A/N sorry for the wait I've been busy at work and its taken me awhile to find some down time.

I wasn't sure how old any of us were. I just we were older, the days and months were now blurred together, I couldn't keep track of them. Time had no meaning, we counted the days by the number of experiments. Nudge now had her own cage, she was still talking and had learned quite a few new words. Iggy and the Gasman were together in a cage. Gasman now dropped bigger nastier stink bombs, Iggy had an even eviler streak in him and caused more hell for the Erasers with his henchman/sidekick. The things they came up with was comical and diabolical. Fang had become a silent rock that loved getting into a fight with Eraser's he tried talking to me, like we used to but I was nervous. One of the scientists, called Jeb kept coming to see me, he asked questions about my past, I never answered him but he was fascinated by me and kept saying how I would evolve into more. The tattoo I had seemed to vanish with the experiments they had tried on me, they were all the same now, nothing registered yet I knew all that they did to me. I would probably never get out of here again, yet I wouldn't give up fighting, I had to protect these kids the best I could. I made a promise to them, and myself.

Yet what worried me now was that they had put in another baby in my cage. The scientist, Jeb, told me she was the Gasman's baby sister. They looked similar to when he was a baby an they both shared the same blonde hair blue eyes, and round baby face. She was probably the quietest baby I had met, she just stared at me and gurgled happily to herself. But I was worried, they had been cutting down our food and I wasn't sure we would have enough to keep this little darling alive.

A door opened and Jeb and a few scientists came in. I clutched the baby a little tighter in my grasp and glared at them all. Jeb glanced at me then crouched down by Gazzy's and Iggy's cage to undo the lock. "The eldest one is who we want, we will see if we can improve what's already developed naturally to something phenomenal." Jeb sighed and started ticking off a list as two male scientist pulled out Iggy and restrained him as they dragged him through the door. He thrashed and swore a few colourful words he had learn t from the Erasers.

"Let me go you men who get dressed by your mothers! Holy Lucifer's balls is that tape on your glasses? You are pathetic."

"Iggy language! Nudge and Gazzy are here still!" I scolded.

"Mothers….balls." Gazzy giggled clapping his hands.

Fang chuckled and Iggy burst out laughing hysterically as he vanished down the hallway. Nudge laughed herself silly, the baby watched us with curious eyes, Gazzy started clapping even louder and repeating those two words. I just rolled my eyes and sighed.

"How's the baby doing Max?" Jeb asked as he crouched down in front of my cage. He reached a hand in to stroke the baby's cheek but I pulled back further with my arms hiding the baby in my chest and with the blanket.

"Huh, you should trust me you know? If it wasn't for me one of the Eraser's would have chewed on you by now.""I've been chewed before and survived, I doubt I cant live through it again." I smirked at him.

He stared me for a long time before rising with a hard stare and stalking out of the room. Before the door closed my enhanced hearing picked up something said by one of the white coats. "Are we sure about this? The risk is slightly higher than normal-" the door closing cut off the rest of the words.

There wasn't much I could do, there were always risks with experiments, but I had a sick feeling weighing in the pit of my stomach. No I was being paranoid, we were all capable of dealing with the after-effects of experiments. Iggy would be fine. He always was.

For the next few hours we just all sat there. Me cradling the baby to sleep, Fang trying to get Gazzy to stop saying the new words he'd learnt and Nudge not helping by rambling on non stop.

I just sat there silently waiting and counting the seconds till Iggy was brought back, I kept counting till I got to 137,693,857,98 seconds. I could count for a long time, it was a trick, someone who must not be named, had taught me to keep calm in stressful situations. That was when the door clicked open and a silent Iggy was carried in and put in his cage. The first thing I noticed was that he had a huge bandaged wrapped around the top half of his head, covering his eyes and half his nose. The second thing I noticed was that he was snoring. Gazzy was falling asleep and curled up next to him anyway, using his shoulder as a cushion. Without a word the white coat walked out turning out the lights, I'm guessing it was night time then.

I stared for a long time at Iggy, a sick worried feeling twisting my stomach. Was he really okay? What had they done to him?

Nudge fell asleep soon, and even when she was out like a light, she still murmured to herself, never seeming able to stop talking. I tucked the baby in tightly and wrapped laid her down on my folded scraggly blanket, the nights had been getting colder so the scientists gave us ripped, thin blankets each. I used mine to act as a mattress for the baby to keep her even more warm, I didn't mind being cold, I had been colder anyway. Azra… had been so cold…..

The baby squirmed and reached her tiny hand out to grab my hand that I was pulling away from her. She gurgled and smiled with her huge blue eyes at me. I couldn't help but smile back at her and my sadness washed away with hope, hope for her and the others. I guess, I was happy, even if I was stuck in a cage. I mean, at least I wasn't back there. Slowly her eyes closed and her breathing deepened. I turned to look at the last family member I hadn't checked on yet.

I looked into two eyes that were darker than the night around us. Ah well, I guess he wasn't asleep yet. I nodded his head slightly to let me know he would take the watch this night, I had stayed up the night before. So I curled up around the baby lightly and drifted off in a fitful sleep.

I woke up later on to the sound of hushed conversation.

"Why is it so dark? Fang I cant see a thing!"

"That's because when the brought you in you had a bandage wrapped around your eyes. Take it off so you can see better, and be quiet the others are asleep."

There was the sound of fabric rustling and ripping, I slowly cracked open my eyelids and could make out Iggy blurred form in the darkness unwinding the bandage. When he was done and the wavering bandage fell to the floor Iggy sat there, still as a statue for a long time.

"Fang?" I heard his voice waver.

"Hm?"

"I…..I cant see anything…It's all….Everything's black." His voice shook with uncertainty.

"That's because they turned the lights out Ig, it dark in here."

"No, no that's not it. Even in the dark I can see shadows, but now I cant see nothing!"

Now I sat up and stared straight at Iggy. Fang turned to look at me and worry flashed in his eyes. What the heck have those lab rats done now?

"Iggy what was the last thing you remember before they put you asleep." I ask in a calm steady voice, that I hoped would reassure him.

"They, I remember them saying they wanted to improve something, my….. Think they said they were going to try and improve my eyesight, so that my eyes could reflect light and I could see better in the dark. Max…..I'm scared." Iggy's scared quiet voice had me tamping at mad as hell at the scientists. How dare they do this to him!

"Maybe you just cant see that well in the dark, when the lights are back on I bet you'll see normally, your eyes are probably just readjusting in the dark." I tried to convince myself at the same time.

We waited fove more minutes till the tiny device on the wall beeped, flashed green and automatically the lights switched on. Brightening up the room, I turned to look at Iggy, to see a smile on his face and relief flooding his expression. Only I still saw a worried, anxious, waiting face. And pale, pale blue eyes, nearly grey, nothing like the deep blue I knew to associate with him.

I looked at Fang and we shared a sombre expression, I took a deep breath and readied myself to tell Iggy, that the lights were on, and that the experiment had definitely left him blind.