The Disbanded: Divided We Stand-Chapter 14

By MyNameIsCAB

--Fang's POV--

I didn't know what Ted and Max were planning, but according to them, we were getting ready to go find the others. We had packed up a lot of stuff and put it into one of those vans that Ted had convinced the captain to let him "borrow". Ted even managed to get some weapons.

Max didn't have much in her apartment, which she was now selling. Just clothes really.

But the apartment was sold and we were sitting in the van. We were going. Where, well, I guess none of us knew. Well, we were going to pick up Cal who was on break from MIT, and then we were off on our adventure, as Cal had called it. She was very excited.

"Here," Max entered the van. "I got you crutches."

"Okay, thanks," I smiled at her, taking them.

"The doctor I talked to suggested forearm crutches after I explained your injuries," Max continued to talk as Ted started the car.

"Okay, thanks," I repeated.

She nodded, buckling her seatbelt. "I just thought in case we were ever on a beach again or something, it might easier. You know, maybe we'll get you walking like that."

I knew she was trying to be hopeful. For once in a long time, being with Max, I actually did feel hopeful. It was like me depression never existed. At least Max didn't know too much about my depression. She never knew about how I used to cut myself. That was a long time ago and Guerra had helped me out of that, so it never got bad, but you could still see the scars. I just hoped she wouldn't force me into a t-shirt anytime soon.


--Max's POV--

"Okay, so here's the plan," I started to explain to Fang. "We go get Cal from MIT and drive towards Chicago where Ted has a buddy that agreed to help us. His buddy runs an undercover operation that's trying to stop human experiments."

"So not only are we helping ourselves, we're helping all those other poor kids that Itex are probably getting experimented on in Itex," Messina added. I was surprised how much he had picked up from what I've told him.

"So Chicago. I spent a couple months there," Fang said. "Before I got to where you found me."


--Fang's POV--

Chicago was where I had been in such a low, angry at myself for not staying with Max and begging the doctors in the hospital in California to have me transferred out to somewhere else. So they sent me to Chicago and when I got released, I was at rock bottom mentally. That's where I started cutting.

But I knew I needed help and I met Dr. Guerra who was there on a meeting with some other doctors and he offered me help. He offered to get me to where he worked, where there was rehab for my physical and mental needs. So I went with him.


--Max's POV--

I wondered how Fang had gotten to Chicago, and then to outside of Boston. Obviously, he didn't fly because of his leg. That was the one thing he never told me. Now maybe there was a reason why. Maybe, when Messina wasn't around, I'd ask him about it.

"We're about an hour away from MIT," Messina announced, looking at the GPS navigation device. "We'll probably stop to pick up some lunch and I guess food for the road."

Once we got to MIT, Cal was waiting for us with two backpacks. I was surprised she didn't bring a whole suitcase.

"Ted told me to pack light," she said, climbing into the passenger seat next to Messina.

"Yea, we don't have much either," I nodded.

I watched Cal smile at Ted and they exchanged words that I couldn't make out. Now we were heading towards a convenient store down the street.

"So, you want to stay in the car or come?" I asked Fang once Messina parked.

He picked up one of the crutches. "I'll come. Let's see how I do."

I had half expected Fang to come tumbling out of the car. But he took a few steps, grimacing, and made it into the store. He checked his heart rate as I opened the door for him.

"Chips?" Messina asked. "What flavor?"

"Salt and vinegar," Fang and I both said at the same time.

"I guess some things don't change," Fang said with a half smile.

"No," I answered back with a grin.

Along with some soda to put in the small fridge Messina installed in the back of the van, Fang grabbed hot sauce (strangely), tortilla chips, salsa, and refilled his meds with his prescription. All together, we had enough food that looked like it could last a couple of weeks.

"I hope we're not going to eat all of that in one day," Messina joked as we put it in the back of the van.

We laughed, which was almost relieving, after Carter's death. Then I heard some kind of beeping noise. Fang glanced at his wrist.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"No, it's not my heart rate. Low battery," Fang said, tapping it with his finger. He disappeared back in to get some new batteries and came out a few minutes later.

"You do have a screw driver?" Fang asked.

I searched the back of the van. "Here."

He took it and unscrewed the back of the monitor, slipped the old batteries out, and put the new ones in. Putting the device back on, it made a starting up sound.

"Well, I guess it's working now," Fang said.