I frowned at him, trying not to look at his ruined, gory face. “We all keep each other safe,” I said shortly, then swung into a steeply pitched right turn. I saw Gazzy and the others swooping over the School’s large parking lot. An entrance there led to additional, underground parking.
“Where’s Iggy?” I demanded.
The Gasman pointed downward, and I saw Iggy leaning over the open hood of a car.
“Oh, no,” I muttered, as Iggy slammed the hood shut, then pushed the car toward the sloping entrance to the underground parking.
“Oh no, oh no,” I continued as the car smoothly, silently rolled through the opening and disappeared. Iggy shot upward, looking happier than he had in weeks.
“And a-one, and a-two, and a-thr—,” he began.
Boom! A massive explosion blew part of the top off the parking garage. We quickly flew out of range as streaming chunks of glowing red asphalt, glass, and concrete rocketed through the night sky. Alarms went off. Outdoor emergency lights flashed on.
“Way to be!” the Gasman crowed, slapping high fives with Iggy.
“Yeah,” I said. “Way to be loud and obvious about where we are and what we’re doing.”
“High four!” Total said, holding up a paw. “That rocked!”
I felt Fang looking at me furiously, but I avoided his eyes. Ari hung back on the periphery.
I needed several moments to get a grip. Why had I asked Ari to come with us? Now everyone was mad at me. But it had seemed like the right thing to do. On the other hand, it required a perhaps ill-fated leap of faith on my part that he wouldn’t suddenly turn bad again. I’m not real good at leaps of faith.
Then again, Ari was going to die soon anyway.
I wheeled around and faced the flock, their forms dimly lit by the fireball below.
Boom! Another explosion, even bigger than the first, blew out another section of the garage. I looked at Iggy, and as if he could sense it, he shrugged.
“Big garage full of big cars with big gas tanks.”
Whatever. “Okay, guys, let’s head north,” I said briskly. No idea why, no idea where, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
Sometimes all you have is instinct, a gut feeling. It’s important to pay attention to them.
I almost groaned aloud. Look what the cat dragged in, I thought. Hello, Voice.
Hello, Maximum. I’m glad you’re okay.
No thanks to you, I thought as I leveled out and started flying directly north.
I’ve missed talking with you.
Well, I can’t say that I’ve missed you, I thought. But I sort of missed you too.
Now I’m back.
Yep.
And you know what else was back? I saw it when I waved for the others to follow me more closely.
The scars on my arm. From taking out my chip.
PART 3
BREAKING
UP IS HARD
TO DO
56
What do you know? It wasn’t all a dream after all. And somehow my hand still worked now. So, bonus.
First thing we did was circle back and pick up the gear that Fang and I had stashed before we’d been caught in the desert. Then we flew through the cold night air, north, and then northeast. I can’t explain how I know where to go—it’s like I have an internal compass or something. At the School, when we were little, they’d done tons of experiments searching for our magnetism sensors, which tell us where magnetic north is.
They didn’t find them.
The farther north we went, the higher the mountains got, and the more snow was on the ground. Was it still December? January? Had we missed Christmas? I’d have to check a newspaper the next time we were in civilization.
Fang was still radiating fury, not looking at me, flying ahead of us, not talking to anyone. Nudge, Gazzy, and Iggy were also avoiding me, Angel, and Ari. I sighed.
Long flights are a good time to think things through. I guess that’s true for people on airplanes too. I went on autopilot, my wings moving powerfully through the cold, my lungs pumping air in and out. Every so often we’d hit a current and coast for a while, moving our wings in marginal fractions to take advantage of nature doing the work for us.
I was born to fly. And yeah, I know tons of people before me have said that, thought that.
But I was literally born to fly, made to fly, created with the purpose of being able to propel myself through the air as effortlessly as any bird.
And I’m fabulous at it, let me tell you.
“Max?”
Nudge had dropped back next to me, but she still wasn’t looking me in the eye, and she was as far away from Ari as possible.
“Yes?”
“I’m hungry. We already went through everything we had in the packs. I think the others are hungry too. Total keeps whining—you know what he’s like.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So, uh, is there a plan to stop somewhere? Get some food?”
I looked at her. “There’s always a plan.”
And just like that, boom: I had one.
57
Not too long ago (though it felt like several lifetimes), Fang, Nudge, and I had found a vacation house in Colorado. No one had been using it then, but now it was ski season, and snow lay thick on the ground. Still, it was worth checking out.
Because the others were ahead of me, I sped up to be in front. Then I changed direction slightly, knowing exactly how to get there from here.
Taking a chance, I glanced at Fang.
“Where are you going? A little hideaway that Ari knows about?” Icicles crackled on his words.
“The ski house we found. Maybe it’s still unoccupied. Be a place to rest up.”
He shook his head. “No way! You know the rules—never return to a place you’ve been! If someone’s been there, they know it was broken into and will have beefed up their security. If no one’s been there, we pretty much cleaned out all the food anyway.”
God, I just hated it when he was reasonable and logical. I mean, if there was ever anything calculated to make me see red...
“I’ve thought of that,” I said calmly. “But we need some downtime, and it’s our best option.”
“It is not!” he said. “We should find a canyon or cave somewhere and hunker down—”
“I’m tired of caves and canyons!” I surprised both of us by snapping. “I’m tired of desert rat, medium rare! I want a roof and a bed and food that I don’t have to catch and skin!”
He stared at me, and instantly I felt embarrassed, as if I had just admitted I wasn’t tough as nails.
Well, too bad. That was how I felt.
I sped up, leaving Fang behind, and headed right for the vacation home.
58
Imagine, if you will, a somewhat run-down, not very much used vacation hacienda. For those of us without even an everyday hacienda, the notion of having a vacation one makes us positively giddy. Even an unrenovated one.
Just like before, we came down in the woods a distance from the house and crept stealthily nearer. As we got close, we heard voices and the purr of a car engine. Fang glared at me like, I told you so. People were here.
“Okay, did you lock up?” one voice said.
“Yeah. And the fire’s out.”
“Good. I can’t wait to come back.”
“Maybe Saturday, right?”
So there you go. Car doors slammed, and the voices were muffled. We pressed against tree trunks, trying to hide our breath coming out like smoke.
I looked back at Fang and raised my eyebrows in triumph. They were leaving. It was perfect. We waited for ten minutes after the car drove away, then, unrepentant little felons that we were, broke in.
I did try to do as little damage as possible, though. Must be all that girly sensitivity they wired into my DNA.
“It’s warm!” said Angel happily.
“Let’s check out the kitchen!” Nudge hurried toward it.
“This is great,” said Ari.
Fang shot him a venomous glance, then scowled at me. I ignored him and headed to the kitchen. It was time for some serious chow.
“Oh, thank God they’re not vegetarians,” Nudge said with feeling, pulling out some cans of beef stew.
“What’s that one that’s worse than vegetarian?” Gazzy wrinkled his nose.
“Vegan,” I answered him. “Let’s crank those babies open.” I rummaged for an opener.
“Look, they even have some dog food!” the Gasman said, holding up a paper sack.
Total looked at him. “You’re kidding me, right?”
The fridge had some actual fresh food in it—cheese and apples. Jam. Butter.
“Oh, pig heaven,” Nudge breathed.
Ari had a hard time eating—he had ruined his mouth. I didn’t say anything. We all make choices, and we all have to live with them.
Have you thought about your choices lately, Max? asked the Voice. Are you making choices for the greater good or just for yourself ?
Nothing like a disembodied voice inside your head to dull your appetite. Clearly I’m not making choices just for myself, I thought acidly. If I were, I’d be reading a good book in a comfy hammock. Someplace warm.
“What did that guy mean, that China wanted to use us as weapons?” Iggy asked, pouring half a box of cereal into a bowl. Without spilling any.
“I don’t know.” I frowned. “I guess we could be spies? We couldn’t carry heavy arms or anything. I mean, who knows what those head cases have cooked up? Probably moronic stuff, like us duct-taped to a bomb, programming it at the last second or something.”
Gazzy laughed, and I looked around, thinking, My flock is together and safe. For now.
Well, my flock and Ari, the walking circus sideshow. And a talking dog. But still.
“Can I talk to you?” Fang was standing over me, his body radiating tension.
Oh, great. “Can it wait?” I ate the last piece of canned ravioli, then scraped the can with my fork.
“No.”
I debated it, but there was really no ignoring Fang when he was like that. Sighing, I pushed back my chair and stalked outside. On the porch, I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Okay, let’s have it out,” I said, trying not to show that he was upsetting me.
“Choose now,” he spat, his eyes practically shooting sparks. “Me or him.”
59
“Gosh, Fang, you romantic fool,” I said sarcastically. “How incredibly sexist-pig of you.”
He snorted in exasperation but didn’t look as dumb doing it as you’d think. “Not as a boyfriend, you idiot! I meant as a member of this flock! God, full of yourself, aren’t you? I mean, either he goes or I go. I’m not going to stay while you let someone who’s tried to kill both of us, more than once, stay!”
“I know if I think about it, I’ll figure that sentence out,” I snapped. “But I don’t have to choose between you! People change, Fang. Face it, he helped save our lives. He worked with Angel. And while we were there, he let me in on some of the stuff going on at the School.”
“Yeah, and I’m sure he had no ulterior motive for that! I’m sure he’s not wired, not tracking us, not telling everyone where we are right this second! I’m sure seven years of brainwashing and training just wore off once you batted your eyes at him!”
I gaped at him. “He’s seven years old, you jerk! And I’m not batting my eyes at anyone! Not you, not him, not anyone! He doesn’t even think like that!”
I’d never seen Fang so angry. His lips were pressed tightly together, and the skin around his mouth was white.
“And I’m sure you’re making the biggest mistake of your life!” he shot back. Years of living in hiding, flying under the radar both literally and figuratively, meant that even now, when we were both spitting fire, our voices were low, pitched to reach only each other. “Ari’s a killer!” Fang said. “He’s toxic! They’ve polluted him and screwed him up so much he can’t even think. He’s a total liability, and you’re out of your mind if you think it’s fine that he’s here!”
I hesitated. He was my right-hand man, my best friend, the one who always, always had my back. He’d die to save me, and I’d throw myself in front of a train for him without a second’s thought.
“Okay,” I said slowly, rubbing my temples. “I really think he’s changed, and his expiration date is gonna kick in soon, anyway. But I know his being here is bumming everyone out.”
“You picked up on that, huh, Sherlock?”
My eyes blazed. “I’m trying to meet you halfway, nimrod! I was going to say let me think about it. In the meantime, I’ll keep an eagle eye on him. First sign of anything suspicious, I’ll kick his butt out myself. Okay?”
Fang stared at me in disbelief. “Are you nuts? Did they finally send you around the bend? Ari needs to go now!”
“He doesn’t have anywhere else to go! He helped us, remember? They’re not gonna let him back in. Plus, I keep telling you, he’s only seven years old, no matter how big he is. How’s he gonna survive?”
“I don’t give a crap,” Fang said icily. “I’m fine with him not surviving at all. Remember this?” He yanked up his shirt to show the pink lines of his healed scars, the ones from when Ari had sliced him up like a tenderloin and almost made him bleed to death.
I shuddered just thinking about that awful day. “I remember,” I said quietly. “But I can’t just kick him out into the cold with no place to go, no way to survive. Not knowing that the whitecoats will be gunning for him now. It’s only for a few days—just till he expires.”
It felt weird saying it like that. Like retire. Expire. All different words for die. He was seven years old and wasn’t going to live to see eight.
And his first seven years had sucked, big-time.
Fang poked me hard in the chest.
“Hey!” I said.
He leaned very close, several inches taller than me, and got right in my face. But this time he didn’t kiss me.
“You’re making your worst mistake,” he snarled. “And it’s gonna cost you. You’ll see.”
With that, he turned and jumped off the porch, not even hitting the ground before his wide, dark wings took him soundlessly into the night.
60
You are reading Fang’s Blog. Welcome!
Today’s date: Already Too Late!
You are visitor number: 28,772,461
TO EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE
WARNING
HEADS-UP
EVIL SCIENTISTS WILL END LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
And even as we don’t know it.
I know what it’s called now, folks. It’s called the Re-Evolution Plan. And the By-Half Plan. We got out of the School (anyone who wants to bomb them, feel free). Now we’re in hiding, ha ha. While we were there, we found out that the plan is to basically KILL anyone with any kind of disease or weakness. The only people left will be perfectly healthy and have useful skills. So everyone bone up on something useful! Or go into hiding. And if you have the sniffles, crawl under a rock and don’t come out.
What would be useful, you ask? I’ve made a chart.
USEFUL NOT USEFUL
Plumber Politician
Carpenter Publicist
Boat builder Art history buff
Farmer Celebrity chef
Sanitation crew Interior designer
Cattle rancher Pet psychic
Scientist Celebrity rock/pop/hip-hop star
Military Teen idol
Medical personnel Life coach
So this would be a good time to examine your career goals.
Last time I checked, more than 28 million people had hit this blog. Way to go, people. Save yourselves. Save your brothers and sisters. Don’t let the whitecoats get you.
And if you see any flying kids, keep your mouth shut.
—Fang, from somewhere in America
61
I was shaking after Fang and I fought. It’s not that we never fought—we did all the time. But not like this. Thi
s was the maddest I’d ever seen him. After he took off, I stayed outside a minute, until I could paste a fake smile on my face. No sense in worrying the others.
When I went back inside, the flock and Ari and Total were all sprawled on the furniture or floor. They had that glazed look that comes from getting all the food you want, for once. I examined Ari. He was in a chair by himself. None of the others were anywhere near him. His clothes were still covered in blood.
I raided a closet and threw a flannel shirt at him. He looked up in surprise. “Thanks.”
“Okay, who wants first watch?” I said.
“Where’s Fang?” Gazzy asked.
“He went out for a while. He’ll be back,” I said shortly. Of course he would be back.
“I’ll take first watch,” Ari said.
I made an executive decision. “No, that’s okay. I’ll do it. The rest of you get some sleep.” I didn’t meet Ari’s eyes.
While the others slept, I went through the fridge and pantry and took everything that wouldn’t spoil and wasn’t too heavy. I repacked all of our packs and set them close to the door. I walked around silently, turning off lights, then went outside and flew up onto the snow-covered roof.
I perched by the brick chimney, which radiated heat.
Everything was quiet.
Ages later, Fang returned. I tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. I hadn’t been that worried, anyway. He flew up, saw me, and landed, flapping his wings for balance as he tried to find a place on the roof.
None of us are real big with the apologies, the heartfelt hugs. I glanced at him, then went back to keeping watch, doing regular 360 scans, listening, waiting.
“Twenty-eight million people have clicked on the blog,” he said.
Good Lord. “Huh.”
“I’m putting everything I know about what’s going on out there,” he went on. “Maybe if enough people get a heads-up, they can stop whatever’s happening.”
Stopping it is your job, Max.
Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports Page 10