A/N Hope you enjoyed this cause I worked a lil extra hard on this chapter for you guys. And its long cause I was on a roll.

Chapter 21.

Things were changing. I had grown up and the sweet little baby now had a name. Angel. It suited her. Nudge said she was our guardian angel. But that was a pretty big mouthful. And Guardian sounded like a boys name, Angel was so much more suited to her. It sounded sweet and simple and that was exactly what she was. She showed Iggy things with her mind, sometimes making up for what he couldn't see. She had trouble speaking words, though for a one year old, I'm guessing, I seemed to have lacked a calendar in this place. This little Angel was a devil for reading minds, she sometimes reflected our thoughts to each other, I had to make sure I never thought of them or that place ever. Because if I did and she glimpsed it and showed it to someone by mistake, curious, so many questions would rise and things would change.

I remembered how she got her name, Nudge had been rambling on and a nice scientist told her about Guardian Angels and how they protect you, we never saw that scientist again. Angel started showing us some scientists and Eraser ill intentioned thoughts, so we knew who to fight harder and avoid. She warned us and gave us a chance to either be prepared or fight, she was watching over us. She was our Guardian Angel. Or just Angel for her sweet nature and if you don't want to say it all in one breath.

Clicking footsteps came down the hallway. The door opened and Jeb walked, he'd become a…somewhat ally. He helped us avoid the worst experiments and calmed the Erasers down when we riled them up so much that they nearly ripped our heads off. That didn't mean it stopped us. Annoying the Erasers was probably the highlight of this caged life. It turned out he also had a son, Ari, he was sweet kid but he was also normal. I didn't talk to him, what would you say to a kid who was perfectly normal, had a life ahead of him and watched what these sick people did never voicing a word against. Even as a baby when I saw something I knew was wrong I protested anyway I could, I tried to stop it anyway I could. Just like with Azra.

The room was so cold, her skin was colder. Her breath frosted white, she couldn't get any paler, but her eyes still burned with life….It was the last thing to fade. She was beyond shivering, I rubbed her arms that did nothing, I breathed over her hoping it was a way to keep her even slightly warm. But she still drifted away from me…Further than I could ever reach unless I gave up. And my mind was so hurt, I kept pushing to get out, that monster in me to be unleashed. ….There was nothing…..there was no one…..

I snapped out of my little memory shaking myself vigorously, I glanced at Angel to make sure I hadn't scarred her. Only she was looking at Jeb as he walked to all of our cages and opened them. He was hurrying and Ari was no where in sight. That was odd, he was always near his father. And the fact that he was creeping around wasn't helping to ease my paranoia as well.

"Quick, come on, follow me and be quiet." I frowned as he pulled Angel out of the cage with me and slowly got to my feet to glance at the door, confused."I'm getting you out of here. all of you, now." Jeb said in a rushed whisper.

I glanced at Fang, he narrowed his eyes but nodded. We didn't trust Jeb entirely, but if there was still a chance to escape, we had to follow him. This may be my chance to show the flock of kids what freedom really was. To see outside.

I'll show you the sun….the sky, oh, Max you'll love the sky, its so big and it never ends. You can fly forever…

I was snapped back to reality when Nudge tripped and fell in front of me. I slowed in my running of the twisting white hallways to pull her up and drag her with me as I ran. We were all following Jeb. Fang was carrying Angel and Gazzy was leading Iggy by the hand. The lights were nearly all off, had a fuse been shut off? A few flickering bulbs lighted the metal door Jeb was leading us to. When had I started running? What happened? Had I gotten lost in my mind?

Whatever was happening no one noticed me being dazed and following them nearly as blindly as Iggy. That was until Jeb shouted at us to hurry as he struggled to get the lock on the open, he started pressing buttons frantically and cursing when the code wasn't accepted.

I heard snapping footsteps, they sounded, like claws, snapping against the floor in stalking footsteps.

I looked up and saw the paws of a deformed dog, that must've been on steroids to look as rip as it did. It had huge saber like teeth, they were bared in a grimacing snarl. Memories I hadn't fully blocked surfaced.

The door was down, inches of bullet-proof glass blocked me off from Sky and Chase. I couldn't fight the Hound, I was weak, so defenceless, Chase had left with Sky already, I was so alone. The snarl felt like the signature on my death, the crazed instinctual eyes were locked on me, soon everything would be painted red, the Hound would tear into me, I would scream for death but it wouldn't come for a long time-

No! I was older, I was stronger. They weren't here to save me this time, so I would just have to save myself and the new flock I had acquired.

"Oh my god what is that? If it's a poodle it's having a very bad hair day, but poodles don't have teeth as big as my arm. He looks hungry to, please somebody say they have a can of dog food on them, otherwise we are dog chow." Nudge babbled on till a hysterical sob burst through her lips and she silenced to mumbles.

"Why can I hear panting and snarling?" Poor Iggy, he was probably the most confused, at least we could see what was coming, this thing we couldn't even describe to him in words. Fang held a little tighter to Angel as she stared transfixed on the Hound.

"It wants to kill us." She mumbled as the Hound took a step closer. I think Gazzy cried a little and Jeb swore.

"I want don't get Angel." I took a step forward snapping my wing open from the ripped baggy shirt I was wearing and dusting of my frayed grey shorts. I looked back at all of their shocked faces and wondrous stares. "Hurry up and get that door open, I don't know how long I can hold off this Lassie." I put on the bravado that kept everyone stable. I didn't have time to grow up, someone had to take action, take care of the kids, grow up. Heck I didn't really need a childhood. I was Maximum Ride.

"Stay behind me." I mumbled turning my head back to the Hound. I looked eyes with the Hound, yet also I was looking around the white and cold metal hallway, I needed something to help me, something I could use to tilt the odds a little in my favour.

"Max, get back-" Fang's voice got cut off as I took a step forward and the Hound dove forward, its howl echoing through the sterile hall.

I spread my wings and soon enough everything was going in slow mo as my mind kicked into overtime and adrenaline pumped through my veins. A few flaps and I was flying, slightly hunched so I could zip down the hallway. With only a few feet, the Hound bounding with huge leaps and the sharp teeth getting closer, I reached up and grabbed end of one of the track lights. The fixture was heavy and it had slanted plates that were turned to narrow the lights into streamlines, at the moment those slats where facing downwards like a blade poised to strike. I could use this. With a push of my wings I surged forward with force. I refused to let the ache in my arms give out, I gripped on tightly, using al the strength I had in my malnourished muscles. Hoping, praying, it was enough.

With a cracking the fixture in the ceiling gave way, just as the Hound jumped. I pushed with both my hands, throwing it in front of me and kicking out my feet so the rest of the light would rip off the ceiling and slam into the Hound. I heard a ghastly howl and the screech of metal, my wings gave out after a little while, it wasn't easy to fly in a cramped space for long, and I fell to the floor landing on top of the metal light fixture.

It clanged on impact and I rolled off, my feet squelching into blood. With wide eyes I looked at the destruction and death I had done. The slats in the light had sliced through the Hound, it was crushed and blood was slowly soaking the ground. I was shaking. I had done it again. Only this time with my bare hands and intentionally. I looked behind me to see the pale faces of the Flock.

And suddenly everything was clear to me. Not the Flock, my Flock. I was their leader, I was strong enough to the things that needed to be done like this, I was the leader. And I would protect them even if it meant I had to blacken my soul and bloody my hands. I was Maximum Ride and I could do this for them.

I walked away from the dead Hound up to my flock who had there mouths open. "Have you opened it yet? Cause there's going to be more of those things coming.""Umm, ugh yeah, I figured it out." Jeb tried to act casual as he pressed two more buttons and the tiny light flashed green.

Fang handed me and we all filed out into what I was guessing was a steel walled garage with crates loaded on trolleys. It was full of armoured vans, normal cars and a few land rovers. Jeb pulled out some keys and pressed a button that made a big black jeep click. I hesitated for a second, in that second I heard shouting and howling somewhere behind us, I threw Angel into the backseat, ushered Iggy and Gazzy in next to her and Nudge, I strapped them in, not needing to be told how to strap the seatbelts. It was pretty easy and it didn't take a rocket scientist to see how one piece fitted the other. The shaking in my limbs had turned into tiny shivers that racked my body at odd times and stopped till they started again. Maybe this was called shock.

A warm hand landed on my shoulder and I glanced at Fangs eyes. They were guarded like his expression always was. His eyes seemed to narrow, but not in a harsh way, a concerned and gentle way, asking if I was alright. I nodded. And I knew he knew I was lying. But that didn't matter now. We climbed in and crouched on the floor of the jeep, slamming the door closed. The windows were blackened and there was a thick piece of blackened glass dividing the front seat and backseats into two different sections. We couldn't see nothing, but we could hear the engine roar, the sounds of things crashing and breaking, the tires squealing, guns being fired, shouts and howls, alarms. After what seemed a long while the terrifying noises stopped, we could hear more engines but not the high speed roaring ones, these were quiet ones that seemed calmer than the mad rush we had heard.

After a few hours all sound stopped apart from the humming of the tires turning on the asphalt. It took us ages and the flock fell asleep. I stretched out on the floor and leaned against Fangs chest, there wasn't much room for us to fuss about personal space. Angel was snoring lightly on my belly as I stroked her gold curls, Iggy and Gazzy were leaning back to back asleep and Nudge had her legs u in the air with her head dangling over the seat she was practically sitting upside down on.

I sighed. No one had asked any questions or said anything at all. I guess they were all in shock, they didn't know how to act in this type of situation. It was all so new to them, and unbelievable. We were actually getting out, and this time I would make sure we stayed out. A shiver attacked me again and my body jerked as I tried to stop it from waking Angel up. Fang's arms tightened around me.

"Okay?" Shock, a one worded question.

"I'm fine, just cold I guess."

I turned his head so he could stare at me till I admitted to the blatant lie. How could I be cold? The heating in the car was turned up so high we were drowsy and all snug. I raised my eyebrows at him asking what his problem was."You killed that…..thing. When did you learn to fly?"I shrugged. "I learned to in a experiment a while back, I haven't flown in ages though, so I'm rusty. Didn't you know what your wing are for or something?" I asked sarcastically.

"I was going to help you, when you ran straight at that…..dog, I was going to stand by your side and fight, but then you flew. I had no idea how to help you then, I didn't even have a plan like you did, it was so quick and you still killed it."Silence stretched between us our breathing and the car the only sound we could hear. Then he turned so we could lie against the seat next to each other, so I was no longer leaning on him, we were looking at each other, directly looking in my eyes so he's know if I lied. "Do you feel any regret?"I knew what he was asking about, there was only one thing I might hold regret over, but not anymore. I didn't kill the Hound to save myself, I did it to save them. My flock. "No, and given the chance I'd do exactly the same thing again."

He nodded his head and pulled me into his side, my eyes felt heavy as I rested more into him and the heated air lulled me into a semi sleep. "If you really want to fight with me, you can be my second in command, my right wingman. That means you have to fight by my side to keep everyone safe. Do you want the job?"

He chuckled silently but I felt his chest shake with the laugh. "Sure, I'll be your right wingman."

I smiled sleepily, my fuzzled mind dragging one last glimpse of Chase and Sky, Chase was Sky's right wingman, they were a team and always worked together. I winced at the memory, yet also cheered that in a way I was following in Sky and Chase's footsteps.

Fang squeezed my shoulder when I winced. "I'll take first watch, you can rest. I'll wake you up when Jeb stops the car and we get to wherever we're going. Do you know where we're going?"I curled into his side, my hands still resting in Angels sunlight yellow hair. Answering his question without thinking about, already hearing sleeps beckoning promise as exhaustion stomped through me. "Home, we're going home. Where the sky is so big it stretches forever and never ends. Where we can fly in freedom and decide for ourselves. Where going to where we can see the sunset, it's so beautiful, the horizon stretches as far as you can see, not ending no matter how close you get. We're going home." My voice mumbled most of it, but I was certain he heard me.

"Good, I wish I could dream of things like that. I wonder if freedom and home is what you say it is. Soon we'll see."Idiot. I didn't think it was like I described, it was. I knew it was, I'd seen it. And soon so would he. And the Flock. Then they would know as well. They would know freedom and I would help them keep it. That was a promise I wouldn't break, not even through death. I would fight and live, for them.