Maximum Ride Fan Fiction / Maximum Ride Fan Fiction ❯ If I Asked You To, Would You Kill Me? ❯ War of the Elements ( Chapter 23 )

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

Chapter 23

“Fancy meeting you here, Maximum...what's it been? A year?” Ari smiled at her, his dark hair curling in tendrils plastered to his face by the rain.

“Stop with the sweet-talking crap, Ari. Either get out of our way, or make your move already!” She snapped back.

He rolled his eyes at her mockingly, “You always have something smart to say, don't you? I've been following you actually, ever since your little escapade in Florida. The bomb the work of your two little terrorists?” He looked pointedly at Iggy and Gasman, who both gave him bitter smiles, even though they knew they hadn't been the culprits.

He looked back to Max continuing, “What brings you to Delta 6?”

“You know very well why we came here, Ari. Where's Fang?”

He walked up closer to her, his glowing eyes seemed to peer into her soul. However, she stood her ground just as determined, poised for anything he might pull.

Circling around her, Ari watched with a smile as the other bird-children backed up, yet still kept their rigorous sights on him. All except the new redhead that is…

Interestingly enough, he smiled back at him!

He stopped and looked at the older teen, even while still talking to Max. “Fang? You still remember Goth boy? I thought you were getting along well with the new recruit. By the way, what's his name Max? I'm afraid we have yet to be formally introduced.”

Nobody felt like answering the Eraser, however Derringer surprisingly spoke for himself. “I'll think about telling you, but only if I like you of course.”

Ari looked at him in surprise before turning back to Max with a wry smile, “I had no idea you took in stray swamp rats, Maximum. But, I guess looks-wise, he is an improvement over the emo freak.”

She looked back at him with the same grin, contempt in her voice. “What? Jealous that I don't take in mangy dogs like you?”

Losing his cool slightly at the smart comment, Ari gritted his teeth in anger. Swinging his hand out angrily, he went to strike Max across the face! “Shut up, wench!”

Making to defend herself, Maximum was suddenly surprised when the blow—didn't come…

Ari was equally surprised when he saw that a hand had come at superhuman speed, stopping it in mid-punch!

“Tch, tch, I think I've just decided something.” Derringer said slowly, as he held Ari's wrist in an iron grip. “One, I don't like you, so I'm not telling you my name. Two, you can call me what you wish, but when you speak out of turn to the flock, we're gonna have problems. And three, if you ever raise a cowardly hand to her again, I'll make you wish your grandparents hadn't been born. Normally I don't condone a man hitting a woman, but she is no normal woman, so all I can say is this: If you have to fight her, fight her like a man. That is…if you know how.”

Ari couldn't believe this guy! How dare he?! His free hand slowly transformed, large claws sprouting from her finger tips. With a sharp twist to the side, he raised his hand in order to attack the incessant man, straight across the face!

Derrin saw the claws too late to do anything, but let go of the Eraser's arm and block with his own. However, before any damage could be done, a solid fist launched out, striking Ari soundly in the face, throttling the preteen into a nearby tree!

“I see you're able to control which part of your body you can transform, Ari. Who knew there was a way to make your body even more disgusting? And if you want to fight someone—” Ignoring the slight ache of her reddened knuckles, Max smiled provokingly at her old arch foe. “—then you fight me.”

Ari wiped the blood from his mouth and smiled, “You never did take the easy route…”

Suddenly, that smile became even more feral, as ever tooth grew longer, sharper, and more piercing, saliva glistening on the enamel and dripping from the keen needle-like points. His face elongated, becoming leaner and sharper. Fur grew along his body, and his ears became pointed and sensitive to all sound. Claws grew on the other hand as well, and his golden eyes got even more dangerous as he finished his transformation, dark grotesque wings unfolding fully from his back. The whole process only taking a matter of seconds…

Flying off like a shot towards his prey, he slammed into the waiting young woman, Max holding him off with her extra strength, dragging him into the air on her own wings, launching a solid kick to his side! The male Eraser avoided her attack easily, but instead turned in the air and slammed his knee into her stomach, making her grunt in pain. As the lightening flashed around them, and the thunder roared in response, this acted as a signal to the others below, that their own storm had broken and that the fight had begun.

The four other male Erasers had also transformed, and were eager to get their claws on the bird-children. Seeing Ari strike, was the only go ahead they needed.

Angel and Nudge suddenly found themselves surrounded by a set of feisty gnashing jaws, who thought of them as a quick defenseless meal. Automatically going back to back, the two girls stood sternly on their guard, ready to show this “wolf-man”, that these to members of the fairer sex, weren't going to be easy prey.

The other 3 went up in flight against Gazzy, Iggy, and Derringer, ready to test their strength, but the three teens were more than itching to fight anyway.

“Come at me you flea-infested wolf! I bet you couldn't get me, even if I had no wings, no legs, and one arm tied behind my back!” Gazzy laughed, playing a dangerous game of air tag with his Eraser, who followed close to his tail.

Iggy stayed on the ground, and found it quite easy to escape his opponent's attacks just by using his hearing. However this Eraser, whose name was Raven, was a little feistier than the others. Every time Iggy got ready to put up an offense, the hunter moved faster. The Eraser laughed as one misstep, caused the bird-teen to falter and slip on the ground, allowing the predator to pounce, holding Iggy's wrists to the ground and his neck in full exposure of the wolf's gnashing jaws!

Iggy had to grit his teeth in disgust as he felt Raven's hot saliva drip from his shiny canines, hit his skin. “Would you kindly get off me and do us all a favor, and get a breath mint?”

Raven smiled with the thrill of the hunt, choosing to ignore the comment. “You're that bird-child aren't you? Ari said that you're the one who's responsible for blowing up half that building in Florida almost two years ago and the other half this year. Man, you have guts…I can't wait to see them.”

Iggy pushed harder against his attacker, but it was hard to get any purchase in this muddy dirt, the thunderstorm causing this fight to become more challenging than usual. However, with the help of the rain, he slipped one hand out of the Eraser's grip and backhanded Raven in the face!

The sudden attack sent pain shooting through the Eraser's neck, which instead of making the hunter to lose his grip, only caused him to get even angrier. Furiously taking hold of Iggy's arms once again, Raven stabbed through the teen's flesh with his claws, relishing in the sound of the boy's harrowing scream and the blood that flowed over his fingers only to be diluted by the constant rain…

The dusty-haired teen clenched his teeth tightly at the pain that came from his punctured biceps, and tried his best not to black out. He knew the minute he stopped resisting, was the minute he would die.

Out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but noticing Derringer fighting his own Eraser close by. The older male was holding his own, and was much, much faster than his opponent, which gave him a high advantage. In fact, to Ig's eyes, the man was simply playing with the werewolf, enjoying the frustration his moves were causing. When Iggy had cried out, Derrin turned in alarm and was almost too distracted to protect himself from his own Eraser foe. However, the moment he knew his little brother wasn't dead, the man forced himself to look away and went back to fighting his own battle.

Iggy smiled wryly, Derrin wasn't going to help him; he was watching to see how well the teen could fight on his own, now that he had matured his powers. He was testing him. A swell of pride took over him; this was a test of sorts. Derrin wanted to see how much he could do on his own. He wanted to see him fight for himself as a matter of pride, and that the only time Derrin would step in was if he thought Iggy was in mortal danger. Well, at least what hethinks of as mortal danger…

As he clenched his teeth against the pain shooting through him, a thought came to him. If he failed, he would fail all the training that his older brother at taught him, and in essence, he would fail Derringer…

He couldn't…wouldn't, let that happen.

Raven smiled, his long razor sharp teeth, ready to be used in what they were meant for; he couldn't help taunting a little. “You know, this is hardly even a victory, you being so blind and helpless, it's hardly worth the effort.”

The corner of Ig's mouth turned up slightly, a slight twinkle in his sightless eyes. “Boy, are you off today. You've been wrong twice in a row.”

As if by sheer determination, yet with methodical and simple force, the bird-child wrapped his hands around Raven's wrists with a grip stronger than titanium, and proceeded to slowly draw the Eraser's claws from his flesh! Hardly a hiss of pain passed the lips of the tawny-haired fifteen year-old, as he pulled Raven from out of his arms and using his advanced strength to push his back enough to get to his knees. “One, I wasn't the one who blew up the Florida building, as much as I would have wanted to.”

Raven howled in pain as the bird-child's grasp caused snapping sounds in his wrists, the pressure enough to break bones. Iggy was finally to his feet, and held his attacker's arms extremely tightly. Raven couldn't go anywhere, he couldn't find any way out of it...

The blind boy then took away one hand, his eyes looking spine-chillingly into the Eraser's own. His voice was just as frightening. “Two, I may be blind—”

As Raven tried to initiate a desperate, surprise strike, Ig fell into a crouching position in order to avoid the high kick aimed at his head, his hand automatically touching the ground in order to steady himself. As expected of his new power, his mind was flooded with complex, jumbled up color images. Fitting together like pieces of a puzzle, the pictures instantaneously became a moving scene within his head, showing him everything that was going on around him. The mutant teen smiled; he never would get tired of that.

Then with one fluid move, Iggy flew upward, aiming a fist straight into the Eraser's face!

Raven went down with such a heavy crushing sound; you would have thought he had gotten hit by a freight train. Landing by his head and watching as the now unconscious Eraser converted back to his original form, his nose broken and bloody, and his wrists a mangled purple mess, Iggy let the rain run along the outline of his clouded blue eyes. He finished his earlier statement coldly, “—but I'm far from helpless.”

From a little ways away, Derringer grinned. C'est mon frère!

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Viper watched as all the fighting went on around her, feeding off the violence like it was some sort of drug. Her body trembled with the excitement of the battle, the feeling of people's very life's blood hanging in the balance. Ooh…it just made her all tingly all over!

A cruel smile traced her lips and she flexed her fingers, wanting badly to get in on the action. But I have a job to do first…but Ari promised that after I finished I could have some fun. And after this is over, he even said I could go join my Sephy if I wished.

She giggled like a schoolgirl at the thought of her violent lover. Now there was a man who could spill some blood…just the thought of her silver-haired darling, could stir up the most brutal and erotic feelings within her. She had to stop herself from involuntarily shivering with ecstasy!

Sighing, she calmed herself deciding to get back to her job, before she got herself totally aroused…

She watched the battles with her keen eyes once more, before taking a step back, her dark figure melting into the darkness.

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Max and Ari continued their deadly dance in the air, as their allies on either side, battled down below them. The flock leader could tell that her foe's abilities had advanced quite a bit in their time apart. His wings were no longer clumsy, and his movements were more agile and fluid. She had to admit, he was putting up quite a fight. But that still only made him about half as good as her.

That's when she heard the cry in the night! Hearing Iggy's scream, Max turned with instant worry about her slightly younger sibling within her. What was happening down there? Where was her flock? Her quick eyes tried to look for her brother, her motherly instincts blinding her reason for an instant.

However, that crucial instant was all her opponent needed, to gain advantage of the situation. Ari swatted Max across her exposed side, careful not to hit her with his claws and cause unnecessary blood loss, but tossed in some extra force to more than make up for it. The blow sent the female teen flying through the air and into the branches of a nearby fir tree! He laughed dangerously, “You should look out for yourself before you think about others, Maximum. It might cost you more than a broken rib, next time.”

Max inhaled sharply as she untangled herself from the sharp tree limbs and needles, the fractured bone on her left side screaming from the abuse. Anger retaking her, she reached out for a nearby thick branch, breaking it off with one hand. Hefting in her hands and with nothing more than raw will, she sent it hurling at her enemy. “Take your own advice, Wolfy!”

The flying wood only grazed Aki's side, as he was already able to sense its trajectory. As it passed, he easily took a hold of the branch by the base with one hand. “Wow Max, you certainly have gotten soft in our time apart. It seems that you needed me more than I thought.”

He spun the heavy piece of wood around him once to build up momentum, before launching it back at its originator. And as he predicted, it struck her with much more awesome force than it had him a minute earlier.

Max struggled to pick herself up again, her whole body having taken the brunt of the blow as the solid branch struck her in the abdomen and knocked her to the ground. She gritted her teeth to the pain. What was wrong with her? She should have seen an attack like that from a mile away.

Then she almost immediately answered herself, knowing exactly what the problem was. My mind's on the flock. Ever since I heard Ig cry out, I can't concentrate on my own fight. Are they alright? I know that Derrin won't let anything happen to any of them in my absence, but I can't help but worrying. But what happens if Derringer gets—no, I can't think about it, I have to trust that he'll be just fine. I haveto…so I can apologize for not following his advice, and instead getting us in this mess.

Out of the raining darkness, Ari landed on the uneven ground, making his was way over to her. “You see, this is why we need each other Max. We need the constant competition to make ourselves better individuals. You were never out of my mind as I trained my mind and body. It helped keep me focused these last two years. And look at you, without me around you've completely slacked off.”

Max stood up as straight as she could, putting herself into a fighting stance. “You know, during the last two years, you were never in my mind. And you know what? I need you, like I need the avian flu!”

The male Eraser growled ferociously and practically pounced on his prey. Max was able to launch one light punch, which hardly fazed him, but she knew she was in trouble if she didn't shape up. She, though ready for him, was already off balance from the pain. Aki took advantage of that by ramming a hand against her injured rib, while simultaneously kicking her legs out from under her. The move easily and painfully sent her to the ground, and the Eraser was instantly on top of her, using his own greater weight to keep her held down, and his muzzle touching the soft skin of her cheek.

Slowly, his head morphed back to that of a human and he looked at her with an almost depraved and desiring look. “You just love getting me riled up, don't you? You know, I don't really get mad at your witty retorts anymore, I only pretend to get mad, in order to get a response out of you. It's almost like it's become a ritual between the two of us. Wouldn't you say so, Maximum?”

Max tried to back away as much as possible, using her hands to push up on his chest that was pinning her to the ground, his proximity a little too close for comfort. Her voice was full of sarcasm as she spoke, “Well, since we're all friends here. Could you please get your clawing hands off me, and get your face out of mine.”

Ari flexed slightly, as his right hand reformed into that of a human being, and traveled slowly, almost caressingly, along her arm to her shoulder, across her collarbone, stopping only when it reached the center of her chest. He smiled at the look of revulsion on his archenemy's face in response to his touch. “I don't know, Max…I kinda like the position we're in. But…I am a gentleman despite what you may think. I'll honor your wishes.”

Suddenly, he gathered up the cloth of her soggy shirt in his fist and stood up, picking her up with him. However, he didn't stop there. In one haul, he pulled her up into the air by her shirt holding her so that her feet didn't touch the ground, and even her wingtips were barely skimming the ground. Pulling at his hand to let her go, Max tried to wriggle out of his grasp, to no avail. “Let me go, Ari!”

She sought to kick out at him, but he held her body carefully out of reach. He brought her up higher, looking as sly as a thieving jackal, as the lightning illuminated his twisted features. “Your wish is my command.”

Hauling back, he suddenly threw her forward, flinging her up in the air and towards the dark trees!

Feeling herself free-flying through the air, with no guidance whatsoever, she tried her best to stop her body from flailing about. Tree branches snapped in her wake, cutting into her skin and thwacking her in the face, and to try to steady her body herself would cause even worse injury. Acting fast, she blindly reached out with her hands, trying to find some purchase; to find some way to stop herself before she hit something that could really cause her body harm.

Grabbing at a shrub, she fell to the earth, skidding on the water-soaked muddy ground until the friction finally stopped her movement. Laying there quietly for a few seconds, she simply inhaled and exhaled, trying to get her heart back under control. She let the rain drip down her back, weaving in and out of the rips and tears in her shirt and soaking through her already saturated jeans. Under her breath she cursed Ari. His extra strength had sent her from out of the battle site, and into the rainy darkness of the forest. She had no idea where she was, but she knew she had to get back to her flock. She also knew that Ari would come looking for her, the annoying bastard that he was. She had to keep moving; hopefully her wings hadn't been too damaged…

Stretching her wings slightly, she felt a slight ache, but other than that they seemed to be fine. Picking herself up groggily from the hard ground of pine needles and rocks, she pushed the hair from out of her face. Her chest ached greatly from the broken rib on her side. Gritting her teeth, she tried to hold off her anger until she could utilize it effectively. It would make no sense to get herself all thrown out of shape, just at that darn Eraser's whims. She had to stay on her guard, despite her injuries. Aki could attack from anywhere in this dark, torrential night…

“Max!”

The girl turned at the sound of her name, ready to do battle. But the person who was behind her wasn't who she was expecting—not that that didn't make her glad to see him nonetheless. How had she not recognized that Louisianan drawl?

“Derringer!”

She threw herself in the redhead's waiting arms, giving him a hearty hug herself. What was he doing around here? Had Aki thrown her toward the flock rather than away from them?

The Cajun slowly let go, and held her away so as to look her over. “Are you okay, Max? I saw that guy throw you and I thought the worst. Come on Max, we have to get out of here.”

She nodded, “I agree, we have to get the flock back together. Is Iggy okay? I heard him cry out.”

Derringer suddenly grabbed her shoulders and shook her soundly, “Would you stop worrying about them, and worry about yourself for once! They can take care of themselves. I want to get you out of here and to safety, please Max!”

He then held her tightly, his hand to the back of her head. “I can't stand to lose you, Max. Can't you see that?”

Maximum fell speechless in his embrace, feeling his arms surround her, his wet skin sticking to hers. She had never seen this type of behavior in Derrin before, well he had always been protective, but he had always struck her as the type who understood her connection with the flock, and knew that she would never leave them no matter what. And what was with the caresses all of a sudden? Though she enjoyed the contact from him in the past, Derringer knew as well as her that this was neither the time nor the place. And he and Iggy were close, why did he totally disregard her question about their brother's safety? Something did not add up here. She had never doubted her instincts, and her instincts were telling her something wasn't right…

“But Derrin, we can't leave without the flock. The Erasers will kill them.” She said almost absently.

He just held her closer, “I don't care, as long as you're safe Max.”

Suddenly, with great force, Max pushed herself out of Derrin's arms and stepped away from the man. Her teeth gritted in anger, “Stay away from me, you monster…”

Her eyes became like cold ice, piercing at the other's soul. Her stance changed from relaxed, to that of combat.

The Cajun looked at her strangely, and made to step near her, but was stopped by the freezing chill in her eyes. “What are you talking about, Max?”

She narrowed her fair orbs straight at him, “I thought there was something strange about you—you're not Derringer…”

The man looked at her sideways, “Are you feeling okay, Max? Maybe you hit your head a little harder than I thought.”

“Shut up, and stop using his voice! You are not Derringer. For one, the real one would never leave the others behind. He doesn't do murder.”

He gave her a crooked grin, which in any other circumstance she would have seen as cute, but in this instance, she just saw it as disgusting. “I was only looking out for your best interests, Max.”

The young woman looked at the male with malice, “Would you just stop it already?! I should have noticed it in the very beginning, but as you said, I think I hit my head a little too hard…because the real Derringer—almost never calls me, `Max'.”

The redhead smiled slightly, having already figured out that there was nothing else that could be done. The prey had seen past her predator's proverbial “sheep's clothing”.

Starting at the feet, “Derringer” began to morph and transform. The sneakers shifted into a pair of black leather stiletto boots, while the tall jean-clad masculine legs rippled and shifted into two very feminine ones connected to a very feminine body, in a very, very feminine black leather pantsuit with matching jacket a gloves! Last but not at all least, the bright red hair came down from its messy ponytail, and turned from scarlet to bright purple; the yellow eyes swirled into the same color of bright, luminous violet.

Max immediately recognized the woman as the one she had seen with Ari. She shuddered as she realize that she had let an Eraser hold a caress her like that. And a female one at that! Ugh! Derrin can never know! “You! You're a shapeshifter!”

The purple-haired femme fatale sighed in exasperation, her hands on her hips, “No, duh…of course I am, Maxie. And I usually don't get found out so fast, but I did my job for just long enough I think.”

Max arched an eyebrow, “Just long enough for what?”

Suddenly, something that felt like a cross between a 60 ton anvil and a fuel tanker, slammed into the back of her head, battering her to the ground! Falling out, white sparks in front of her eyes, Max struggled to cling to the light, while the incoming darkness was rising to conquer her. It however was a losing battle as she was struck once again, this time causing her to completely blackout, her last thoughts drowning in the rain. What the heck was that? Was the woman only a distraction? Will the real Derringer and the others be okay without me? I can't let them down…I must…I…must…

As the bludgeoned bird-girl didn't get back up, Viper grinned at her crumpled form. “Just long enough for that, Maxie-waxie.”

She looked up at Max's attacker, who kneeled by his victim, checking her pulse. “Did I do a good job?”

Completely human again, Ari smiled evilly and nodded, while his fingers ran lightly along the outline of Max's jaw. “You did fine, Viper.”

Viper was the first and only successful specimen of her kind. An Eraser who could morph into anyone she saw, with just a thought, and a physical change a DNA. It had taken years to get it right, and even more time to get the clothes as well as the physical features of the body. And though the procedures and experiments had caused her to go a little off in the head, it was one of the biggest successes his father and the other scientists ever had.

And he had to admit, she had been excellent for his purposes: Distracting Max long enough for him to be able to get behind her and knock her out, with a well placed blow to the back of the head. He wasn't surprised when the avian girl didn't go down from the first hit, her determination was strong and her stubbornness was even stronger. That being as it may, he had to hit her a second time just hoping that his strikes hadn't caused any brain damage, but knowing Max's resilience, even that probably wouldn't be enough to keep her under for as long as he needed. He had a little bit of a trip ahead of him, and he didn't want her waking up on the way. And of course, he had come prepared for just such an event; hopefully the vial hadn't shattered in all the fighting.

Reaching into his pocket, Ari took out a small metal box no bigger than a miniature pencil case. Clicking it open, he shuddered slightly at the sight of the syringe and vial inside. Like the bird kids, many Erasers (Ari included) didn't enjoy the sight of hypodermics, scalpels, and other surgical tools. Now he didn't have a complete breakdown like that emo freak, Fang, but he didn't quite enjoy it either.

Quickly taking the hypo in hand as well as the vial of some sedating drug, he quickly filled the chamber with slightly more than the required amount (with Max's resourcefulness, you always needed more than required). Moving her sleeve aside, he jabbed the needle into her arm and injected the drug into her system, watching silently as she shuddered in response.

Putting everything back in the metal case and then slipping it in his pocket, he stood up in the rain and looked over at his compatriot who had stood around silently observing, “You are in charge from here on, Viper. When everything's over, go back to HQ with the others in the truck. I'll tell my father while I'm on my way that it was: mission accomplished.”

She nodded as she watched him pick the silly bird girl up roughly by her dirty blond hair and pull her body up. He then flipped her into his arms, putting one arm under her neck and the other under her knees. Turning, he began to head away into the forest toward where they had parked their vehicles, when the changeling Eraser called out in a slightly whiny voice. “Ari! Ari, you promised that after I did my job, you'd let me have fun…can I please, please go play now?”

The male smiled and shook his head at how much of a little girl she was before he continued walking. “Of course Viper, I told you that after I got Max, I didn't care what you did to the others. Go on and enjoy yourself, and do me one little favor. Play with the scarlet swamp-rat first could ya?”

She swirled around on her toes in happiness, “Thanks Ari! And I was going to play with him first anyway, he looked soooo deliciously fun!”

He nodded and continued walking away, hearing the female Eraser leap into the trees and take off toward her potential “playmates”. He laughed slightly, knowing those goody-two-shoes bird freaks were going get quite a messy challenge when it came to Viper. Well, let Viper have her fun, at least she was out of his hair, not to mention all those snot-nosed brats. Looking down at the prey in his arms, he licked his lips in anticipation…he had gotten what he wanted.

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The bona fide Derringer, was growing increasingly tired of his opponent. He loved a good fight as much as the next mutant, but this was plain ridiculous. This guy is hardly worth the effort…He had even slowed down his movements to that of a normal human male, and the Eraser was still not giving him any challenge! Derrin had to stop himself from yarning. What do you want me to do, get down on my hands and knees and beg for you to fight with some oomph?Petitecan fight better than you, and she's 8 years old!

Finally getting tired of getting tired, Derrin went into a flip jump, while simultaneously using his legs to pin his foe's neck, and also to dislodge his jacket from his person. Flipping the Eraser with him, he landed on top of the wolf in a whoosh. Keeping his hands on the sleeves, he quickly spun his jacket around the Eraser's windpipe, where his hands had once been. With one expert pull by the sleeves, the makeshift garrote did its work, the werewolf mutant gasping for air before finally falling out cold. Derrin however, made sure he didn't kill the creature, pulling a little softer than his hands were used to. Looking shakily at them, he shook his head with a pitying smile. “I've done that move so many times; it's hard to remind my hands not to do what they were trained for.”

Taking a look around, he saw that Iggy was now helping Gasman fight his enemy, the tag team doing excellent as always together. Though they would have to watch those wounds of Ig's, they were deep and could get nasty if not treated, but all in all, his partner had done an excellent job in learning how to fight with his new powers. Looking over to Nudge and Angel, they were making short work of their own opponent, and would be done with him soon. He looked up into the sky, he couldn't see that leader Eraser or chère anywhere, but he would soon find them. If he played his cards right, she might even let him team-up.

He grinned and was about to move out, when a sudden shadowy force hit him hard from the side, sending him spinning through the dark trees and almost to lake shore! Knowing that that shadow was a new, more powerful foe, Derringer sniggered slightly while picking himself up and looked at his newest adversary. Maybe this time I'll get a challenge out of the guy…

Having impacted with him, the foe had also fallen to the earth, and to make things interesting, the man who had knocked him down to the ground—just happened to be a woman!

Picking herself up lithely, arching her back sensually like a cat, she snapped her head up, looking at him like a predator seeing its prey for the first time.

She flicked her hair behind her back and licked her lips. “Well, aren't you a handsome one? I'm going to enjoy playing with you…”

He arched his eyebrow, “Sorry darlin', you not my type.” He said, letting his Cajun speech become more exaggerated.

Though, looking closer now, he had to admit that the woman was beautiful in her own way. Dressed fully in shiny, tight black leather, a classic figure, and a head full of neon violet hair, if it wasn't for the insane look in her eyes, she would have been perfect. But this little beauty is definitely more deadly than her looks conceive. I remember seeing her with that Ari character, so she must be an Eraser, but what kind of powers does she carry. I don't like the idea of fighting a woman, but it doesn't look as if I have any choice in the matter…

She flashed those eyes at him again and giggled like a little child, “I'm going to enjoy this! Let's play, pretty boy!”

Throwing herself at him, she came after him with a high kick to the jaw, followed by a fast punch to the gut! He had to rush to defend himself, and had to be even faster to get his own attacks in. She came into such close quarters with her assaults, that for once, he couldn't use his speed! She kept changing fighting styles, from kickboxing to judo to taijutsu, and on and on! It took it out of him to match her tit for tat.

The two went at it violently, until she made one slight mistake and he grabbed her wrists as she tried to withdraw, and with one twist and a throw, twirled the both of them to the gravel with a slam! The female Eraser looked up into his face, both of them breathless as they lay on the ground. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat. “You're fast. I've been watching you and I like how you play; you don't bore me. My name's Viper.”

He breathed heavily, out of breath. “Nice name…suit you.”

Wrenching herself out of his grip, she twirled herself to a crouched standing position, her opponent doing the same. She put her hands behind her back and laughed like a schoolgirl who had a crush. “Well? Aren't you going to tell me your name?”

“I think no, darlin'.” He answered dryly, “I don't like ya well `nough for that.”

She shook a finger at him, “You mean, like you know your lover, Max?”

That statement shook his focus. “What?!”

She chuckled, “You see, I already know your name, Derringer. I just wanted to hear it from your lips, your voice sounds sooo cool!”

Derrin was suddenly getting tired of this fight; Viper's comments had not only turned his stomach, but also made him very uneasy concerning chère's wellbeing. “Let's just finish this…I usually don't approve of hitting girls, but for you, I think I'll make an exception.”

She leered at him slyly, “Then how about we take this up a notch?”

Slowly, she peeled the black leather gloves from her hands. They were unscarred and as fine as porcelain, and she had a perfect manicure with a thick coating of silver nail polish. He looked at her in question, “Why you do that? You mess up your pretty nail job.”

She giggled again, but instead of putting out her hands as if to attack, she crossed her arms over her chest then closed her eyes in concentration. Derringer looked at her bewildered. What was she doing? Taking a nap? He looked closer at her, scrutinizing at what sort of trick this Viper had up her sleeve. She was open for attack, but she probably knew already that Derrin wasn't the type to attack her while she was unarmed and not presenting an offense. She was a devious one, but she couldn't expect him to wait here for—wait a minute!

Something was changing about her! Was it just him, or did her nails get a tad sharper and an inch longer in the last five seconds?!

Yes, it was true! Slowly but surely, her fingernails grew longer and longer, and sharper and sharper; extending two inches past her fingertips, five inches, seven, ten… Before he had even time to take a second look, her “nails” had become a foot long! Wide at the base and razor thin at their point, they were like a dozen silver needles, each one poised to kill!

She then snapped her eyes open, her face looking like that of a demon. She answered his previous comment, eagerness and excitement dripping from her voice. “Oh, I don't think I'll mind.”

Suddenly she went twirling on her toes, like a whirling satanic ballerina. Derrin hardly had time to move out the way before she would have collided with him! Crouching at the ready, he suddenly winced at the startling pain that came abruptly through his right arm. Looking to his previously unwounded limb, he hissed slightly, as he could see blood dripping from five thin, but deep lacerations, in perfect lines on his forearm…

Derringer cursed in three different languages, holding his arm to his side in pain. Why did Ihave to fight the dancer from Hell?

Viper stopped for a second and smiled at him, licking the blood that dripped from off her needlelike nail extensions. “Delicious…”

Suddenly she was on him again, and they began their deadly dance again. However, this time, every time he tried to deflect a mortal attack, he received a nasty present from her mutant fingers. He quickly learned that these were not your normal nail enamel, nor were they even the fake kind you could get at the store. These nails were made of metal, something like steel or titanium, and they were a working part of her body. So, not only was the woman a genetically engineered mess, but she was also had a compilation of cybernetic components. No wonder the girl's crazy.

Seeing an opening once again, using a roundhouse kick Derrin hit her in the stomach, sending her sliding through the slick mud and gravel into an evergreen tree, the branches shuddering from the impact. Yet, as she was sent back, her hand had reached out to his leg, not able to gain hold, her claws dig into his flesh, sending five more lances of bloody pain into his calf.

Gasping raggedly, he tried to hold the agony that was filtering all over his body, at bay. He had to stay strong; he had faced worse pain than this before. This was nothing, it was simply a matter of mind over flesh. The problem came in the fact, that through he was getting some hits in he just wasn't doing enough damage, while he was taking a heck of a lot, enough blood was running out of him that he could be in some hack shounen anime.

Viper stood up and twisted her backbone back and forth, limbering her body. “Wow, this is the longest I've played with anybody—well, except my Sephy, but by this time, we've probably gone on to do other things. Wait a minute!” She spun around in happiness, “That's just what I'll do! Don't go away now!”

Before he could even say a word, she was already in the trees and out of sight. Looking after her in total confusion, he called after her to come back, but she either didn't hear him or she had her own plans in mind.

He shook his head at the strange demonic girl, he couldn't figure out what her game was. Taking the time to get a breather, he wiped his hand across his brow, not surprised to see blood smeared all over his hand. He suddenly shuddered and fell to one knee, crimson plasma spurting and falling to his feet onto the smooth stones beneath him. He could easily dull from his mind the gash he had gotten from the laser in Delta 6 earlier, but this was intense! Gritting his teeth, he attempted to push the waves of agony away. He had to get himself in charge of this pain. If he passed out now, he would be a sitting duck and that wouldn't help the flock much. As much as he didn't want to, he had to revert back to the training of long ago, of the past that he had forced himself to forget…

“Derringer!”

His eyes flickered open at the sound of the voice, his concentration broken, the pain came back to him, but he didn't mind it as much since he knew who the voice belonged to. Turning, he looked at the girl who came toward him a little worse for wear, but still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

The two embraced and Max came away little but staying against him, she stood looking at his blood on her fingers. She looked up at him with those beautiful eyes, concern flooding them. “Oh Derringer, you're hurt!”

He shrugged it off, “It's nothing, chère. Just a few—well maybe a lot of—scratches. I'm more concerned about you, are you okay?”

She looked at him irritatingly, “Would you stop worrying about me and worry about yourself? What would I do if something happened to you?!”

He looked at her enchantingly, “You're so protective of me, all of a sudden chère. One might think you actually care.”

Surprisingly she didn't get mad, but silently looked up at him and held him closer to her, a strange look in her eye. Her voice became soft and almost sensual. “Of course I do, you idiot. I love you…”

If that last statement wasn't enough to send his world spinning, then the next action would send it into a hurricane! Coming close to him, the girl leaned up and placed her lips upon his, pressing harder and harder, the kiss becoming rougher and more passionate. He didn't respond at first, but slowly but surely grew into it. The stood like that for more than a minute, and as he wrapped his left arm around her waist, she moved to put her right around his neck, and bring him closer—

But with a single lightning movement, Derringer stopped her grabbing hold of her wrist and held it in the air, away from his body!

She released his mouth, backing her head away slightly, looking into his eyes with question. “What's wrong, Derringer? Don't you want this too?”

He looked at her, his emotions shielded beneath a mask that somehow clamped down into place on his true features. He seemed to look at her for hours, when only seconds were going by, before he finally answered her, his voice soft yet grave. “Yes…but not from you.”

As if to emphasize his meaning, he tightened his grip on her wrist, causing her to gasp slightly and her fingers to shiver…including the long metal claw that tapered at the end of each finger, poised to instantly sink the cold metal into the warm flesh of his neck if his restraint ever relaxed. He smiled at her solemnly, “You'll have to do better than that if you want to deceive me—Viper.”

The morphing Eraser grinned at him, before transforming back into her original form. She got closer to him, flicking out her tongue like that of her namesake. “So you figured it out, it must have been the way my lips felt, I can never seem to get that part right…but I really think you enjoyed it, more than you'll ever admit.” Then she got even closer and hissed out dangerously, “And you maybe fast,” nodding to his hand around her wrist, “but you're not fast enough.”

Derrin smiled back at her, before slightly gasping with gritted teeth, blood running from the corner of his mouth. Taking a step back, he looked to see the skin of Viper's fingertips touching his stomach. She pulled her hand back slowly, first her fingers, and then her claws…inch by torturous inch, from out of his abdomen.

She had driven her claws to the hilt, into his body the minute they hugged, and even though he had noticed the contact, he had been too surprised by her performance as Max to feel the added on pain of her skewing him on her hand extensions. Once she exited him however, the oxygen reacted on the wounds in force, causing bright spots to dance in front of his eyes, and him to almost double over with enforced torment. His mind struggled to think amidst the suffering of his wounds. Why was he hurting so badly? He had endured worse than this…

As he stumbled away from her, she pulled her captured hand from his grip, putting it back down to her side. She watched as her opponent shuddered from the anguish and began to move dizzily from the lack of blood, as he put pressure on his pouring wounds, the red liquid running thickly over his fingers. She frowned a little, as if just remembering something. She said innocently, “Umm, Derringer? Maybe it's a little late to tell you this, but—my claws secrete something called pure “quicksilver” into anyone I use them on, every time I cut them. I'm immune to this “quicksilver”, though. I hope this doesn't affect our fight in any way…”

Derringer clenched his fist angrily. No wonder his wounds hurt so much and his body felt as if it was caving on him! Every time the witch scratched, slashed, or stabbed him, she would leave in his body systems, quicksilver—a.k.a. the 80th element Hg, otherwise known as mercury!

He angrily leaped out at Viper, holding her down with her arms away from him. “You sick psycho! You've been poisoning me all this time?!”

She looked up at him angrily, “I only let one man handle me this way, and as cute as you are, you're not him.”

Grabbing hold of Derrin's arms, she unfurled a pair of black and white wings, each of the pure black feathers looked as if their tips had been dipped in pure white paint. Quickly catching an updraft, she soared towards the sky, taking her opponent along from the ride. “Hang on cutie; I doubt you'll want to fall from this height.”

Derrin angrily stopped struggling, trying to avoid contact with her poisonous claws. She had much more strength in those arms than he thought, as she was able to carry him while in flight. They soared into the sky and above the lake, wind and rain buffeting them as they traveled. She took him to the top of a small cliff that jutted out about 25 feet above the raging lake surface.

Dropping him suddenly, he rolled painfully on the rock before jumping to his feet, lightning and thunder reflecting his anger and fatigue at the situation he was in. He was soaked to the bone (and God, did he hate water), his new family was in trouble, he was heavily wounded, and he had an elemental poison running through his system. He wanted this battle to be finished! He was getting tired of this fight, tired of these Erasers, and really tired of this she-devil!

Derrin brought his hands forward, ignoring the rain mixing with the much more vital liquid oozing out of the thatch work of cuts on his arms and his palms. His amber eyes pierced into the very body of his opponent. “Let's get this done, demoness. Cause Derringer gettin' plain annoyed now. What you have to take us all the way up here for?”

Viper flipped a strand of wet hair from out her face, “I like to have a fight with a view. And don't look now cutie-pie, but your true slang roots are starting to show.”

He knew she was right, his emotions were even affecting his grammar and speech now. He must be getting really frustrated now, and his worry over Max's safety wasn't helping at all. “Just get on with it.”

She smiled that infuriating smile of hers, “You are tiring of this fight, as am I I'm afraid. You are one of the best fighters I've ever faced. However, I don't have all night and I must take care of your other little winged friends. Those other guys I work with, except for maybe Ari, are complete buffoons, as I'm sure you very well know. I wanted to play with those little feathered morsels myself anyway.”

Derrin felt a livid, feral blood that had lain dormant for a long time, rise up within him. He launched himself at her, striking at her side. She blocked and thrust out with her foot into his chest, knocking the air out of him. She quickly followed that with straight punches to the face and stomach, only one of which he could avoid. Thrusting her spiky boot into his throat, she swatted him across the face with her hand, leaving long fresh marks on his cheek.

Totally ignoring the stinging pain, Derrin flipped over her and kicked her in the back. Using his speed, he punched her thrice in the face, before grapping her arm and tossing her down the cliff. Skidding on the slick stone, she was able to use her claws to gain traction; the metal against stone causing sparks to fly in the night. She leered up at him, running up the rest of the way. Derrin quickly caught her hands as the tried to make contact, holding her arms in a hammer lock. “Stop this now, or you'll break an arm.”

She laughed, “That's what you think, Cajun boy!”

With the dexterity that only a trained contortionist is supposed to have, she flipped her legs almost completely in the air, swinging them behind his head and using her forced pressure and momentum, to actually swing herself onto the ground behind him, twisting herself out of his grasp and causing him to fall to the ground! Groaning in pain, Derringer tried to raise himself up, but could feel the mercury take affect even more than before. He was getting dizzy and his motor functions were off, he could hardly stand. His super-speeding powers were all but done for. He was moving by the clear need to survive, and that was all.

He stayed that way trying to catch his breath, as he heard the click-clacking of Viper's heels as she approached him. He didn't have the strength to look up at her, but she made due by grabbing onto the pale flesh of his neck and painfully yanking him up from the ground, her claws scratching his skin, dripping their silver poison.

He tried to push her back, but she easily batted him away, well aware of his weakened form and taking every advantage of it. But of course, Derrin's simple frame of mind, wouldn't allow him to give up, no matter the physical condition he was in. He continued to struggle, kicking and striking at his assailant. However, she being in a little better condition than he, was able to dodge his clumsy attacks and still keep her hold on him. Finally, dragging him across the ground to the cliff's edge, with one quick and sudden move, she flung him over the edge and into open space!

Holding him in midair by his throat, she watched his face twist with agony as gravity worked its magic on his wretched form. She smiled, “Now what if I was to drop you right now? Can you swim, Derringer? Though maybe not even someone like you can survive dropping from this height into these waters.”

He reached up and grabbed her arm, venom worse than a snake's bite in his voice. “Coward! Devious female! Hidin' behind cheap tricks and deceptions, Fight me like a woman! Or should I say—a viper!”

She laughed merrily, “Oh, what a nasty mouth, calling me all those names. Nice choice of words though, cutie. But don't worry, I'm not going to just drop you. That wouldn't be fun.”

She drew him back to the very edge of the rock and then tilted in close, too close for his comfort. Disgustingly, she leaned over even closer and licked the blood off the side of his face, relishing in the melody of elements, the iron, oxygen, carbon, as well as other life giving compounds with a taste of mercury, that could be found with only plasma that she had infected. “Well, I couldn't say goodbye without giving you a goodbye kiss…and, without a little present to remember me by.”

She then reared her free hand back, and with murderous gusto, thrust the knives on her fingertips solidly into his chest, causing the Cajun to cry out in sudden torture. She reveled in the sight of his blood rolling over the skin of her fingers and of the shriek he instinctually gave out.

She pulled out her sticky “nails”, only to strike again with force…and again, and again, and again. Laughing with ecstasy every time he screamed and the rush of more and more blood, crimson rivers running their course down his body. When she thought he had had enough, she stabbed into him one more time, but this time she didn't exit, but instead stretched the width of her fingers, letting the needle-like knives slice through his torn up skin slowly. “I wanted to tell you before you die, Derringer that I really did enjoy our time together. It was the most fun I've had in, like, forever. I can't wait to play with your little family as well.”

The young man gritted his teeth against the anguish, blood spilling from the side of his mouth. “No…”

She stopped moving her fingers, seeing that he was no longer any threat. “The little girl and her dog wouldn't be any fun at all; I'll just break their tiny frail necks. The little boy might be a little more fun and the other girl too, but I'll tear their limbs off as easy as tearing the leg off a grasshopper.”

Derrin raised his head up tiredly, the spark of determination still within him. “You leave them alone; they have nothin' to do with you…”

She moved her fingers a little, causing him to gasp with pain. “Everyone is my playmate if I wish it. I've watched your protectiveness of that blind kid, who's not as blind as he would have people think. Perhaps, I'll tear out his little wings first, and then make him listen as I pluck out every feather. I'll then gouge out what's left of his eyes and feed it to him. And then, we'll have some real fun. I don't know if he can survive as long as you, but…we'll see how much he can take.”

The anger stewing inside of the young man suddenly intensified ten times over. He had at first been only thinking of his own pain, and how it would all end, but suddenly he remembered Iggy's words:

“…you aren't alone anymore. That no matter how many walls you put up, no matter what your mind keeps telling you. We will be here for you. We are your family now, and its okay to let us in, if only a little.”

He was no longer alone in the world, and he had others who were counting on him. He had a choice to make, and one that could only be made by him, and he didn't have much time. A pity it took this lady snake's crazed murderous intentions, to remind him of his responsibilities. He began to move his fingers trying to gain life out of his battered body once again. He could reach what he needed, but could he bring himself to use it?

Viper continued on, not noticing a thing in her blood-lusting ecstasy. “And then, after I'm done with them, I'll ask Ari if I can have the lovely Maximum Ride, after he's done with her. Now she'll be the real prize, she is a legend in the Eraser ranks. I have something especially special planned for her…”

She looked up at her victim, trying to get a look at his face, but his untidy hair was covering his beautiful eyes. He was so still, she wondered if he had already passed out. But the vibrations from his heartbeat and lungs against her claws told her otherwise. “Is their anything you wish me to tell her for you? Any last message?”

SILENCE…

She frowned, then started moving her hand once again, causing new, fresh cuts. “Hey! Are you sleeping? You're not supposed to sleep when I'm talking!”

Like lightning, Derringer's arm moved as it did when he was his normal self, grabbing her hand and holding it close, ignoring the pain as he jammed her hand further into him. When he looked into her eyes, she trembled; his eyes were like orbs of yellow fire. He spoke low, his voice like the personification of the threat. “No darlin', I have no message you can give. You see, you just crossed the line. I may not have enough strength to stop you. But I do have enough power to kill you.”

She looked at him with a twisted look of unbelief on her face. “I think you've lost a little too much blood to the brain, hon. You're becoming delusional.”

This time he smiled, “I may be delusional—but you're dead.”

BOOM…

A sound echoed through the air, and this one was even louder than the thunder that it mimicked. For once, the smile was not present on the violet-haired woman's face, it was instead replaced with surprise, anger, and shock. She sucked in big gulps of air, suddenly not able to breathe as easily. Red and silver liquid ran from a hole in her chest, the result of a bullet fired from the .22 derringer handgun in Derrin's bloody hand. Looking from the gun to the wound to the empty ankle holster, she turned to her shooter. “You had a gun…all this time?”

Derringer's hand went weakly to his side, but he kept the gun in his grasp. The serious and fiery look on his face however, hadn't changed. “I promised `never again'. But you threatened my family. You threatened Max. And that changed the status quo, darlin'. A long time ago, I vowed to never use a gun on a human being ever again. However…” He whispered into her ear, “I don't think you really qualify.”

Her legs faltered slightly and she let go of Derringer's throat, putting a hand to the hole in her torso. Her calm, incorrigible smile had returned. “This won't stop…me, cutie-pie. I don't die easily…and I don't forgive easily either. Next time we meet…I won't…be so nice.”

He lightly lifted an eyebrow, “Will you now?”

She tried to pull her hand away from him, anxious to take her leave, but his grip held fast. He teetered a little from the force, but still held. He looked at her with a grin of his own, “Who said—I was done fighting?”

He wrapped his arm around her waist, and whether it was by his own will, or a fault of the storm, or the instability of their injured forms, the two's combined momentum, sent them both flying of the edge of the cliff! Viper tried all in her power to separate herself from Derringer, but he only wrapped himself that much more tightly around her. The two tumbled through the air for more than 7 meters before crashing through the surface of the deep, tumultuous lake at the below them. The water quickly engulfed them as their unintentional dive from such a sheer height, sent them deep within the confines of the lake.

But even below the surface, things were not calm as a fight erupted causing the waters to swirl and churn just as it did on the surface. Water could not stop the two hated enemies from continuing their fight, seemingly to the death. Separated upon impact, blows were almost immediately exchanged and no punches were pulled as only one victor would be allowed to leave this liquid palace.

Back on shore, the time slowly went by the elements watching in hungry earnest. There was a time limit to this fight, calculated by how much more their finite bodies could take, and how long their lungs could hold out from absence of oxygen.

But as this fight went on below, things were also changing above. As time went on, the movement became slower, the ferocity was becoming tame. The storm that had been raging since the late afternoon, was finally slowing to an end. Just as the storm that had been ravaging between Eraser and bird-child was coming to a close…a bloody close.

And with the dissipating of the storm clouds, the stormy seas also followed suit. The waters calmed and surface was on its way to becoming placid once again. However, the calming tarn was suddenly churned once again, as a lonely figure walked through the frothy waves and struggled onto the stony shore. It walked slowly and carelessly, not really caring where it was, or what the time happened to be, just that it had survived.

Only able to go a few feet ahead of the tide, the figure soon collapsed from utter fatigue. Its eyes closed tiredly, totally oblivious as the waves crashed and swelled around its legs, simultaneously washing away crimson rivulets that spilled over the smooth stones leading from the source that was the body, to the waters the source of life…or death.

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As the rain began to finally slack up, the last Eraser went down under Iggy's fist. He stood up breathlessly, looking around to take an assessment of the situation as it stood and where all his siblings were. Angel, Nudge, and Gasman gathered behind him, trying to catch their breath after their battles. “Everyone okay?”

Gazzy nodded, “Everyone's accounted for except for Max and Derringer. I'm okay, and I've checked over Nudge and Ange; they're both okay. Max and Ari went to the sky and I soon lost sight of them. Derrin went off into the forest with another opponent, but I lost sight of them also. All of our own opponents are out colder than a block of ice.”

Ig nodded before looking down at Angel, “Can Total track them both down?”

The little dog shuffled his way out of her arms looking like a shiny black ball of saturated fluff, “I could—if this storm wasn't washing away every scent in the whole darn place. Besides, my nose is all stuffy; I am so going to catch a cold.”

“We all are, if we don't get dry and in a safe place soon.” Iggy looked back to the dog's keeper. “Angel, I need you to use your telepathy and Nudge, for you to use your psychic empathy to see if you can locate both of them. But I want you two together, you're safer that way in case we have more trouble. Gaz and I will go together. We'll meet up back at the cave in—Ahh!”

Iggy winced greatly at the pain that flashed through his arms, instinctually holding on tight to his still bleeding wounds. He'd forgotten about those wounds from his first battle, his mind being consumed with adrenaline and the love of the fight. Now that that had drained off, the pain had come back with a vengeance.

Gasman was at his sight in a minute, “Nudge, you and Angel get going. I'll take care of blind bravado boy here.”

Nudge placed a hand on his shoulder worriedly, “What about you? He's injured and you'll be his only defense. Can you handle it by yourself, I mean, what will you do if these creeps wake up? Or there are more Erasers out there? Or what if—”

Gasman put a hand on the girl's shoulder and gave her his most reassuring smile. “I'll be fine, and I'll take care of Iggy. Don't worry about me, Nudge. It'll take more than a couple Erasers to put me down.”

Her cheeks reddened slightly, “Just be careful, Gaz. I have faith in you.”

She then turned to the other girl while unfurling her wings. “Let's go, Ange.”

The two lifted off and flew above the trees, trying to get some fix on their missing siblings. Nudge tried to stop her mind from worrying. He'll be alright. He maybe three years younger than you, but he's quite mature for a ten year old, and much stronger than he appears. So why are you so worried?

“Because you care about him, of course.”

Nudge looked over at Angel, her face getting flushed once again. “What?”

The eight-year old blonde rolled her eyes, “Mind-reader! How come you guys keep forgetting that? Especially when your brains are shouting out your thoughts so that they show up in mine like huge billboards! My bro will be okay, don't worry about him. And oh—”

Angel slyly winked at the girl, “I won't tell him a thing.”

Nudge blushed even more, “W-What are you talking about?”

The blonde sighed and pointed to her head.

Nudge's face couldn't get any redder and mentally sighed. This is what you get having a telepath as a sister. She knows everything…

Angel laughed, “You'd better believe it!”

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As the two girls disappeared over the trees, Gasman turned back to Iggy trying to shake the warm feeling that had somehow come over him, ever since Nudge had voiced her concern over him. “Look, let me take a look at those wounds.”

He reached for the 15 year-old's arm, but the blind teen waved him away, “We don't have time for this, we have to clear this area fast and we need to find Derringer and Max.”

Gazzy rolled his eyes, “Oh shut up already and get over here, `oh fearless substitute leader'. If you're injured, you'll just slow us down. ”

Iggy sighed, knowing his brother and best friend was right. “Alright, just hurry and bandage them up, will ya? You can use cloth from one of the Eraser's shirts or something. We might be able to find some proper bandages later.”

The ten-year old smirked, “I don't think that'll be necessary.”

Reaching over to the teen's arms, he slowly rolled up the sleeves so that he could have access to the wounds without touching them too much. Iggy used his powers to see what his brother was doing, but was still mystified as the boy held a hand above each wound, barely touching it, before closing his eyes in concentration.

At first, nothing happened, but soon Ig began to notice an unearthly green glow surround the Gasman's hands! At first it flickered a bit, but soon went steady. At that moment, his arms began to tingle, not in a bad way, but as if a feather was lightly tickling his skin. Looking from Gazzy's luminescent hands to his wounds, he had to stop from gasping as he watched the bloody ripped flesh begin to suddenly and almost literally weave and knit itself back together! The skin interlaced itself back together and merged into one piece of skin, making both his arms whole once again and without practically any pain!

Once the injuries had completely healed, the glow disappeared and Gaz put his hands down. Opening his eyes once again, he smiled at the shock on his brother's face. “Does that feel better?”

The young man flexed his arms, but couldn't find a trace of the previous pain. He looked over at his brother astounded. “Yes, they're as good as new. But how—?”

The boy laughed lightly, “What? Did you think you were the only one with hidden powers around here?”

That line slightly bit into his heart “Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my new powers but—”

Gaz held up his hand, “Hey, no sweat man. I understand that sometimes we want to keep stuff to ourselves. I developed my new powers about a couple months ago, but I was so scared of them, I couldn't even show them to myself. But then one day, Nudge and I were on recon, and she fell and cut her leg really bad. Blood was gushing everywhere and I couldn't stand to see her in so much pain. Taking a leap of faith, I decided to use my powers to heal her, and to my surprise and hers, it worked. Nudge agreed to keep my abilities a secret as I tried to figure them out, and after much practice on myself, it became easier and easier.”

“I'm impressed. How does it work?”

Gazzy shrugged, “I of course don't know the details, but as far as I can see, my healing powers require a mix of concentration and physical energy that I combine and exude through my hands. Flesh wounds like yours are easy now, anything else more than that however, I'll have to work on. By the way, how far does this new power of yours go? I've never seen you fight like that before, and in Delta 6 too.”

He smiled and moved a blond hair from out of the boy's face, “I can see everything better than I ever could before, with just a touch. I've been practicing and training for so long with Derringer and it's been worth it. I can really see again.”

Gaz laughed at the happy glee in his brother's voice. “I'm really happy for you, Iggy. Even though I was kind of jealous of all the time you were spending with Derrin, now that I see how happy this new vision power has made you, I don't really mind now.”

The taller boy took him into his now strong right arm. “Hey, I hang out with Derringer, and he's my brother and a very good friend and teacher. But you'll always be my partner-in-crime, right?”

Gaz smiled before pushing his brother off playfully and taking to the sky. “You can bet on it. And while we've been talking, even the rain stopped; now let's start looking for our missing flock members before I grow roots.”

Iggy joined his brother in the air and was about to comment on what kind of plant he would grow into, when a scream rang out over the conifer forest!

Gaz turned towards the lake, “That was Angel!”

“Come on!” Iggy tilted towards the right and took off towards the shore.

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Nudge had used her powers to feel the vibrations in the air and forest to trace and find both her missing siblings. Angel was simultaneously trying to feel for any kind of familiar thoughts with her mind.

“I have a feel for Max, she was with Ari and they were really going at it.” Nudge said absently.

“Do you know where they ended up?” Angel asked.

“This way.” Nudge flew down into the forest followed by her sister. As they landed, they could instantly see there was no trace of their elder sister.

Angel looked around, “I don't see her. Did she go somewhere else?”

Nudge felt around the wet ground and the trees. “Her vibes end here. She and Ari and someone I've never felt before were here, but there wasn't much of a scuffle. I don't know what happened, but I can't feel anything else.”

The blonde nodded, “This makes me concerned, this reminds me too much of when Fang disappeared. You lost his vibrations and I could find no trace of his thoughts, just like I can't sense Max's right now either. I don't like this, Nudge.”

She nodded, “I don't either. Can you feel Derringer's thoughts?”

Angel flew to the sky followed by her sister, “I can feel something closer to the lake.”

“Yeah, his vibrations go that way too. They're light, but I think that's just because I'm in the air and he only goes on the ground.” The other girl followed her sister in the direction of the water. “Why don't you concentrate harder than normal, he's probably unconscious and he doesn't have the same kind of brain patterns as we do.”

She hovered over the trees next to the shore and nodded. Putting her fingers to her temples, she concentrated more than usual searching for her big brother. She was excited to feel the familiar threads of his mind almost immediately and delved deeper, trying to get a fix on his location.

Suddenly, her mind was consumed with an agony to the like that her young body had never felt before. Even in all those years in the School, it was nothing like this type of raw and unprocessed anguish that was Derringer's psyche. In response, the only real thing she could do, was what her body instinctually would do:

She screamed.

Dropping to the earth, Angel fell out of control. Nudge gasped and swooped down to catch her, only able to get to her at the last minute. Laying her lightly on the shore ground, she looked over her sibling with alarm. “Are you okay, Ange?! What's up?”

Angel sat up and massaged her aching head, “That's the last time I take one of your suggestions…oh, my head hurts.”

“What happened? Is Angel okay?”

Iggy and Gasman swooped down from the sky; Gazzy automatically went to her side. “Are you hurt sis?”

She nodded her head, “I'm alright, I was feeling deeper for Derringer's mind and—it was more intense than I could take. He's around here alright though, I know that for sure.”

Nudge and Iggy looked around them while Gaz helped Angel up. Nudge squatted and felt on the ground around her for vibrations. Iggy did the same and used his vision to look for his missing brother. However, it was Angel who found him first.

“Got him, he's over there.” The girl pointed to the east part of the shore.

The four bird children hurried over to the place she had identified, all of them using their night vision, were able to see the even enlarging figure on the beach getting larger and larger.

Iggy was the first to reach the fallen body and turned it over on its back. He gasped slightly with both relief and concern as he saw that the man was indeed Derringer and that he was breathing, if shallowly, but that bruises and deep cuts lined his face, and his hair was totally taken apart. He couldn't see the rest of the man's body so well because of the dark clothes, but he could take a guess that the man had fought quite a battle.

“Gaz! Get over here!” Iggy called as he worriedly shook the older teenager. “Come on, Derringer. Wake up would ya?”

Gazzy was at his side and immediately began using his healing powers to heal Derringer's face and head, both internally and superficially. As both of the girls already knew about his powers (there was nothing that could surprise Total anymore), nobody was taken aback as the scratches on his face sealed back up and the bruises went away.

Both Nudge and Angel stood together, their wings fluttering in apprehension as they watched with a silent prayer that the man would be alright.

Ig was completely frustrated. “Come on, Derrin. I need you to get up, we have to get the flock out of here, and you know what? You are two darn heavy for me to be carrying out of here!”

Gaz smiled; his brother or even he could carry Derringer out with little effort. But he too was worried about the redhead. He had just healed his facial injuries, but who knew how many others there were under the surface. He silently watched as the man's chest rose and fell slowly but evenly. Worry consumed him and in anger, he hit Derrin's ribs with his fist, “I know you're alive! Now just get up, or so help me, I'll undo all I just did!”

Iggy pushed the boy back, “What are you doing?! You want to injure him more?”

Gaz looked up at him, tears welling up in his eyes. “If he stays like this, his condition will get worse! If something happened to him, and I couldn't fix it, I—I don't—”

A robust Cajun voice suddenly interrupted them. “You know? If you guys gush on any louder, you'll wake more than me up.”

Everyone jumped up from their spots and happily surrounded the scarlet-haired teen as he looked up at them with half open eyes and a tired but still charming grin. “It nice to see I was missed.”

Nudge laughed, “Of course you were! Well, I hope you're okay. That's more than I can say for whatever Eraser you fought. I mean, you took him down right. I'm so glad you're alright. I was getting worried and—.”

Gaz put a hand on her shoulder, which stopped her talkative streak in its tracks. He smiled, “Let the man catch his breath a little, Nudge.”

Derrin smiled back at them all before putting a hand beneath him to slowly sit up. Pain surged through him, but he stalwartly ignored it. “My opponent was a female actually.”

Iggy looked at him in surprise, “I didn't know they had female Erasers.”

He nodded while squeezing the excess water out of his hair. “They do, and they can pack a punch. We fell into the water and fought there, but she suddenly pushed me away and quickly disappeared into the depths of the lake. She won't be coming back anytime soon, though. You would have loved to meet her, chère…chère?”

He looked around about him, surprised not to here a word from the girl and turned to Iggy. “Where's chère?”

The blind boy shook his head, “We haven't seen her since she went to fight Ari.”

Angel then spoke up, “Nudge and I traced her as far as a mile and a half away from here, but then the trail went completely cold. I can't pick up even a trace of her thoughts and Nudge said her vibes stopped in the edge of the forest and that was it.”

Worry suddenly gripped the Cajun's heart, even more than it did the rest of the flock. He kept remembering how Viper would constantly make references about Max and how the girl had come to know his name. Could the girl have had something to do with chère's disappearance?

Nudge spoke up, “In the last place I felt Max's vibrations, I felt two others as well. One was Ari, and the other was some unknown person I hadn't really felt before. But…now that I'm on this shoreline, I feel those same unknown vibes again. They're female alright, a sultry female at that, and probably the girl who was your opponent. She was with Ari and Max, when Max went down.”

Gazzy looked up at Iggy, “That can only mean one thing.”

Ig in turn looked down at the still seated, solemn Derringer. “It was an ambush of some sort. Max is most likely captured or—” He didn't even want to finish the statement.

Everyone sat there silent and still at the gravity of the situation, the only sound that could be heard, was the crashing of the waves against the shore. They had lost another member, and this one was their leader. Angel was the first to ask the question that was in all of their minds.

“What are we going to do now?”

All of a sudden, Derringer stood, fierce determination in his eyes, and dusted himself off before sniffing at the air. “I'm going after her, of course.”

He turned to Iggy, “In Max's stead, I am in charge. With me gone and Fang is still MIA, that puts you as substitute leader. This place is not safe for any of us anymore. Take the rest of the flock to that place that I showed you and stay there till I return with Max. If I don't return in two days, take the flock and go in search of Fang with the information Nudge gathered. You will then be the permanent leader of the flock, unless you find Fang and then everyone decides otherwise.”

Ig looked at him in alarm, “Wait a minute, I can't—you—”

Derrin gripped his shoulders, “Remember what I told you before, Iggy. This is one of those times that I need you to be strong. The other three are counting on you as leader. Don't let them down, and you won't let me down. Do you understand?”

“Why not let us go with you? How you plan on tracking Max? You don't have powers like Angel's or Nudge's.” Iggy looked at him with concern.

The man however closed his eyes and shook his head. “I have her scent and I've tracked down harder targets, and I don't want anyone else putting themselves in danger unnecessarily. I'll go after her myself, and make no mistake, I'll come back with somebody, either Max or her kidnapper's body, or maybe even both if I prefer.”

Derrin smelled the air once again, and then began walking to the west when Iggy tried one more ploy. “What if she's out of the state? Ari already has a huge head start, and you might need back up.”

Derrin looked back at him, that self-assured smile on his face that seemed to be able to spread that same assurance to everyone else it touched. “It doesn't matter the distance. I'll find her if I have to run around the earth twice and search under every rock and crevice in the process. Your job now, is to protect your siblings. Don't stop for anything until you get to the house. Be careful and move swiftly, remember everything I've taught you. I'm relying on you.”

The sandy-haired bird child closed his eyes in silent surrender. He then sighed, “Alright…I won't let you down, Derringer.”

The redhead nodded and saluted him with a wink. “I'm proud of you, mon frère.”

A slight flush came to the almost sixteen year-old's cheeks as his other three siblings gathered behind him. They watched as Derrin walked away, the fates of two of their siblings was in limbo and it was about to become three. The uncertainty of the situation was immense and the security of the flock was in grave danger. But Derrin had faith in his new siblings. He had trained Iggy in more than just how to use his powers, whether the boy knew it or not. However, his mind was being flooded with concern over Max's safety. If something happened to her…Just wait for me, chère. I'm coming for you.

Another shot of pain came through him, reminding him of the condition his body was in. It was mere determination and strength of will that was all that was keeping the effects of the mercury's poison at bay. Blood was still pouring from his many wounds, but he kept pressure on that discreetly, so as not to alarm the others. He had taken note of the facial injuries that Gaz had healed, confirming the suspicions that he had held about the ten year-old's hidden powers, but there had been no time for him to heal all of his many wounds. Not with Max's life at stake…

He was about to take off when he heard his brother's voice again. Turning, he saw that Iggy and the other three had already taken to the sky.

Ig looked at the redhead with solemnity, “Come back safe, Derringer. I don't want this to end up being a Pyrrhic victory(1).”

The man smiled at him and nodded, “You'll be a lawyer yet, Ig. Now get going!”

With that last farewell, the speed demon took off at top speed, become only a blur to their eyes, sending rocks and grass asunder as he went towards the west, through the forest and out of sight in less than two seconds.

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The blind bird child waited for a few seconds after he was gone, before sighing and turning to the others. “Alright, we have to make time. We have about two hours flight ahead of us. Be careful and stay together, and keep me and each other in your sights at all times. We're crossing the border into Canada. Gasman, you're on my right flank, Angel is on my left. Nudge, you bring up the rear. Total goes into the backpack until we get to our destination. Everybody got it?”

They all nodded and got into formation. They were all tired and hungry, but none of them mentioned their discomfiture in the current crisis, their minds already consumed with concern for their absent comrades. Iggy flew off in the direction according to the map that Derringer's mind had painted in his own. He kept all his own tormenting emotions at bay, keeping them inside his heart for the moment. He was the leader now, and he had his charges to keep up with. He wasn't about to let Derringer down—to fail was not an option.

Angel noticed the tumult in her brother's head, but didn't say anything knowing it would make him agitated. There was however something more that was bothering her, other than her missing siblings that is.

It was the awesome pain that she had felt within Derringer's head. Usually pain in the subconscious plane, were the result of the conglomeration of messages sent to the body from the brain telling the body that it was in pain and to get some help. She could still feel the agony exuding from him, even when he was awake and talking, and she couldn't help but wonder what he must be feeling himself. He has many other, more serious, injuries than the ones Gaz healed. He's just like Max and Fang when it comes to hiding weakness. I just hope…

She took a small look behind her, in the direction the man had gone. The last traces of his mind were disappearing from her field of view.

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Jeb had fallen asleep at his desk, going over some papers, when suddenly the sound of his cellular phone ringing awoke him.

Grabbing at the device, he pushed the talk button and spoke groggily, “Yeah?”

“Mission accomplished, father.”

Suddenly, all the sleep drained out of the man's body as he recognized his son's voice. “Ari? Where are you? And you have Max?!”

“Oh, somewhere in the Rockies, and don't act so surprised father. I told you I would do it didn't I? Did you find Fang?”

Jeb sighed, “Sephiroth and his men are still tracking him. We'll send Viper over to help him as soon as she get's back.”

“I left her in charge of the men, while I took Max. She wanted some playtime.”

The man instinctually shivered in his seat, “Hmm, I hope she doesn't make a big mess that I'll have to clean up. What's Max's condition?”

“Oh, she's fine. Sleeping soundly right here next to me.”

Jeb rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. “As long as that corner is taken care of…Good job Ari. I'll take care of things from here, just remember out bargain and be careful, son. Max is sly and a spitfire.”

“I've know her since we were kids, father. I know what she's like. And I do remember our agreement, and don't worry, I definitely won't kill her.”

There was a sudden click at the sound of Ari's line clicking off. Jeb put down his own phone and sighed, “Well, that's one down and one to go.”

Getting up from his chair, he walked over to the obedience tank that stood a few feet in front of it. Knocking on the glass, he watched the girl inside look up at him painfully. “You should know that we'll catch Fang in time, with or without your help. If you talk now things might go a little easier on you.”

The raven-haired young woman stood suspended in the water and spoke clearly through the microphone in the breathing mask. “I told you, like I told you the last time you asked: I don't know where Fang is. He didn't tell me anything, and even if he did, there is no possible reason that I'd tell you. “

Jeb looked at her curiously, “What did he promise you?”

She looked at him surprised, “What?”

“You made a deal with him, didn't you?”

“I don't know what—”

He placed a hand up to stop her, “Hey, don't underestimate my intelligence. I know Fang would have never told where he was going, in order to protect you. You see, when you've worked with these kids as long as I have, you start to know their behaviors. Fang wouldn't tell you where he's going because he probably didn't know himself. No, I don't blame you for not knowing. However, you've never denied helping him get free. And that—I do blame you for, Virgo.”

The young woman snarled angrily at him from under the mask, “Then why all the stupid questions?”

“Psychological analysis.” He said matter-of-factly.

Virgo strained against her restraints in fury, “`Psychological analysis'? That was torture, you bastard!”

He shrugged his shoulders, “`Analysis', `Torture' whichever word is best for you. Now tell me, what did Fang promise you?”

She turned away from him, “Go to Hell.”

He sighed and reached over next to him, throwing a switch. Suddenly, an open current switched into place under the tank, which was channeled by the water as well as Virgo's metal restraints. She screamed at the touch of electricity, but the flow wasn't enough to kill her—just cause excruciating pain.

Jeb watched nonchalantly as the girl scream and shook in the throes of agony and waited a minute before flipping the switch again. “You want me to repeat the question?”

Virgo breathed hard and sweat from her body mixed in with the water. “M—My brother…”

He looked at her strangely, “Your brother? What are you talking about?”

But the time of weakness had already passed. Her eyes of defiance flashed at him. “You figure it out, Batchelder.”

He smiled at the sound of a challenge before switching the electricity back on. “You can bet I will.”

Going back to his desk, he began typing into his computer, drowning out the sounds of female shrieks with the constant click-clack of the keyboard keys.

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Ari hung up his cell phone and put it down next to him in the car as he drove. Leaning over, he pushed on the radio, but was all but shocked when he heard the loud screams of heavy metal coming over the speakers. That Viper….

He quickly turned the channel to something more interesting.

Soon the strings of a violin playing Beethoven's “Fur Elise” came over the air off some classical station. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked over at the young woman sitting in the seat next to him.

Her hands were handcuffed to the headrest bars and her feet to the metal at the bottom of the seat. She looked so peaceful and beautiful, just sitting there.

As he drove the steering wheel with one hand, he moved a piece of hair from her face with another. Happy for the first time in a long time, he smiled as he looked back towards the road.

“Just sit tight, Max. We'll be home before you know it.”

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1: A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with devastating cost to the victor