. Sadly, she was right.
"Okay, I'm going to drag Dylan's butt back over here and if Fang comes while I'm gone, tell him I won't be a minute." I said grabbing my coat, scarf, hat and gloves X2
I ran out of the door and on to the porch of Sandy's house. I knocked several times but there was no answer. Something tells me they weren't playing hide and seek in the back garden. I tried the door and it was open. I checked the downstairs and the basement but there was no sign of anyone. Then I had a horrible feeling in my gut and started up the stairs.
I started to hear voices coming from one of the rooms and I eavesdropped in on the conversation.
"Don't you think I deserve it after everything you put me through. It's only fair Dylan." I heard Sandy plead in her 'I'm a boyfriend snatching b.i.t.c.h but I don't care' kind of voice.
"Umm.. Well...I..." Dylan stuttered which was very hard to believe that could ever stutter. Hence him being too perfect and all.
"Oh come on baby. I think you deserve a taste of your own medicine." Sandy said sounding dangerously seductive.
"But I can't. I'm with Max. I love her." I heard him say and my heart felt 10 times lighter. But that didn't last very long when I heard draws slamming and banging against the wall. What the heck is going on in there?
"I think you better save him Max before he does something he's going to regret for the rest of his life." The voice said sounding urgent. Dylan wouldn't do anything with her.. He wouldn't. He said so himself he loved me. He was made for me so why would he do something he regrets?
"Now how do you like it hmmm?" I heard her say again but this time Dylan didn't answer. I looked down at the door knob and realised there was a key hole. I knelt down and peered through it, finding Dylan tied to a wardrobe... in just his boxers! She had tied something around his mouth so he couldn't speak and she began playing with the buttons on his boxers. I was so stunned that I was unable to burst in there and break her skinny little neck! But had Dylan done this to her when he was younger? She said you deserve a taste of your own medicine? That had clearly ment he had done horrible things to her. Is this his way of making up for it?
She removed the gag around his mouth and began kissing him. He didn't even try to resist her. The ropes binding him to the wardrobe were not actually ropes. They were just bedsheets. Dylan could so easily snap it in half if he wanted to. But why doesn't he?
She kissed him more and planted kisses down his muscular torso. My muscular torso! Then she put her bony little fingers in his underwear and began touching him. He watched her as she took his manhood out of his boxers and started to lick him. My heart was racing so fast I felt like I was about to explode. What happened to I love Max? Then she lifted herself upon him and he broke out of his restraints. But he held her around the waist! He positioned her in place like he had done with me... and he took every part of her in.
"Max..." The voice began but I cut him off. You don't need to say anything... I told my voice as I stood up on my shaky legs and kicked the door open as hard as I could. I stood there with my arms folded looking at their petrified faces.
"Max! This isn't what you think I swear!" He said making himself half decent. I wasn't interested. I took my fist and hit Sandy straight in the jaw with a loud 'crack'. I didn't even have the strength to look at Dylan and fled as fast as I could back to the flock.
I ran in ignoring the fact that even though I had just been in the cold for a matter of seconds , I was completely frozen. I forgot to put up my hood and put on my gloves and by the time I was inside, I was shaking like a leaf. I wasn't sure if it was all from the cold.
"Max what's wrong!" Angel said running over to me.
"I...I..." I began but I couldn't think what to say. I couldn't speak because of the cold and I couldn't speak because I was so stunned over what I had just seen.
I noted Fang in the corner, almost invisible and silent as usual.
"Cold that's all." I lied just so Fang wouldn't know. God knows what he would do to him if he found out. I looked down at Angel and saw her with a sad look on her face. I couldn't even keep her from reading my mind I was that traumatized. Or cold. Which ever one you fancy.
Dylan came rushing in behind me trying to get his bearings together. He was puffing and panting like a dog when he came over to me and looked at me. We couldn't talk here.
"So Max we're all here. Now what?" Fang said coming out from the corner. I shot a glance over at Dylan who gave me a 'don't you dare tell him' look. I ignored him.
"We need to.. we need to go back to the place they were at. I'd prefer to teleport there Fang if you don't mind. It's getting dark after all." I said.
Angel gave Fang a mental picture where to go and together we all teleported straight into the long, narrow corridor where our defeat came crawling back. I looked over to Dylan and he closed his eyes.
"What's he doing?" The red haired girl from Fang's flock asked.
"Finding where they are. He's no tracker but he can see things. Sometimes." I said trying not to think of anything horrible to say about him.
"Same place. They are expecting us this time. But what they don't know is that we have 4 new friends." Dylan said leading us towards the door again.
"I have a plan. Everyone needs to do as I say and this will work." I said. Everyone looked at me and I pointed to the officies in which we could hide.
"Okay we're with you." Fang said. Dylan gave him a funny look which I will kick him in the nuts for it later.
"Alright so the plan is everyone hides in these two office's here. When Night Crawler comes out and starts dancing on the ceiling, Will I want you to make him as heavy as you possibly can. Then Dyl I want you to go over there and while he's still trying to figure out what the heck is happening, you knock him for 6." I stated.
"Gotcha." He said sounding his cool usual self.
"With Chase, we need someone who isn't going to be fooled by him, someone who, no matter what will hit him into next week." I said looking around for any volunteers.
"Oh I can do that." Tallie spoke up. I hesitated for a few moments and Fang nodded.
"Very well then. With Oliver, he isn't as good at throwing punches as Buck, but he's good at dodging them?" I said waiting for someone to volunteer again.
"I can make him heavier so he will become slower. Then I can just hit him." Will said.
"Alright and lastly Buck is tough and he can get out of a tight spot. Apparently, so I need everyone else to distract him whilst Crush, you go and break a few bones. That way he won't be hitting many things." I laughed.
"I can do that!" He wooped excitedly.
After everyone understood the plan, we all hid in position. Fang knocked on the steel door and teleported back to safety. Night crawler opened it and Fang pushed Will out. He wasn'tsmart, but he was smart enough to realise something weird was going on, so he didn't move from the doorway. Will made him weigh a tone anyway and ran over to him before he could lift his feet and smacked him clean in the face. Then she made him as light as a feather and dragged him back towards us where Iggy and Gazzy strapped explosives to him.
"Your going to blow him up!"Crush gulped.
"No, but he doesn't know that." Iggy and Gazzy laughed.
Next came a very curious chase, who walked out a little bit to be greeted by Tallie. He raised his eyebrows at her and played with her hair. Then he leaned over slightly and gazed into her eyes. He leaned back after a couple of seconds with a puzzled look on his face. He quickly grabbed her from behind and broke both of her arms.
"Oh my gosh! Someone help her!" Angel said almost crying.
"She's got this." Fang said with confidence. I looked back and understood why when Tallie pulled her arms back into place and hit him straight in the groin with her fist.
"She, like me, has a bone problem." Crush laughed. Chase was also dragged into the office and gagged.
"Two unconscious mother ******* down, two mother ******* to go." Iggy said punching the air.
Just then both Oliver and Buck came out and Oliver pointed in our direction.
"Everyone lets go get 'em!" I roared and everyone hussled out at once. Mostly everyone was distracting Buck so Crush could literally crush his legs but he couldn't get close enough. Fang teleported behind Oliver and grabbed him but soon let go to the kick to the groin. Poor Fang. Oliver stood over him but didn't continue to kick him. Instead he found his friends and released we were back to the beginning.
Everything went pear-shaped from there. Buck was knocking Angel and Nudge flying with his iron fists, Chase had changed into Fang and was trying to pretend to be the real Fang, although even I had trouble telling them apart. There was almost two of everyone and I didn't know who to hit. Every time I got close to knocking someone out, I got pulled away through a wall and locked in. After I broke out, most of my flock was laying badly hurt on the floor with dislocated shoulders and bloody noses. We were getting know where and fast!
I was suddenly grabbed from behind and realised it was Buck. He wanted to finish me off again. I managed to let out a muffled scream so my flock could see I was caught. But they couldn't help me. You would have thought 10 against 4 would have been good numbers. At least one of them should have been able to help me but none of my flock could get to me. Some of Fang's flock were caught themselves, trapped behind walls or stuck between guessing who is the real flock member and who isn't.
Once again I felt my face turn blue and I was struggling to breath. I felt like I was going to pass out at any minute and I didn't have the energy to get free. I heard Fang shouting my name and Dylan tried getting to me but no one did.
"I'm going to snap your neck like a twig." I heard him growl in my ear.
Suddenly everything became a little quieter and I had to blink several times to see if I was dead. Or if my flock was dead. All the movement seemed to have stopped and Buck's guys were looking at something down the hall. They stopped attacking and were almost completely still. Buck loosened his grip slightly to see what the commotion was about. Through a clearing between the two flocks, I could see someone in the distance. My eyes were slightly blurry but as far as I could tell it was something dark. I could just make out lots of black and I thought it might have been Fang but it wasn't. He was being held down by Chase.
I blinked several times again to see if I was seeing correctly.
"Oh God, not another one! We're doomed!" Nudge squeaked as she was being traumatized by one of Buck's gang. I couldn't see who it was.
"No Alice said there's only four!" Angel piped up from somewhere in the crowd.
"Not one of you, not one of us. Then who..." Chase began, unaware of his loose grip on Fang. Fang jumped up swiftly and elbowed him in the jaw and smacked his head hard into the wall. Talk about Brutality.
"Who is this guy!" Buck yelled tightening his grip on me making me choke.
"Let her go!" Fang yelled but Buck resisted.
"Come any closer and I'll snap her neck like a knife through butter." He growled now digging his nails into my skin.
"F..Fang.." I muttered feeling my body become numb.
"I said let her go!" Fang yelled again but Buck didn't budge. Suddenly everyone's attention turned back to the mysterious person that just so happened not to be on our or their side. It became almost completely silent, so silent that I could hear the footsteps of the stranger coming closer. He was wearing boots.
"Oliver!" Buck yelled and Oliver looked at Buck with a blank and almost frightened expression.
"Who the F$&%!" I heard Buck yell from behind me. Everything started to spin and turn shades of grey. I tried once again calling out for Fang, but he had me so tightly I could bearly think.
The mysterious person came forward, walking with powerful and confident strides. As they came closer it was as though time itself had frozen. Everyone stopped breathing almost as the tention in the air was unbearable.
I opened my eyes fully to get a good glimpse of whoever it was but I couldn't focus.
"Let her go!" I booming clear voice echoed the narrow hallway.
"Or what?" I heard Buck spit from behind me. Suddenly, like lightening fast the mysterious person seemed to almost vanish from the spot he was standing on and knocked straight into Buck, sending him flying.
I coughed and spluttered on the floor taking in large chunks of air. I felt someone kneel down by my side and this time I was able to get a good look. I gasped when I saw the beauty of him. He reminded me of something out of one of the games Gazzy and Iggy once played. I think it was called Crisis Core and he looked almost exactly like Zack. Same hair and figure, but his eyes were chocolate brown and his skin was a slightly tanned. He wore mostly dark clothes, a tight navy top with dark jeans. He also had a strange necklace, which I felt meant something important but I couldn't decide what.
"Are you alright?" He asked holding out his hand to help me up. Quite the gentleman and soft hands too.
"I think I will be. Who are you?" I asked softly. Everyone came closer towards us to listen to what he was about to say.
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you. But I assure you, I'm here to help." He said soothingly.
Buck came charging straight at him but the mysterious guy quickly appeared behind him and dislocated his arms. It was like Fang's teleportation but I think he was...running?
"I think I'll call you speedy." I said putting my hands on my hips with a smile. He smiled back also and it was like nothing I had ever seen before. He brought Buck down to the ground in an instance and then went charging over lightening fast to the other members knocking them so hard I think something in their brain exploded and they appeared to have 'malfunctioned' like robots. Before we knew it, Buck has done a runner out of the corridor and probably up the dark stairway. The speedy mysterious stranger zoomed along the corridor and up the stairs. A few moments later he came back down, cursing and hitting the wall.
"He escaped! He bloody escaped!" He said and everyone didn't move a muscle.
"We'll get him. Don't worry, we can use Oliver who's still alive, I think. He will track him down for us." I told him and he looked at Oliver carefully who was rubbing his head.
Pick him up, take him back to wherever your staying. Find him!"He yelled.
"Whats he got to do with you?" Fang asked and he looked at him.
"It's got everything to do with me..." He finished before he suddenly vanished altogether...