A/N: OMG!!! 14 reviews!!! Now I feel so bad, because this chapter is pathetically short. Exams are over though, so I'll try and get another chapter in later today or maybe tomorrow.
So here's my list of awesome people for Ch.2, for reviews, favorites, and alerts:
Emma- *grins* Yep, I'm continuing. Thanks!
-xXx 'M' NaMeS RoCk xXx-
Anonymous
Fang Raven- Thanks, I'm glad you both like it!
anne
Asidill
xoxoxo Bethany
Toxic Rain42- Can't resist Bambi eyes. Max'll get there eventually! :)
Clarinetist
Stargazer-Look4Me
FREAKTONIGHT
The Muse
TGIF
What?
Shahz
A special thank you to the last four, who read and reviewed my story on request. Thanks guys!
So here's Chapter 3:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Itex Headquarters- North Carolina (A/N:There ya go, Toxic Rain42!)
"The RCRs have located the subject."
A woman sat in a desk, her steel face unreadable besides the slight narrowing of her black eyes. She was immediately suspicious. The Retrieval and Capture Robots were given the command to capture all of the avian-human hybrids. "Subjects, you mean?"
The robot standing in front of her said in a monotone, "No. There is only the leader."
The woman knew any complaints would be wasted. After all, they were robots and not genetically modified human beings like she was.
She was one of Itex's subjects once, a being made invincible from physical attacks, but they had deemed her a failure.
How wrong they were.
They had tried to 'retire' her, but it was easy to escape them with her superior intelligence.
She had then sat back and watched as a group of kids destroyed Itex. What they didn't know, however, was that this experiment was ready to rescue Itex, and take it over.
Her strange, resilient steel-like skin stretched into a smile.
"Fine," She said crisply. "The leader is the only one I need."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fang's POV
I watched the sun rise through the trees. The scene was almost beautiful, but it didn't really matter. What mattered was that Max had left. Because of me. But also because she felt the need to give up her life to protect us.
Stupid, pig-headed, stubborn Max-
"Fang?"
I turned my head to see Iggy watching me with his sightless eyes. "Yeah?"
"Where's Max?" Iggy asked uncertainly. "I don't hear her. Breathing, I mean."
My fists tightened. I had my night to be alone and face the reality of Max leaving. Now was the time to step up and become leader.
Yeah, right. Like I could ever measure up to Max.
"She left, Ig," I said quietly.
Iggy's eyebrows drew together. "She… left? You said she went out for a short flight."
"She's not coming back," I said calmly.
"Why?" Iggy demanded. "What happened? Max wouldn't just leave us, don't play around Fang-"
I took a deep breath. "They're tracking her, so she left to keep us safe, and give us time to run."
"Wait, Fang, this isn't funny, Max wouldn't ditch us, and the kids. Don't just sit there calmly and…" Iggy suddenly stopped, his anger fading. "That's why you kept watch all night… You hoped she'd come back…"
I didn't answer; my fists clenched even more, and I took another deep breath to stay calm.
Iggy looked positively blown away. "But- did she see something in the files? … She couldn't have just…"
"She's gone, Ig," I said softly. "We have to do what she wants us to do: survive."
I didn't tell Iggy the rest of it. I didn't tell him how I could've convinced her to stay. I couldn't tell him that I was the one who drove Max away.
"What are we going to tell the others?" Iggy whispered dazedly. "When they wake up?"
"Angel already knows."
"But- Nudge and Gazzy-"
I remained silent, letting Iggy deal with the shock of Max leaving.
"Max is going to get hurt, and I know she wants to protect us, but she has to realize we'd want to be there with her if she gets hurt…" Iggy ground his teeth. "Nudge and Gazzy aren't going to like this. Even Total's not going to like this, and he considers us all criminals."
I didn't like it either. I hated it.
Max could die as far as we would know.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not a happy chapter, or a long one. Sorry! Like I said, I'll try and put the next one up soon, so please review! It might encourage me... hint hint...