A/N Okay people here's this weeks update.

Chapter 12

I let myself freefall for a few feet before pulling up in a barrel roll and angling for the cave where I could run to Chase and Sky. Anthony was falling down to the ground and at the last moment I saw him spread his wings as wide as he cold to catch some air and not go squish on the ground.

The flapping of leather wings grew louder, something sharp stung my leg. I felt warm blood drip down my leg. I ignored it all, the pain, the metal bullet I could feel stuck in my leg, the screams and the vicious snarls from the monsters that were swarming the mountain.

I didn't care I just needed to get to Chase and Sky, as long as we were together we would be fine, we would survive. I didn't, couldn't be separated from them again. I would break.

I was just a hundred feet from landing when something tackled me in mid air. Clawed hands grabbed me and handled me roughly. A Wing Beater wrapped his arms around me and no matter how much I squirmed or kicked I couldn't get free.

I glanced down as strong down strokes took me further away from my family. I could see Sky running to the edge of the cliff, at the last moment Chase tackled her ducked behind a boulder just as a gun shots were fired at them. People went down, people screamed, people died. The sounds got fainter and fainter as I was flown to a clearing in the woods. In the clearing there was a helicopter and two more experiments who had been captured like me. Before I could do anything, especially seeing as my mind was frozen and barely processing what was happening in front of me, a black back was thrown over my head. A solid thump to the back of my head had me welcoming a blank, dark abyss. I hoped that when I woke up this would all be a very, very bad dream. Yet I knew that was wishful thinking. Not even Sky and Chase could help me now.

The Arena would be a lot worse now, my punishment for escaping. But I had made a promise to myself and I was going to keep it. I would be strong and fight them with every breath I had. Just like Sky and Chase, for them. That was my last thought as fell into nothing.

I was back. And I, surprisingly, didn't care. I knew I couldn't escape. This was were I was 'born' and this was where I would die. Blood clotted the back of my head after I had been hit. They had thought it would be funny to rip out the few stitches I had left, as well as the scabs, and they traced over the scars on my body with slow patience, and a sharpened surgical blade. I had screamed once before I bit my lip to keep myself silent.

Now I was in a cage, next to two others who had been brought back with me. One with wings, the other with snake skin. We were all silent. I listened to the noises around me, the clang of metal, soul piercing screams, the hum of machines working. I smiled gril to myself, I was home.

"What's going to happen?" The girl with snake skin asked. She was probably a year or something older than me, but the fear evident on her face made me feel older. I had lost my fear of these monsters a long time ago.

"They're going to torture us like normal, and, probably, eventually kill us." I told her in a blank monotone.

"So we have no control over what happens to us." The boys my age with wings said from the cage on my right.

"We have control, not as much as others have over their lives, but we can let them break us or fight tooth and nail every step of the way." I said with a grin imagining Chase was next to me grinning in approval.

The snake girl looked at me with tears in her eyes, but she still smiled faintly. "I'm Azra, you're a lot like your brother and sister you know?"

Azra's words made me smile. All I had ever wanted was to be like them, little did she know I was NOTHING like them. But I could pretend, the point of being a child was to pretend and have fun until you grew so I would pretend.

The door opened and the tap of smart shoes on the tiled floor announced the entrance of the scientists.

"These are experiments GQ375 and YE904." One of the scientists said as they walked in and pointed to Azra and the boy.

"What about the other one? Isn't that the one that had the motor neuron operation, does anyone know if the micro chipping has been activated in the central nervous system and the brain cells?" The woman who crouched by my cage looked very fascinated, the type of fascination a kid gives and ant as they burn it with a magnifying glass. I disliked he straight away.

"IT has a name." I snarled at her face. "I'm Maximum Ride."

She looked taken aback. "It speaks."

"No duh, I can also run and breathe and even fly. Believe it or not."

To my discouragement she looked more excited than annoyed. "Rory, how old is it? I thought he avian experiments couldn't fly until their fifth year. Send her down for testing."

Oh damn. Seemed like I had peeked their interest.

I let them drag me down to one of their testing rooms. There was no point resisting this. After all I couldn't exactly fight three Wing Beaters. All they made me do was fly in a air tunnel, and take a few muscle and blood samples, nothing I wasn't use to.

When I got back to my cage (was this what I was going to live in from now on instead of the steel cells?), Azra and the boy with wings were bruised and crying.

When my cage was locked and the Wing Beater had walked out, I turned my attention to them. "What happened?"

Azra couldn't talk, she was crying too much. We're scheduled for termination. They say we're useless and deserve it for escaping in the first place. We're probably going to get fed to the Hounds."

Azra kind of started to quietly scream to herself. I glared at the boy.

"You know what kid? You're kind of depressing, besides I'll try to keep you safe. Even if you are an emo."

I didn't know what an emo was, but I had heard Chase call Anthony one when he was talking about death and saying it would be great to take out the scientists with him. But this kid was my version of an emo, seeing as I had only Anthony for an example talking about death, then this kid was MY emo.

"I'm not emo. Just practical, and my name is Jethro Not kid."

"Either way, I'll help you. You only die if you give in, but we're going to fight."

"Okay fine. We'll try your going out with a bang idea. Besides it might be fun." Jethro smiled in a kind of evil sadistic way. But hey what did I expect. He'd been through hell just like me and I was far from normal.

"So what do we do now?" Azra asked with hope in her eyes.

"We wait. And when they come to kill us we fight, we make them afraid. Because the others are going to come and get us. We lived in the mountain and we're a family. They're all coming to get us out of here." Azra smiled and clapped to herself.

I looked at Jethro and he grinned at me. He knew I was lying.

All of the others who lived in the caves were probably dead already. They were probably dead hours ago. Inside I was afraid. When I died what would happen? Would I be free like Chase and Sky had told me? Or would I be trapped somewhere else? Could there even be a worse place than the Arena? I didn't know any of the answers. But I felt good giving Azra hope.

Like a spark an idea formed in my mind. I had a power that could practically do anything. It was still there, I could feel it, almost as though a part of me was sleeping and just waiting for a poke and to be awakened. I would try and get us out of here safely and if I couldn't, the least I could do is keep us alive. I may be the youngest, possibly, out of us three I was the one who could keep us safe. Maybe I could be that strong.

I just needed to control that part of me that could do so much damage, properly. Tomorrow would be the beginning of my self training. I thought as the lights were automatically shut off. Night time is normally quiet and peaceful. After so long of living in a cave that was homey, this night I had to listen to screams and dieing whimpers.

Azra had fallen asleep curled up, Jethro was sitting up asleep. I was wide awake.

There was a creak and the door swung silently open. I glared at the Wing Beater standing there. He just grinned and chuckled.

"Welcome home kiddo, I missed you."

A/N this is just an insight into how Max's thinking changes from being afraid, to becoming semi fearless and rebellious. Also this is a short chapter and this week I should update more quickly as it is half term. So yay!! And hope you enjoyed the chapters.

Review Please XD