Maximum Ride Fan Fiction / Maximum Ride Fan Fiction ❯ If I Asked You To, Would You Kill Me? ❯ Change of Heart ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Irene Sharda
Both Max and Fang experience some changes in character, some for the better, and some for the worse...

Non Anime: Maximum Ride Fan Fiction / Maximum Ride Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Sci-fi / Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 05.22.2008 | Pages: 4 | Words: 7.1K | Visits: 198 | Status: Work In Progress

Chapter 6
Max lifted her heavy eyelids, her whole vision in a haze.
Where am I?
She remembered the Eraser ambush, Fang's Capture, Itex, the bomb…
Yet, they all seemed hazy, as if in a dream…
The sun was shining down on her, from the bright blue sky. A field of yellow, tall grasses surrounded her, the wind blowing in her hair. Normally, she would have enjoyed this, but this time, the sun seemed hotter than usual.
So hot, that it seemed to almost be weighing down on her, with a physical pressure.
In fact, it was as if it was pressing down on her chest, harder and harder, causing her to lose her breath! The world began to spin around and around, and her head swimming in dizziness.
Before she knew it, she had fallen to the ground, her wings making a feathery trail in her wake. The sun's rays, which she had taken pleasure in at first, had now become agony. Closing her eyes, she felt the pressure keep on in its crescendo, causing her chest to tighten and inflame in pain, leaving her gasping for breath.
Suddenly, the sun's torturous pressure and heat relented. Opening her eyes once again cautiously, she saw that her body was being blocked from the sun, by a shadow...
It was the shadow of a man; his body covered hers in a dark silhouette against the punishing rays of the sun.
However, even with the mysterious man's body covering hers, the pressure didn't let up off her chest—in fact, it got worse. She put her hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath, but all she felt was fire, a pain that traced her entire body.
The man placed his hand upon hers, and moved it back to her side. With it, the fire stopped almost immediately! He put his hands on her chest, and with his simple touch, the pressure went away!
She knew she should feel repulsed and violated that a strange man would put his hands on her, but in all actuality, she felt relieved, even though the results of the heaviness still existed and she still couldn't breathe.
Who was this man, with the hands of angels?
Slowly, he leaned down towards her face. His breath felt like nirvana on her it, in comparison to the harsh heat of the simmering sun.
That's when this mysterious man, did something she never expected…
The man's lips touched hers, giving her such a sweet sensation that she thought was only possible of the divine.
As he kissed her, he seemed to breathe within her lungs his own breath, and with it, the oppressive rays of the sun left; a weight had been taken off, making her as free as a bird.
He sat up, but still leaned over her. His dark eyes looking in concern at first, but then sparkled with delight to know she was gazing into his.
When she saw his face, recognition struck; she smiled with joy and without inhibitions. It was the man of her dreams returned to her. The one whom she had first loved as a brother, and now—that love had turned into something more. Time apart had shown her this; the more time went by, the more it showed her she needed him.
She tried to reach up and touch his face, but he caught her hand in his own and pushed it back down. Still she could only beam with joy! “Fang…”
Fang smiled, pushing her hair out of her face lovingly. “Sorry chérie, that isn't my name.”
Max looked up at him in confusion from that statement, of course he was Fang—wasn't he?
Then, as soon as she thought it, the haze-like state of the world she had found herself in, slowly began to dissipate; letting her know the truth that she had been denying all along—this was a dream, an illusion.
The field slowly melted away, to become a soggy, woodland forest ground. The seemingly endless blue sky, was now filled with the crowns of trees, and the sun disappeared behind them.
Fang's features slowly changed and morphed. His eye color became lighter, from dark, navy blue, to brown, to yellowish-gold. His face became thinner and sharper, more rugged and defined. His hair went up higher and longer, transforming into a ponytail, and then changing color, from dark black, to brown, to striking, radiant scarlet.
His clothes changed, his height changed; in only a few moments, he wasn't Fang anymore, but a stranger…
The young man that now kneeled beside her, was older, taller, and lean, with a constant look of charm on his handsome features.
Her distrust went up almost immediately. Jumping up, she flipped back away from him, ready to fight.
Pain immediately flew up her arms as well as her abdomen, almost making her double over in agony. Sparring a second to look down, she saw that her forearms were badly burned, and that her stomach had a huge gash in it. They were probably the result of her bad bomb experience; well that's about half a week out of commission.
But the wounds had been dressed with makeshift bandages. The wrappings themselves were made out off some sort of teal-colored cloth. These look as if they were made out of some sort of shirt or something; which brought her attention back to her “companion”.
The man hadn't moved, and still sat knelling on the ground, a roguish smile on his lips.
She remembered those lips. She had thought they were Fang's. They were one of the more lasting memories of her dream. Had she really…?
The shock of what really happened finally came to her. Putting her fingers to her lips, she looked at the stranger. “D-did…did you…kiss me?”
The handsome stranger laughed enchantingly, responding with a voice heavenly laden with a thick Cajun accent. “Kiss you? I doubt I'd ever bethat lucky. No chère, you were being deprived of oxygen, thanks to the smoke you inhaled from my bomb. I simply used what I had, to give you, a little resuscitation. It would be a real shame, if a grande belle like yourself, were to die.”
His voice was like out of a southern storybook, dripping with debonair and desire. She found herself almost hypnotized by it, just as it seemed to be the effect of the rest of him. If one were to look into his cat-like eyes (which were obviously fakes! No regular human had eyes like that.), they'd be in his grasp in seconds…
Come on girl, get it together! She shook her head in an effort to get back to normal. This was simply greeted with another wave of pain.
“I wouldn't do that chère, you might have a slight concussion.”
The stranger stood, and for the first time, she saw the man's full appearance. He was young, still a teen, but older than she. Dressed in only a pair of jeans and a black leather jacket, she saw that his chest was covered in scars; his neck was laced with a gothic-like black choker that was made out of a simple inch-wide stripe of black leather that shined like metal and linked by a buckle in the back. He had a track runner's physique, with apparent muscular strength. He was tall, taller than her by about a head. His very long, ultra-red hair was kept in an unkempt ponytail on top of his head, but the unruliness of it seemed to suit his handsome face well.
And oh, is he handsome! She didn't think she would ever meet a man she really thought of as gorgeous…that is, until today.
Alright Max, get your eyes off his face!
She decided to finally speak, but her voice, still in shock, came out in a jumble. “Where am I? What am I doing here? I-I mean—who are you?”
Putting his hands in his pocket, he walked towards her casually.
She instantly put her hands up defensively; no matter how much it hurt. She'd break this handsome guy's neck, if he came any closer.
“Stay where you are, Cajun.” she commanded.
Yet, in spite of her warning, the stranger kept coming, looking straight into her eyes with his own magnetic ones. “In answer to your first question: you're in the Everglades, in the 100 acre property surrounding and owned by Itex Corp.; about a mile and a half away from their main complex.”
He now had come within a hairsbreadth of her. Taking her by her elbows, above where she had been burned, he hoisted her up into a standing position, with much more speed, strength, and grace than she could possess.
“In answer to your second question: you're here, because I brought ya here. I rescued you and your sister, before you got blasted into tiny bits by my bombs. I maybe an arsonist, but I don't do murder.”
With that, he moved her arms so that they came back down to her sides.
“And to your last question: my name. I have had many identities, but only one name.”
With expert skill, he caught her chin in his hand and angled her head to face his. “My name's Derringer, chère, and Derrin to those who know me. And I must say, you're very pretty when you're serious—even more, than when you're unconscious.”
She could only stare into his golden eyes, unable to tear herself away. Even as he bent down to kiss her bandaged hand, in the manner of southern beaux, she could not look away.
He let go of her hand and moved his own in front of her eyes. “I know I have a power over women, but don't you think you're taking it a little too far, chèrie?”
His words suddenly shook her out of her stupor, only to awaken a new fury. How dare he touch her?
Stepping away from him, she let the anger drip from her voice. “Derringer, huh? Who names their kid after a gun?”
With that she swung out swiftly with her leg, aiming to crush that irritant mouth of his! Only to find…that she only struck air!
A hand tapped her shoulder from behind. “Come now, chère. What type of talk is that? You're going to ruffle your pretty wings, Maximum.”
How had he gotten behind her so fast? She hadn't even seen him move! On second thought, how does he know I have wings? How does he even know my name!
She whirled around, her fist ready to issue a roundhouse punch into that Cajun's face!
With speed she couldn't even begin to imagine, he grabbed hold of her wrist, stopping her attack in midair! “Now, if I wasn't a gentleman, I would ask you, `Who names their kid after a power setting?', but—”
With ultra-swift arm movements and strength beyond measure, he shifted both her arms behind her back, holding them in place with one hand! Then moving his other hand in front of her waist, and careful of her wounds, jerked her hard towards him, pinning her and stopping all movement!
She struggled with all the strength she had, which would normally topple a normal human, but to this man, this Derringer…it seemed as if it was only child's play.
Their positioning now made them stand cheek to cheek with one another, and Max could not help but think of how vulnerable she'd be against this guy. With his strength and speed, he could easily take advantage of her, without thinking a second thought.
However, as if knowing what she was thinking, and in finishing his earlier statement, he simply commented, “—that's not my style.”
Max, feeling his body so close to hers, she could feel his steady beating heart. It was much faster than normal—like her own…
“Look, how about we sit down and talk. I think we got off to bad start. You seem to know about me.—”
“Only what your sister told me.” He interjected, before letting her go and sweeping his foot beneath her, causing her to plop automatically to the ground.
By the time she looked up, he was already seated casually in front of her, looking as relaxed and charming as ever.
She looked at him angrily, but he didn't change his look one bit. She decided to start, with the most important questions in her mind. “What have you done with Angel? What happened at Itex? And what were you doing there? Who are you?”
Derrin laughed lightly, “So many questions. I normally don't take kindly to interrogations, chère. However, for you, I'll make an exception, on the account that I think you're cute.”
Her cheeks went red with irritation, and a little pleased. However she went on to say, “My name is Max, not chère.”
He simply smiled back, “I know that, chère.”
She gritted her teeth with frustration, “Are you going to answer my questions, or not?”
“I guess so…your pretty face, has convinced me.” He responded.
She blushed even more.
“Answer to first question: I haven't done anything to petite Angel. She and her little talking dog, have went back to get your other brothers and sisters, while I watched you. Answer to second question: as to what happened at Itex, you haphazardly tried out your explosive skills, which I have to say are poorly lacking, and triggered my sabotage switch. This instantly set off the bomb you held, to explode, and also simultaneously triggered all my other bombs to jumpstart their detonation sequence, only allowing a space of a few minutes to escape. The triggered bomb, was attached to a GPS signal that told me where you were. When I found you, you were unconscious, and of course petite couldn't carry you out on her own. I carried you on my back, and her and the dog in my arms, saving all four of our lives. Itex blew all the way back to the bayou, and the little Ange went to find her siblings. I dressed your wounds with some of the herbs I could find, and then dressed them with pieces of my t-shirt. You went into arrest a little after that, and I had to give you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and the rest is just history. To the third question, I already told you—my name's Derringer.”
Max shook her head vehemently, “That's not what I meant! I mean, I know your name, but I -oh never mind!” There's no getting through to this guy, he's as mysterious as he is good-looking. Well that explains the forest and my dream; man would Fang and the others have a fit if they found out about that! I wonder if Iggy—
Then it struck her. “Wait a minute, that's the second time you said `my bombs'. You set that place to blow?”
Derrin stretched his arms, “Actually, I said it three times, but who's counting? And the answer to your question is: yes.”
She got up instantly, horrified. “Y-you killed all the people at that place?” Suddenly another thought came to her, with anger she could not contain; she pulled Derrin up violently by his jacket collar. “You killed my brother!”
Derringer easily brushed her hands away, but the smile had vanished from his lips. Suddenly very serious, he answered, “I remember also saying this before: I don't do murder. Why do you think I saved you and Angel? For my health? That place has been abandoned for weeks. I know, because I searched it myself, top to bottom. They just suddenly up and left, and the only things left there, were creatures who couldn't even be called protoplasm, much less I doubt, your brother. Death was a comfort to them, and the destruction of that building, was their vengeance. That building has far outlived its days of doing anything that was of any asset to the world. I make it my mission, to get rid of such of things. And before you ask, I checked any secret vaults and passages. I know about places like this; I've lived in them my whole life.”
Max took a step back, in surprise. “You mean? Your eyes—they…”
Derrin flipped a strand of hair from his eyes, in which the vertical pupils widened slightly, and then shrank to tiny black slits in a golden sea. “Yes, they're real. I too am not, shall I say, 100 percent human.”
Max shrank back rebuked; the shame filling her face. “I'm sorry, I didn't know.”
She felt his hand lift her chin; leveling her face with his, she saw his grin had returned, as dashing as ever. “There's a lot you don't know about me, chère. But stick around, and you're bound to find out more.”
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The technician in the Observation Quarter sat tapping his pen absently. What was it with this kid? He'd been ordered to watch the experiment, but the bird-teen had yet to do anything remotely interesting. All he did was moan and toss in his sleep, and maybe scream once or twice. His bios had gone up and down, but nothing like when Dr. Batchelder had been there.
Stretching his arms, he leaned his chair back. Then, looking around, he got up and snuck off to get some coffee. He was sure the boy wouldn't do anything important while he as gone.
Behind the chair, a small button had been absentmindedly pushed. The button was labeled: Restraint Settings.
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Down in his cell, Fang hung from his chains slightly awake. The smell of the IV fluid, mixed with that of rat droppings, and his own urine and feces, nauseating him. He no longer felt like eating anything, and he couldn't take that liquid food anymore. It seemed--likethe rest of him--his tastes were changing. It used to be, that at in a time like this, he could dream of eating a double cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate milkshake, and his mouth would water at the thought.
Now, he couldn't stand to think about it. It didn't faze or please him anymore. No…his tongue had a taste, a longing, for something else…something he couldn't quite understand.
Suddenly, the chains that held him to the wall, opened, dropping him to the ground without warning!
Suddenly very awake, Fang peered at the chains and his surroundings. Did I do this? Is it some kind of malfunction, or is Jeb trying to play some kind of game with me? Well, whatever. It's given me an opportunity, and I plan to take full advantage of it.
Walking over to the door he cased the setting. If he could release the tiny pins that held the hinges together, the door would come down with ease.
Looking at his hands, he stretched his fingers out.
SHINK!
The dark claws immediately popped out from his fingertips. He balled up his fists, and instead of the three-inch blades plunging into his skin, they shrunk back into his hands.
He did it again once or twice, while thinking. Hmm, retractable claws…interesting. I don't know where they came from, but I'm getting used to handling them. Now, to see how strong they are.
Wedging them into them into the door jam, and using them like pincers, he pulled at the pins.
He'd actually expected some resistance, but to his surprise, they pulled out easily in his hands! Had he gotten stronger too, or was it just his desperation to escape?
Who cares?
He pulled the other two pins out easily, and as he thought, the door simply fell with a loud clang. Well there goes my element of surprise.
Not wasting any time, he slipped out into the fully lit hallway. Another surprise, was that the light bothered him a lot. He knew there would be some temporary blindness after stepping out of a dark room you've been in for weeks, but this was full body irritation. He'd have to see about that after he got out of this place. The outside of his cell was very plain, the walls all seemed to be made of stainless steel, as well as the doors, which were far and in between.
He ran down the hallways, watching out for any guards, whitecoats, or Erasers, but he was lucky that they were probably all changing shifts; he didn't see a single one.
“Where do you think you're going, bird-boy?” a distorted, gravelly voice said from behind him.
Spoke too soon.
Turning around, he saw a single Eraser leaning against the wall, a smug smile on his face.
He hasn't morphed yet, and he's one of the ones without wings. Maybe I can take him.
“Don't even think about it.” The Eraser said pleasantly, as if knowing his thoughts. He raised a gun which had been hidden by his side; it was a tranquilizer gun.
“Crap…” Fang said under his breath. He held his hands up in surrender. There was no way that in his condition, he could avoid those darts. He'd go to sleep, and then who knew what the wolf-man would do to his defenseless body.
That's when an enormous headache came, almost blanking out his brain. Suddenly, his mind was filled with rage and fury…one like he never knew existed. A frenzied bloodlust like never before!
With almost a force beyond his control, he felt his breathing become ragged and shallow. His claws automatically extended as far as they could go, while a red mist seemed to cloud his eyes. He didn't know why he all of a sudden, hated this Eraser so much, but this newfound loathing, seemed to fill all of his being…until it was almost as if he became hatred.
The Eraser, whose name was Raz, had been stuck down in the holding cells as a punishment, and the trial had been punishing enough. He had been bored to death with nothing but watching to do. But now, it was wonderful that this little bird boy had escaped; it was the first excitement he'd had! He'd love to tear his teeth into the teen's tender young neck, but he knew he would probably get worse than a reprimanding this time. But that didn't mean he couldn't have any fun.
That's when Raz saw the boy's claws, and his eyes become red. The savage revulsion within them, wasn't like anything he had ever seen before. Boy, is this thing a freak! As if he didn't look bad enough before.
Aiming his gun, he got ready to put this thing to sleep. “You're going back in your cage, freak.”
The bird-boy replied in a low voice, “I maybe locked back up…but you won't be so lucky…”
Fang rushed at Raz, his claws flying! He'd folded to the rush of anger, and had thrown caution to the wind. It was all or nothing! The prey was becoming predator…
Shooting his gun, the darts hit their target…one…two…three…
Raz looked in surprise and panic as the darts, which had enough sedative to put down an elephant, didn't even slow the boy down!
Fang didn't even give the Eraser a chance to figure things out.
Before Raz could even morph or try to defend himself, he felt the razor-sharp claws tear into his body, with a ferocity that he couldn't imagine!
Then, Fang ripped into the Eraser's throat and pulled out his carotid artery, instantly killing him. The blood gushed everywhere, covering the floor, the lifeless body, and its slayer.
Standing over his slain opponent, Fang thought he should be feeling some kind of remorse, like he did in his dream, but somehow…all he felt was a sense of accomplishment and pleasure.
That's when he felt the taste in his mouth. It was the taste he'd longed for, but couldn't identify! Licking around his lips for more, he felt a ravenous appetite for it. He looked to see what it was, and when he saw, he didn't care. Licking the crimson liquid off his fingers and hands, he suddenly looked to the floor, his appetite growing larger and larger. It was like nothing he'd tasted before! A few weeks ago, his new craving would have been repulsive and disturbing, but now…it was like he lived for it!
“Ohh…”
He fell over as his body began to shut down. The tranquillizers had finally begun to take hold. The rage and anger and the strange lust for blood, went away. And with it, a sudden headache came rushing in, taking its place. Fang felt as if he had become two completely different people: one half was what he'd been all his life, and the other half...was becoming something else...something he feared. That side seemed to threaten to take over and drown out his other half--the side that was him.What he had done, abhorred him now. The changes in his appetite, sickened him.
What was he becoming?
Why?
The questions rang in his mind as he fell out on the ground, unconscious…