Chase's PoV

"Wait...we want to help?" That girl-Indy-said incredulously to the older guy. Horace kept his genuinely beaming smile on his face, and without turning, said "hush, child," back to Indy. Indy scowled.

"Uhm, well," I began, not knowing exactly how to put this, "I really don't know-how good of an idea that is." I said, then quickly checked over the facial expressions of the rest of my flock. Sure, I was the leader, but I relied on a lot of input from my flock now that Savannah was gone. Harlow looked disappointed, Andrew was uninterested, Felix was confused, and Ash still looked happy to have Harlow back. "Why's that?" Harlow asked softly.

We couldn't talk about this now, not in front of them. I glanced up at the sky, it was around evening, nearing dark. "Why don't we find somewhere to crash tonight?" I suggested, already unfolding my wings. I was also still rattled with the shock of the older guy having wings, so I guess that was added onto my list of Things to Discuss with Harlow later on. "Okay." She agreed uncertainly, and I noticed Indy's scowl became deeper. I wondered what her problem was...

We took a running leap into the sky, and started flying back towards the city. Andrew and Ash stuck close to Harlow, and I heard Ash talking a million miles and hour, asking Harlow questions about where she was. Felix glided over to Horace and promptly asked the question we'd been dying to know... "How are you still alive? I thought we were supposed to expire!" I wanted to hear Horace's answer, but they had flown to far away for me to hear. So, that left Indy and I.

I'd always seen it as a personal challenge to get the sullen to talk, so, putting on my warmest smile, headed over to the lagging Indy. "Hey." I said cheerfully, but she just glared at me. Her flying wasn't so great, so I assumed that it was hard for her to concentrate on flying and talking at the same time. I also assumed she wasn't that great in flying battle. "Is your name short for something?" I tried again.

Indy sucked in a deep breath. "Why are you talking to me?" She asked sharply. I smiled, still unfazed. "Because...you're the only person left to talk to, I want to talk to you, and I wouldn't give up an opportunity to talk to such a beautiful hybrid." I said in a charming voice. Indy actually blushed. "Uh-really?" She said, with a tad less venom in her voice. I grinned widely. "Of course! Now, you never answer my question."

Indy swept her long hair out of her face. "My name is short for Indianna. Like the state, only not." She explained. "Where'd you come from? What generation are you?" I inquired, interrested. Still looking a little wary, she answered. "Whichever generation was created fourteen years ago. I'm from the School in Pennsylvania, was rescued by my-er-Horace." She explained. "Tell me more!" I said, self-encouraged by her talking to me. I guess she just took a while to warm up to people.

I swear she almost smiled.

"Horace and I have been living in California for the longest time, and when we travel, we only as far north as Oregon and as far south as the top of Mexico. I suppose...it's because we don't want to be anywhere near the School." She said. "What about you?"

My eyes closed for a second, and my whole past rushed at me. I'd blocked these memories for a long, long time. "Savannah-the other leader who is kidnapped-and I were at the school in Texas. She was born there and I was transferred there when I was about six, that's why she has a slight accent and I don't. Anyway, we were thrown together in the same cage because there wasn't enough room, and because we were both avian-human hybrids. We became friends quickly, and planned our escape together." I said. "And...that's when you fell in love with her." Indy said, plainly. I glanced sideways at her. "What?"

She rolled he eyes. "It's so obvious. When you're talking about her you get that weird, dreamy look." I blinked, laughed, then made a funny face at her. She didn't smile. Well, all nuts are tough to crack at first. "Okay, maybe you're right, but we broke things of as more than just friends." I told her. At least she did. I added in my mind. "Yeah but you still love her." Indy reminded me.

"Oh yeah? How do you know that?" I challenged, even though I knew she was exactly right. Indy looked straight ahead. "You can't stop loving someone just like that."

I tried to ignore the fact that Felix had said the same thing. We were quiet for a long moment. "So how did you acquire the rest of your flock?" Indy asked. I thought for a second. "When Savannah and I broke out of the School, we headed north, and ran into Harlow, who immediately joined. She had Andrew with her. We got as far north as Canada, where we rescued Felix from a swarm of Erasers, and then a month later got Ash. That's it." I told her.

"Hi, guys, not meaning to interrupt or anything because I know you hate it when I do that and you told me to not do that so much anymore, but I totally am starving and Andrew agrees with me and we want food and Felix wants to sleep and probably Harlow too so if it's okay can we please stop Chase please please please?" Ash came over and said in one long, hurried breath. Indy glanced at her strangely, then looked to me. "What'd she say?"

"Yeah, Ash, that's fine, we'll stop. I heard of this place called Lower Wacker Drive, which is a street under Chicago. We'll sleep there." I said. Then I smiled at Indy. "Nice talking to you."

Ash's PoV

"Oh my gosh this is totally one of the most coolest places I've ever been to in like practically my whole entire life!" I shrieked, my voice bouncing of the walls back to me. "Shhh!" Felix said, nudging me. "Someone will hear you!" I rolled my eyes. "Aw, no one's going to hear me. It's like ten o'clock and nobody is on this street."

The street we were on was like practically under the city, filled with beaming lights. It reminded me of a tunnel, but a really long, awesome tunnel. We made our way to the side, climbing on top of a jutting out ledge and huddled together. Andrew was curled on Harlow's lap, Felix and I were back to back, Indy went a couple feet away from us and lay down, Horace went even farther away from us to sleep, and Chase sat up to take first watch.

I closed my eyes, thinking I'd fall asleep fast, but instead I started thinking of Savannah. Was she okay? Where was she sleeping? I suddenly got a picture of her chained to a wall or strapped into a chair or something, scared, cold, and wondering if she would ever get out. I shivered, only a little from the cold. What if she was being hurt? Where was she staying, anyway? Was she even still alive?

My eyes flew open and I was scared. I subtly glanced around...it looked like everybody else was sleeping, or close to it, except Chase of course. When he wasn't looking, I glanced into his eyes. They looked a little scared, too, and I wondered if he was thinking about the same things I were. "Chase?" I said, very softly, sitting up. Chase glanced over at me and I scooted over by him. "What do you think is happening to Savannah? I can't get her out of my head." I asked.

Chase put his arm around me. "Ash, if you're having scared thoughts right now, try to push them away as hard as you can. You know why? Because Savannah is a strong, smart, willed person who can get out of most situations." He said, reassuringly. "Remember that one time when we were surrounded by Erasers in the dessert, and they were closing in really fast from all sides? And remember when whitecoats tried to inject me with that syringe full of polyprotic acid? And remember when Felix was trapped in that huge net and 'bots were coming at him with lasers?"

I nodded, not exactly getting where he was going with this. "Who was the hero in all those situations?" Chase asked. I thought for only a second. "Savannah." I said softly. Chase smiled a bit. "Exactly. So do you think she can handle getting kidnapped?" I took a deep breath. "It's not exactly that I'm worried about." I admitted, looking up at him. "Chase, she's all by herself. That's why I'm scared. The rest of the times we were with or near her, but now...she's alone."

Chase sighed, heading thumping back against the concrete wall. "I know." He whispered. "I know." I leaned into his shoulder. "Everybody needs a hero, even a hero herself." I said. Chase patted my head gently. "She told us to meet her in Georgia." He reminded me, but he didn't sound to sure of it now.

There was a long minute of silence, and the only sounds we could hear were the cars up above us and the buzzing of the electric lights. "Are we going to let Horace and Indy stay with us for now?" I asked, quietly in case one of them were still awake. Chase pressed his lips together. "I think, for now, we'll let them stay, for Harlow's sake." He said softly.

Savannah's PoV

I had to admit it, I was crying. Not out loud, but silent tears streaked down my dirty face as I screamed and cried and whimpered and moaned on the inside. Pain, pain, intense pain was all I could feel right now, inside and out. After I'd refused to give Vladimir any sort of information about myself, the rest of my flock's powers, and refused his offer to help create the next Holocaust, some huge, burly men had come into the room and beaten me the old fashioned way. By that, I mean with rope, sticks, whips, and chains. Honestly, it was almost, almost worse than any kind of pain I'd experienced at the School.

I looked at my bloodied hands, not even wanting to know how many times worse the damage was on my raw back. My arms were bruised so heavily and badly I could hardly move them, and small scars were cut into my wrists. Every time I'd say the word "no" (or anything of the sort), the men would cut a half-inch slice into my arm with a rusted knife. Then my feet-they whipped them so badly it hurt doing nothing at all.

But worst of all were my wings. They'd twisted them in ways you couldn't imagine and even burned some of my sensitive feathers. Now I was curled up in a musty, abandoned walk-in freezer. My hurt wings were wrapped pitifully around my body, even though the slight pressure of my wings on my back burned like nothing else.

I knew I couldn't make it to Georgia, probably couldn't even escape at all. Tears dripped onto my fingertips, and even those cool drops burned against my skin. The weird thing was-the evil men had left my face alone completely, that was the only part of me that didn't hurt.

I also knew about the very real possibility that I might not ever see my flock again-which brought more tears pooling out of my eyes.

Harlow. The only girl even close to my age, who I loved more than I could probably even say with words. Maybe she didn't feel like anybody loved her at times, but if I could ever easily admit how I felt, I would tell her that she has been the best, sweetest, kindest friend I'd ever had. I remembered once when I'd actually gone to her for advice a couple of months ago, and I was actually nervous about talking to her. Nervous she wouldn't understand, or that she'd laugh and think I was stupid. She didn't. She'd been honest and sympathetic, and she'd said all the right things. I loved how she was like a mom to us all, especially Andrew, and was the most comforting person I'd known.

Felix. My funny, cheerful, yet sometimes scarily-serious guy that was just like me in a lot of ways. He and I paired up a lot when doing stuff, we had that odd connection that Chase and Ash did. Felix was like a brave little solider: loyal and smart, and willing to do anything for people he loved. He also forgave easily, which I loved him for. Forgive and Forget, that's what he put into practice. As old as he acted and was sometimes forced to be, he was still my favorite nine-year old buddy who was a fun-loving kid at heart. I loved when he came to me with lots of questions about how stuff worked, or why stuff happened. He was my Felix, that's all I could say.

Ash. I don't think I'd ever loved and been so annoyed at a kid so much as I do Ash. I could think of a million words to describe her, like bouncy, happy, outgoing, upbeat, fun, and energetic, but there would never be enough. She was the one, who, like Chase, could cheer just about anyone up and put a smile on any one's faces. I also loved the other side of her, that was fierce, vicious, and sometimes violent. She was a tough girl, and even though she sometimes cried, she never was a baby. I also appreciated her girly half, and secretly, when she talked about me and Chase together, it actually made me feel good, like somebody was for us. I loved Ash simply to death.

Andrew. My sweet, precious little baby whom I adored. I never, ever regretted bringing him into the flock, even though he was only four years old. He was a little ball of energy but a constant joy at the same time, and seeing him in battle is the scariest, most impressive thing I have to watch all the time. Sure, I get tired of his obsession with zoos, and that he isn't older and can't talk things out like the rest of us, but that didn't matter when it came down to it. Andrew was a little boy, and would always be my little boy.

Chase. My heart broke a little more even thinking about him. Even if I had a year, I could never say enough about how much I really did love him. Breaking things off with him was possibly the hardest thing I'd ever done, and now the chance of never seeing him again was unthinkable. I needed him so much, because I loved him so much. And if I ever did see him again, I would tell him exactly that. When we were just little kids, stuck together in that awful crate back at the School, the first thing he'd ever said to me was; "why do you have a funny voice?" It was because of my accent, and I think I hit him or something, because I thought he was teasing me. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled and said it was "the prettiest voice he'd ever heard". After that, I'd just kind of fallen for him and have been ever since. My whole inside ached when I relived all the hugs he'd given me...Chase gave the best hugs in the world. He'd scoop you up and practically suffocate you, rub your back, and twirl you around. I missed his arms right now so much that the tears that had stopped flowed again. I remembered when he kissed me just a few days ago on the beach. By far, the best thing I'd ever experienced in my life, and then I'd ruined his by telling him I didn't love him. I regretted that, so bad, and I could only hope he knew that. I loved him. I did. I loved him more than anything.

Finally, exhausted, I fell into unconsciousness, slightly comforted by thoughts of the people I loved most in the world.

There you go! I...thought this was pretty good, just saying :)

Only TWO reviews for the last two chapters? *cries* I miss your reviews! They keep me going! Oh well...Please, please tell me what you thought, or what I can do better. And you know what? IDEAS FOR THIS STORY would be the best thing ever. Thanks! Love you guys! :)