Maximum Ride Fan Fiction / Maximum Ride Fan Fiction ❯ If I Asked You To, Would You Kill Me? ❯ Through My Own Eyes ( Chapter 12 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 12

Derringer stood next to the tree, everyone else circling around him. Max stood to his right, watching as the rest of the flock gathered around to listen. They look to him as a leader, just like they look to me…

And it wasn't hard to understand why they wouldn't! Derrin exuded an air of enigmatic mystique—a sort of magnetism that drew them to him. Even she seemed to be drawn to him. She was kind of jealous of him “taking over” her role as leader, yet she didn't mind being challenged. In fact, it felt kind of good to share the burden from off her shoulders. Don't forget, he's your one clue to Fang, you need him.

The Cajun started talking, his voice swaggering but to the point. “Alright, we've been here a little to long for my tastes. The authorities will already be searching around the area for clues to my handiwork. And being tied down to a police interrogation table all day, is not my idea of fun, d'accord?”

Max smirked, Not to mention the Erasers who are also coming to investigate.

Derrin continued, “So, here's what we're going to do. The facility we're looking at, is one of the most secure in the world. So secure, they no longer have people working there. The place is completely automated, computer run. But, we'll talk about that later. Right now, we just have to think about getting there. The location we're looking at, is in one of those places in the world we like to call: the middle of nowhere. Tell me, do you like fields and fields of grasses and hills?”

The kids looked at each other kind of bewildered; while picking flowers was fun, that was not the kind of adventure they had in mind.

Seeing the displeasure in their faces, Derringer grinned. “Good! Cause our destination lies near the Rocky Mountains, in Montana, near the border between our country and Canada.”

Their faces puckered up real fast. The idea of flying over snow-caped mountain peaks and Evergreen forests, seemed a big improvement to field after field of grass!

“Now, as you might have noticed, I have no wings! So, I'll be down here on the ground. Don't worry, I'll be able to keep up with you.”

He handed an object to Max. Looking at it, she saw it was some sort of earpiece. Derrin held up another one identical to it. “Chère and I will be connected by earphone. If she loses me, we can meet up and reconnect. Everyone else will have to follow to the letter. We can't be leaving anyone behind.”

Max hooked the piece on her ear, “Alright everyone, time to take off. Like, Derringer said, we've stayed too long.”

On cue, everyone unfurled their wings. Angel, with Total and Celeste in the new backpack Derrin had given her, took off first, followed by Gasman and Nudge. They stayed their hovering, while Max and Iggy finalized things with Derrin.

“You sure this will work?” Max asked the Cajun, testing her microphone.

Derrin put his hand to his ear, indicating his piece indeed worked. “Just trust me, chère, it'll be fine. We'll find your petit frère.”

She nodded, smiling slightly. Fang would be so irked to be called `little brother'…

Iggy stepped forward, and put out his hand. “Don't get lost, okay?”

The Cajun smiled at the boy's inside joke. He took his hand and squeezed it firmly, “As long as you watch where you're going, mon frère.”

Max could only watch them in hidden wonder, as to how two perfect strangers, had become practically best friends while she was sleep. That's the last time I sleep that long again, that's for sure.

She was so consumed with her own thoughts; she didn't notice the slight wink between the two boys. To the two of them, this was not just a rescue operation—it was a training exercise…

Iggy then took off and joined his siblings. Seeing her flock all accounted for, Max took off as well, and led them higher into the stratosphere. She kept glancing down, trying to measure her distance from him. She kept adjusting her vision, like a hawk can when looking for its prey.

“Can you still see me from that high?” came Derrin's voice in her ear.

He was but a dot beneath her, but she could still make out slight details. “Yeah, we're in position. Whenever you're ready.”

“You got it, chère.”

Suddenly, the dot moved, and went faster than the eye could see to the northwest, a trail following it made of kicked-up dust. She immediately proceeded in following Derrin's path, the rest of the flock coming into formation.

Gasman looked at their friend on the ground and whistled in admiration. “He's like a rocket on steroids!”

Max shook her head, “No, he's more of a wild stallion, free in its own environment.”

“Why, thank you, chère. You're a natural eagle, yourself.”

She flinched in surprise, forgetting that Derringer could hear everything she said.

He added softly, “Yes, a fierce eagle…with the beauty of a swan.”

Max felt her face heat up, and her body felt lighter. Why was she reacting this way?

Nudge, who was on her left, looked at her face. “Max, your face, it's all red. Are you okay?”

Gazzy said from behind her laughingly, “She's fine. She's just blushing from something Derringer said.”

His voice suddenly became an exact copy of Derrin's, “Would you kiss me, chère?”

Everyone around him laughed, and Max immediately went on the defensive, angry at herself, that she had shown emotions to Derrin's compliment. “No, it was nothing like that! Derringer is just a friend who offered to help us find Fang. I'm not interested in him or anything, and I'd never kiss him.”

The others continued laughing, not listening to a word.

“Never say never, chère.”

She turned around to chastise Gazzy once again, but could see he was still swirling around in laughter to his own joke.

She realized that this time, the real owner of the voice had spoke...

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Jeb woke up, completely refreshed and content. He lay in bed awhile, thinking about nothing in particular. He could still smell Anne's perfume around him, and feel the warmth left from her place on the bed. She had long since left his side to go to her own room and get ready for the next day. He missed her presence near him, but he was patient, and he'd be able to admire her from afar.

Today, nothing would get him down. He enjoyed a long shower and a decedent breakfast, and casually picked up his notes. His techies would already be working on Fang, so he didn't have to hurry. He wouldn't let that boy get to him today. He was in too nice of a mood…

As the security door opened, he watched in satisfaction as he watched the white-coated assistants bustling around. They were swarming around the computers, and observing next to the tank. One of the techs named Dr. Lisle came over to him, eager to shine in front of the boss.

“Dr. Batchelder, our new reports are astonishing! The boy—”

Jeb stopped him with a sweep of his hand, “Let me guess. His mutation has accelerated?”

Lisle shook his head vigorously, “Exactly the opposite, sir. It's regressed!”

Jeb had to do a double take, “What! What do you mean, `regressed'?”

“His DNA is back to its original form, with just a few variables. We've been going over it, but…”

“What did the IHSL have to say?”

“Oh, we left what information we got, on your desk. The machine broke down during the night. We have some mechanics looking at it, but they don't even know what happened. They think it's hopeless.”

“It broke? That was a new machine! Cheap junk. Let me see those files.”

The two headed over to his desk and lifted some files. Jeb's mind was in a whirlwind. This he had not foreseen. The mutation reverted? Overnight? How could it do it that fast? That was faster than it had come on. What's happening to you, Fang?

He opened up the file folder and glanced over at the figure in the tank, as if to ask him himself.

Lisle watched in surprise, as his boss put down the file, almost just as soon as he picked it up. His face went from being in wonder, to confusion, to anger. He strode forcefully up to the tank glass. He hit his fist against it so hard it reverberated.

The other techs and doctors stopped and backed away from their boss, as he began to curse and swear like a sailor in angry throws. After about two seconds, he began to calm down again. His face was calm, but he still walked with angry strides as he went to his desk and picked up his phone, and began dialing extensions. “Anne—yes, I know, but this is kind of an urgent situation—I need you to come down here, now. Yes, I'm serious—now.”

He put his finger on the phone catch, and then began dialing again. “Sari, get a Sec 5 group up here, we've got a heck of a situation up here.”

He put the phone down, the clasped his hands going into deep, fuming thought. Dr. Lisle approached his employer cautiously, trying to understand the situation. “Is something wrong, sir?”

Dr. Batchelder looked up at him with eyes of fury. “Something wrong? Yeah, there's something wrong. I haven't fired you—all of you—yet! That's what's wrong!”

Lisle went as white as a sheet. “But sir, what—what—why?”

In anger, Jeb flung a beaker off his desk and onto the floor with a crash. He pointed to the subject in the tank. “Didn't you find it strange, that the DNA had completely changed in one night? Didn't you even want to take a guess as to what was going on? Do you always trust the figures? Or didn't you think to look at the subject itself?”

The assistant was terrified by now, but Jeb could care less. “That's not Fang in there! I want you to go in there, and get whoever that is out now! Can't you tell the difference between a male and a female? The subject escaped and did a very good job of pulling the wool over your eyes!”

Lisle stepped away in shock and embarrassment, “But sir—”

This time, Jeb threw a scalpel—and it just happened to be in the general direction of the unfortunate doctor. “Just get out of my sight, you idiot!”

Lisle gasped slightly as he pulled the head of the dissecting instrument out of his calf, and hobbled away as fast as he could. The techs immediately began scrambling, not wanting to be the next one to face their boss's wrath.

Jeb sat back down, watching from the corner of his eye as they got the girl, which he recognized as Virgo, out of the tank. Other security drones were rushing to check on the tapes and security systems. It didn't how it happened; all that mattered was that the boy was gone. Now, this would be a mess to clean up. Fang was still changing, mutating. He was unstable and violent; it was more than likely that other would be hurt or killed.

His good mood was completely gone, he picked up a file folder Lisle had given to him, and he began to mundanely go through the reports. He had only gotten to the second page, when the spark began to come back to his eyes. He began to earnestly read on, a slight smile coming to his face.

Just then, Anne walked in, her hair freshly washed. She was trying to put on her professional face and look sternly at Jeb, but it was too early in the morning—and last night was still too fresh in her mind. Besides, this was an emergency. She knew there was only one thing that could get Jeb to say it was that urgent. “What's the situation, Jeb? Do we know where he is?”

Behind her, the contingent of Erasers he had called for, came in and stood at attention. The one in front, who was obviously the leader, asked. “You called, Sir?”

Jeb looked up from the IHSL readouts and smiled at Anne. She was surprised to see him look that way, like he knew some important secret.

Standing up, he turned to the Eraser soldiers. Glancing at the leader, he noted that this Eraser was different than the others. He was lean, muscular, and good-looking to be sure, but in comparison with his companions' dark eyes and brunette haircuts, his hair was silvery-white and very long, and his eyes were a fiery blue-green. A videogame-addict techie had given him a nickname from these observations, and the name stuck. That name was now widely known, and he was famous for getting the job done, no matter what it took. Jeb was glad Sari (the Erasers' custodian) had listened to the tone of his voice, and had sent the best team for the job.

Addressing the leader, “Sephiroth, we have a runaway bird-child. His name is Fang, and he's been gone for approximately 6 to 8 hours. He could be on foot, in flight, or alternating. His appearance has been constantly changing as of late, so you can get his latest description from the security footage. He's extremely dangerous, and has already killed another Eraser. However, I want him taken down alive at all costs. Now go over to security and you'll get the details. You're to move out as soon as you're ready.”

Sephiroth nodded, turned, and put his hand up angled backward, signaling his troops to move out; then followed them without a second look back.

Jeb then turned back to Anne. “They'll have him back in a few days. While we wait, there is much to do.”

She leaned on his desk and looked at him as he sat down. “I know Sephiroth has the best track record of any of our Erasers, but Fang has evaded us before. He's going to go find the flock.”

Jeb picked up his file again and smiled at her, “He'll never get that far.”

She was trying to understand his easygoing attitude, “What do you mean? Sephiroth and his team—”

He passed her the file, before she could say more. He began to explain as she scanned.

“Those are the scans from the IHSL I put out last night. One of the first things I tested on Fang, were his blood cells and how they were transforming from red circles, to gray diamonds. When I first tested him, only about 5 percent of his cells had mutated. That was 3 days ago, and now, 98 percent of his cells have be altered, and by this afternoon it'll be all of them.”

She nodded at him, “I know the scientific ramifications of that, and it's astounding. But what does that have to do with—”

“Read on, the machine took an analysis of those blood cells.”

Sighing in bewilderment, she did as he said. As she went on, suddenly everything began to click into place. “Oh my God…”

Jeb began to explain in words, the revelation that had come to both of them.

“The blood cells in a normal human body, are constantly dying, repairing, and healing themselves. Even if none of your blood cells ever got damaged, (which is impossible) all of the blood in your circulatory system will be completely replace in a cycle of three days, by new, healthy cells. This is how one lives and transports oxygen and nutrients around the body. Without it, you could get blood poisoning, and your blood could cease to circulate.

“Fang's mutated blood is completely different. It can no longer regenerate and replace itself. They are now like nerve cells; once they're dead, they're dead. For humans, this would be a death sentence, but not for Fang. His blood is now transitory; it's meant to be temporary. His body is now meant, to renew its blood content through an external means. His digestive system has also changed; he no longer receives nutrients from it. Instead, the blood takes it immediately from the new cells in his system.”

“So, he gets all the nutrients his body needs, from blood?”

He nodded, “Quite so, plasma is now his food, but it only last as long as his blood count does. Once it lowers, his stomach will growl just like ours when we have nothing in it.”

“Do you think he'll try to…?”

“No doubt.” Knowing exactly what she was thinking, “He'll have a horrible craving, a blood-lust if you will.”

“But what if he “receives” the wrong blood type? Wouldn't his body—”

Jeb shook his head, “I saw his blood cells do the process myself. They act like no other cell I've ever seen. They're almost like viruses. Any blood cell not like them, they'll assimilate and make their own. So, whatever blood type he puts in his body, it will immediately become OA negative, or whatever it is now.”

Anne sank down in the chair in front of him. “Okay, what are we going to do?”

“Fang will be easy to catch. He'll be slowing down and not be able to move right. He definitely won't be able to fly after today. And if I know Fang, he'll resist his craving until the last possible minute. His body will be sweating out the dead cells, and his smell will be easy to trace. Sephiroth's team will be able to track him no problem.”

She stood up and stretched her legs, “What can we do while we wait, Jeb?”

Batchelder got up also, and took up the IHSL file. “I have to get to the lab and work on this new data. But you have a different job, Darling.”

“Jeb…” she warned sternly.

He shook his head wearily, “Sorry, last night's still talking.”

She smiled briefly, “Its okay. What's my job?”

“Find me blood, find it fast, and get me lots of it.”

She frowned, “If he doesn't have more blood cells…”

Jeb began to walk away, talking behind him, “His body will become weak and very sick. If he doesn't get replace his plasma within 72 hours, he'll go into shock, then a coma and die…”

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Fang made his way down the hillside, clumsily but as silently as he could. He blinked under the hot sun that beat down over his head.

When he'd found his way out of the compound, which not to his surprise, he found was completely underground, he found himself outside in a barren desert. He'd flown for awhile, at least till he was out of the desert zone and in a sparse grassland. But soon he found, that he was too tired to fly, and therefore continued on foot. He'd discarded his hat and jacket, but still felt unbearably hot. And on top of all that, his stomach was growling! Did the whole world have it in for him?

He sat down for a while to rest under a few sparse bushes, only to find that he was still totally exhausted. Well, I think I'll take a little nap. I've never been this tired before. Must have been all those days in captivity…and why the heck am I sweating this much! He wiped huge amounts of the liquid from his forehead.

Lying down, he thought of the flock. His vision began to fade as he fell asleep, the last image in his mind was that of Max—of her lithe, slender body, her beautiful tender eyes, and her long, sleek, black hair…

He smiled dimly, realizing that it wasn't Max his mind's eye saw…but Virgo…

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Ari looked up at the smoking, charcoal-broiled mess of the Florida Itex complex. The place had been cordoned off by police tape, but the Eraser totally ignored that. He instead, was tapping his foot in impatience. The rest of his team sat in the idled truck, waiting for their leader's return.

Footsteps awoke Ari out of his edgy stupor. Turning, he looked to see his team member returning. His voice betrayed his utter annoyance, “Well, that took forever. You better have something.”

The tall woman stood with long violet hair and a full, strong figure, walked toward him. She looked about the same age as him, but was actually younger. She was dressed in the same in the same black ops suit as the rest of them, and was putting her black glove back on her fair hand, with nails the color of pure silver. She was very beautiful in the conventional sense, but none of the other Erasers had pursued her. She was already widely known as Sephiroth's girl, and no one wanted to get on the bad side of him. Ari frowned in disapproval. As far as he was concerned, the guy could have her…

She smiled wickedly, “They were here.”

He sighed exasperatingly, “No kidding.”

“They went northwest, all six of them.”

“You mean, five.” He corrected.

“Six” she repeated.

“But that means…are you sure?”

“My senses are never wrong.”

“Well, that means we have an unknown prey. No matter, let's get going. Do you know where they're headed?”

She flicked a purple strand behind her ear. “Stopped at a campsite 2 miles from here, but they're ultimately headed to Delta 6.”

Ari looked at her in surprise, “Didn't think they knew about that place.”

He began to walk back to the truck, “But, what better place for a little reunion?”

As he got in the driver's seat, the violet-haired beauty sat on his opposite side. She asked him a question like that of a little girl, yet it had a dangerous edge to it. “Will I get to play, Ari?”

He shrugged as he turned on the ignition, “Hey, once I get Max, I don't care what you do to the others, Viper.”

Viper grinned demonically, “Yeah!”

She flipped off her black gloves again, her silver nails glinting off the sun…