Phoenix was still tied up an hour later, and she was really bored. Losing the ability to speak, due to the duct tape on her mouth, prevented her ability to drive people up the wall. So she decided to have some fun.
"MMMPH!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "MMMMMMMPHMMMPH!"
Max walked over annoyed, but curious. "What do you want?"
"Mmphmphmm." Phoenix replied, her speech still unintelligible. Max ripped the duct tape off painfully, but unlike most people, Phoenix didn't flinch.
"Thanks for that blondie." The ginger tossed her hair. "Look, I'm going to give you one last chance. I'm offering you peace and quiet, a place where you can be yourself, Max."
"Let me think… No."
"Really?'
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Are you really, really sure?"
"Yes."
"Are you so sure that if all of the world's governments were about to suddenly collapse because you wouldn't come with me that you would be okay with the Apocalypse soon to follow?"
Max gave her a questioning look, and then replied. "No."
"Well… Okay, see you later." Phoenix pulled her hands and feet apart, handed Max the rope, which was in two pieces and severely singed. "Toodle-Oo!"
Max immediately sprang into action, aiming a punch right at her head, which Phoenix easily ducked. Fang heard the short scuffle and came running, joining in the fight. Phoenix had her hands in her coat pockets, dodging punches. She backed up quickly, and came right to the edge of the river.
"This has been fun. Kraken!" she yelled out into the night. "Roc, Hydra!"
A pale hand appeared on the surface of the water, then a head of blue hair and a pale torso, covered in tentacle tattoos. Kraken (or Karac) surfaced from beneath the deep water and walked slowly and menacingly towards the two. A dark shape appeared in front of the moon and dipped down until they hovered ten feet above the ground. It was Rochester, and he had two giant sets of wings, at least seventeen feet across, and a dark brown color. The last to arrive was Hyacinth, who darted out of the trees, and stood in a crouched position, with believe it or not, a long scaly tail twirling around her legs.
"Strike a pose!" Phoenix said playfully. "Let's get going guys. We've got an appointment to keep."
Kraken took Phoenix by the arm and the two plunged into the river as Roc grabbed Hydra around the chest and pulled her into the air.
The rest of the Flock had been hiding behind a few trees as Fang had instructed when he ran to help Max. They slowly moved away from the trees and towards the two eldest.
"What just happened?" Nudge asked Max, still unsure of what happened.
"I think we just got pwned." Iggy said in a quiet voice, which made Gazzy crack up. One look from Fang shut the younger boy up quickly.
"I think we'll find out who they are soon." Angel spoke up. "Phoenix said so."
The Flock all whipped around to face her. Max spoke first. "When did she tell you that sweetie?"
"When I tried to read her mind." Angel picked up Total from the ground. He had been strangely silent for most of the week, which was unusual, but at least he wouldn't talk all the time. "She told me."
"Did you get anything from her?"
Angel shook her head. "I tried, but her mind is weird, like looking through a broken window. It's as if her mind shattered and it was super glued back together."
"Great, now we have a crazy, fire toting, red haired girl with a passion for killing people on our tail." Max said. "What about the other three?"
"I didn't get much from them either. The lizard girl wanted to run all the time, Karac wanted to stay in the water, and the guy with the wings doesn't like snow."
"Helpful."