Story time!

[le Dawnz]

The people totally convinced of the whole FangxIggy thing have an explanation for Fang's thing with Max: He's "experimenting" with his sexuality. -rolls eyes- Yeah, sure he is.

I know he's just being protective, but he's so annoying when he's being mean! -sticks tongue out at Jack-

[{ tessa }]

ew, Iggy and Fang? Lol people will come up with anything in these fandoms.

I just wanted to say that you have all of these characters completely nailed Rox. its really impressive! I could see Jack having that EXACT reaction. he loved (loves?) Irina and then she played him, and hed do almost anything to keep Syd from making that same mistake.

and I cant waaait for Ella to really get in this story!! we gotta know what she's been through! and I love how Fang completely understands Max & doesn't try to patronize her or anything. theyre so perfect for each other!

[Roxie !]

Experimenting with his sexuality? Oh ooookay. Sure. xDDD People are so strange sometimes. -shakes head-

Aww thanks Tessa! Yeah, I know. They're such a disfunctional-but-loveable little SpyFam. xD Remember when everyone used to call 'em Spy Daddy, Spy Mommy, and Spy Barbie? -giggle-

And I know, Max totally needs someone who wouldn't hold her back. And Fang needs someone who doesn't gush all over him. They really are soulmates!

[Roxie !]

Title Broken Wings.
Author: Moi.
Rating: PG-13ish for violence and language.
Fandom: Maximum Ride / Alias
Pairings: Max x Fang, Sydney x Vaughn, Ella x Iggy, and possible Irina x Jack.
Chapter Summary: Syd has a plan to get back on the Espinosa case. And Irina reveals why she's so afraid of the School.
Notes: Lol, this chapter is very mother-daughter-y. What can I say, I was influenced by Martina McBride songs and Gilmore Girls. Even though Sydney and Irina's relationship is about as far from Rory and Lorelai's as it's possible to get. xD Sorry if this chapter seems a bit sappy or anything.


I couldn’t help feeling betrayed as Dixon gave me one last, sad look, and walked away. I’d always been able to count on him. But he wasn’t my partner anymore; he was the director of the CIA, and he had responsibilities. Anyway, it wasn’t his fault. Not really. It was my father’s.

I stared at him with all the contempt I could muster through my hurt and confusion. “I did what I had to do, Dad.” I told him quietly. “I did it for those kids. I did it to stop Anna. And you act like I’m some sort of criminal.”

He glared at me coldly. “Sydney, your stubbornness last night put everyone’s lives in danger. Trusting information from such an unreliable source was reckless and stupid.” He lectured icily.

“Unreliable source?” I repeated dubiously. I couldn’t stand the tone of brisk irritation in his voice, like I was just some desk worker who was pestering him too much. “Mom has never intentionally put my life at risk. You know that better than anyone.”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “Irina Derevko is blinded by her obsession with Rambaldi’s works. She was clearly using you to gain intelligence on Anna’s project.” He snapped.

“Really?” I put my hands on her hips, knowing that he wouldn’t miss my sarcasm. “That makes sense. Is that why she practically handed the kids and herself over to the CIA?”

When my father spoke again, his voice was raised sharply. “Doesn’t this seem familiar to you? She has allowed herself to be captured before, only to achieve her own personal endgame!”

“And then she tried to help us by giving us information on Sloane!”

“Why are you so keen to defend her?”

“…I’m not.” I shook my head quickly. “I’m trying to defend my reasons for letting her help us on that mission. And you know that. You didn’t take me off the case because I broke protocol.” Even as I spoke, I realized the truth. “You took me off the case because you’re angry with me for going to Mom for help instead of you.”

For a long moment, he stared at me. I could have sworn that I saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes, but before I could be sure, a commotion behind me broke things off. I turned around and saw Max, Fang, and the rest gathered around the girl we had rescued. She was awake. I glanced at my dad, stunned, and then headed over.

“Ella?” Max was saying, very softly. “Ella, it’s me. Max.”

Ella, who had initially looked panicked, was now staring at her sister in recognition. “Max?” She breathed, looking stunned. “Max…you gotta get out of here! They—“

“Hey, whoa.” Iggy stepped forward and interrupted her. “It’s okay, Ella. You’re safe now.” He reassured her.

She looked at him and seemed to relax, if only a little. “Where am I?”

“CIA headquarters.” Max replied promptly. “You’re with the good guys. At least, I think so.”

“No way.” Ella looked around, wide-eyed. She got up and attempted to move, but then winced as her wings cramped awkwardly.

Max shook her head sadly. “God. What did they do to you?”

Ella definitely looked as though she did not want to talk about it. “It..it’s a long story. I…where’s Mom? Is she okay?”

“I think so.” Max replied slowly. “We don’t know where she is. We’re trying.”

For a moment, Ella fell silent. She stared at the ground, and I could see that tears had sprung to her eyes. “I can’t believe so much has happened. It feels like a really, really bad dream.” She confessed softly.

Max sighed. She looked as stressed as I felt. “Ella…you’ve gotta tell us what happened to you.”

“Wait.” Fang said suddenly. “We should get out of here. We’re all tired…and Angel’s not out of the woods yet.” He glanced at the six-year-old, who made a valiant attempt to beam at him reassuringly. “Could this story wait for the safehouse?”

It was slowly agreed upon. Iggy helped Ella up, still supporting her mostly as she tried to walk a few steps. Max turned to me, and paused for awhile.

“Sydney?” She said eventually. “…Well, you know. Thanks.”

I smiled weakly at her. “Hey, look. We’re gonna get Anna. I’m not giving up on you guys yet.” I promised.

Max looked as if she wasn’t sure whether or not she could believe me, but eventually she smiled. I waved good-bye to the rest of the Flock, and watched with a melancholy twinge as they were escorted out the door. I let out a long sigh. It was time to go home.

--

“Good evening, residents of 147 Lowtree Road! In honor of the homecoming of the ever-elusive Sydney Bristow, I present to you: the ultimate movie night!”

“Will. Dude. Sit down.” Francie rolled her eyes and threw a kernel of popcorn at the, yes, full grown man who apparently had the mentality of a ten year old, who was standing barefoot on our living room couch.

“Okay, jeez!” Will held up his hands in defeat and seated himself. “Don’t get violent.”

I couldn’t help but smile at their bickering. I had to admit, I really needed some time to relax.

Francie turned to me expectantly. “So! We have popcorn, enough candy to rot our teeth, and three different movies. Worth coming home to?”

“Definitely. Thanks, Fran.” I answered.

Will cleared his throat.

I laughed. “You too, Will.” It felt good being with them, but I couldn’t get the past week out of my head. Why couldn’t I just let myself forget work and enjoy life, just for once?

Will grabbed the remote. “Okay. Can we start?” He asked.

“Hold on.” I held up a finger apologetically. “I want to change out of these clothes real fast.” I got up a little more abruptly than I intended to—and it must have showed, because out of the corner of my eye, I saw Francie and Will exchange a glance. But they let me walk out of the room without saying anything. The truth was, I just needed a minute. Since I got home, I hadn’t had a chance to really sort out my thoughts.

I headed into my room and spent a moment more or less scowling at my reflection, before opening my drawer in search of some pajamas. I shuffled through my clothes idly, and then…I could have sworn I felt something hard and smooth. Curiously, I pulled the drawer open a little wider and pushed some clothes aside. There, in the bottom of the drawer of old cloths / things to wear during movie nights and other couch-potato affairs, was a tiny, black picture book.

“I forgot I even had this.” I whispered to myself, picking it up and sitting down on my bed. I opened it up and smiled, flipping through pages of a younger me on a tricycle, my old dog Rusty, my best friend from preschool, and then…it took me a second to recognize the people in the last photo. Mainly because they were all smiling so genuinely. It was a picture of me, Jack, and Irina.

We were at the beach—a vacation I remembered clearly. I couldn’t have been more than five at the time. I was grinning mischievously, clinging to my dad’s shoulders as he gave me a piggyback ride. He had this look of pure happiness on his face, this gentle smile that I’d rarely seen before. And then, my look of mischief was due to my pouring a handful of sand all over my mother. But she didn’t look angry…she was laughing brightly, and holding my dad’s hand as we all walked along.

God, we were so happy back then. It hurt, because I knew we’d never have that again.

“Hey Syd!” a voice suddenly called from the doorway. I jumped, startled, until I saw Francie peering into the room. “Your phone is ringing like crazy. You might wanna…” She trailed off upon seeing my expression. “Syd? What’s wrong?”

I couldn’t bring myself to answer her. With a sigh, Francie entered the room and sat down next to me on the bed. She spotted the picture right away, and gasped. “Oh! I’m so sorry—god, I completely forgot. And we were trying to get you to have movie night…gosh, I’m such a freak.” She ranted.

I was so surprised that all I could do was stare at her until she clarified. “I should have remembered. It’s the anniversary of your mom’s death.”

“…Oh.” Wow. It felt so strange to have completely forgotten the one day of the year that had usually affected me so much. But this year, learning the truth changed everything. I shook my head. “It’s not a big deal Francie, I wasn’t moping. Just…thinking.” I finished lamely.

She looked from me to the picture again. “Hey, if it helps? My family never looked that happy. Even when I was six.”

I half-smiled, trying to get my mind off things. “You never really told me about your mom.” I commented.

Francie shrugged. “Yeah, well, you met her once. Remember?”

“Yep.” I laughed at the memory. “When she came here for Christmas that time. And Will spilled the eggnog all over her…what did she call him?”

“A bleach-blonde beach whore.” Francie said, and we both cracked up. “She’s always been like that,” continued Francie, clearly trying to cheer me up. “When I like, wouldn’t do my homework or something, she used to hide the car keys. And my dad, who was usually so lenient about everything, would freak out on me because she wouldn’t give them to him either.”

It took a minute for me to actually register her words. I blinked. Froze. And then, slowly, looked down at the picture again. “…Oh my god.”

“I know.” Snorted Francie. “She was something.”

“No…” I looked up at her again, grinning slowly with realization. Then, without warning, I threw my arms around her. “Francie, you’re a genius!”

“Okay,” Francie said slowly. “Just remember that next time you’re arguing with me over splitting the bills!”

--

It was ten at night, but the CIA rotunda was still as busy as ever. I walked silently up to the guard and flashed my ID. “I want to see the prisoner.” I said, all business.

He looked at me doubtfully. I raised my eyebrows at him. “Please.” I added impatiently.

“Alright.” He finally nodded in agreement. “But be quick.”

And then the sets of metal bar gates were lifting, and I was being shown into our holding facility. I walked down the hall I had gone through so many times before with a new air of purpose. I was going to be the one to hide the car keys in this situation…so to speak.

The thick, bullet-proof glass that separated each cell gleamed as I approached. I peered into the room on the other side, and saw my mother. She was standing with her arms crossed, surveying the back wall of the cell blankly. I cleared my throat, and she immediately turned to face me.

“I didn’t expect you to visit me so soon.” Was all Irina said, in an almost conversational tone. When I said nothing, she came a bit closer. “Of course, they’re moving me tomorrow. But you must know that.”

I didn’t, actually. But I didn’t have to guess to know that it was my dad’s doing. “Where to?” I asked.

Irina smiled slightly. “As far away from you as possible, if I know your father. To be tried in court.”

I shook my head and sighed. “Mom. You have information they need. I know you do. I know you know more about the School, and what Anna’s doing, than what you’re letting on.” I pressed her, searching carefully for any signs of deceit.

Brushing her hair behind her ear, Irina tilted her head. “You’re suggesting that I bargain my information for my sentence.” It wasn’t a question, and her tone suggested that she’d already considered this option.

I glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and then leaned closer to the glass. “Not exactly. I’m suggesting you help both of us by giving me the information. So I can prove you’re right.” She simply blinked at me, so I continued. “I won’t let them hurt you, Mom. But I need some kind of leverage because…” I took a breath. “Because Dad took me off the case. And if he thinks I’m going to sit back and let someone else handle this…” I trailed off before my anger became too evident.

Irina considered me for a moment. “It’s never a good idea to become too personally involved in these things, Sydney.” She chided gently. “You’re very stubborn.”

“Yeah. I wonder where I got that from.”

“And what makes you think I’d want you on this case any more than your father would?”

I took a deep breath. “Look. I’m asking you for a favor.”

“Yes. And we’ve been over this before.” My mother sighed. “I’ve already explained why I don’t want you getting involved in this any further than you are already.”

“No, you haven’t.” I tried to keep my voice calm, but it shook noticeably. I was sick of these secrets. I was sick of her trying to hold me back without even bothering to tell me why. “Mom, our relationship is based on lies and secrets. I can’t do this anymore. I need you to tell me what you’re so afraid of.”

Irina looked at me almost sadly, though it was hard to tell for sure. “Even if I told you, I don’t see how it would fix anything.” She responded heavily.

“It would help me understand so much more about the School. It’s a start on everything we need to know.” I insisted earnestly. “And…it would help me trust you. No more secrets.”

For a moment, she hesitated. She didn’t exactly look convinced that a ‘no more secrets’ policy would be very effective—I wasn’t so sure myself. Too much had happened. But if it would get her to tell me everything, then I was going to go with it.

She closed her eyes and took a breath. I waited in silence as she considered; something told me not to press her again. When she spoke, I could barely hear her. “I’m not proud of…of what I did. But when I left you and your father all those years ago, the KGB was…impressed with the results of my mission.” I tried not to scowl, and she avoided my eyes.

“They immediately decided that they wanted me on another undercover job. I was ordered to infiltrate the School, to collect information on their experiments.”

“Why?” I asked slowly. “What did the KGB want with their research?”

Irina shrugged. “To use it as some kind of advanced weapon, no doubt. I worked there for a little over a year, passing along everything I learned to the KGB the whole time. And then…I was caught. A lower level scientist figured me out—Andres Karkov. He wasn’t much to the School; he’d never really achieved everything. But he was ambitious. He knew that by turning me in, he could raise his own rank. I was certain he was going to expose me as a KGB agent.”

“And did he?” I prompted, wondering where this was going.

My mother sighed. “No. He did worse. He researched my past assignments…and found out about you.” She broke off, looking uncharacteristically upset as she struggled to find her voice again. “I don’t expect you to believe me when I tell you this, Sydney, but after I left…there was always a part of me that was still Laura Bristow. I kept pictures of…of my time here in America. Karkov found them. He threatened to use them as proof. School employees were expected to dedicate themselves to their work—they were expected to sacrifice their own children to the cause. If it was discovered that I hid you from them, they would have killed me; they would have probably killed Jack…and then they would have come after you.”

I couldn’t say anything in response, literally. I couldn’t find my voice.

“I didn’t know what I could do.” Irina bit her lip. “I was trapped. But then Jeb Batchelder found out what was going on. He killed Karkov…”

“Jeb Batchelder killed—” I started, but Irina broke me off.

“Yes. And helped me to escape. I promised him a favor after that happened—I helped him get his daughter and her friends out of another branch of the School when he asked.” She looked at me again, this time with slight curiosity. “The children you were helping. Sydney…I’d come so close to losing my daughter to those people. I didn’t want it to happen again. That’s the only reason I tried to keep you from them.” Irina looked at me pleadingly.

I couldn’t even imagine going through what Ella must have gone through. But I almost had. It was so hard to believe…but somehow, I had a feeling that Irina was being genuine this time. I swallowed, almost choking as I tried to keep my eyes from watering. “Mom…” I whispered uncertainly. Part of me wanted to thank her, and part of me still felt betrayed. I didn’t know what to think. Irina seemed to understand, because she simply shook her head to signal that words weren’t necessary.

I took a breath to steady myself. “…Listen…Anna is continuing the School’s experiments. We can’t let this happen to anyone else. We can’t. If what you’re telling me is the truth, then we have just as much reason as anyone else to want to stop them.”

Irina smiled at me slightly. “You really are so much like your father.” She commented, and then paused. I could tell that what she was about to say was against her better judgment. “I’ll tell you what you need to know. But Sydney? If this gets you reassigned to Espinosa’s case, I need you to promise me something.”

“What?” I asked suspiciously. At this point, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But my mother only gave me another long, searching look.

“That you’ll be careful.”

[{ tessa }]

AWWWW!! Irina! you gotta love her! I love how you gave that whole back story thing. it really connected the two fandoms together and made it seem real. & I was super geeked you put Francie and Will in it!!! lol

[Roxie !]

I have to admit, writing a teeny bit of Francie and Will stuff was a nice break. There's this lack of tension, and this goofiness that comes with writing them that feels really good. xD It's like rping Jitterpaw. I do that when I need something to make me feel happy. And I'm really glad you liked the back story thing. I wasn't sure if that made complete sense...xD

Oh! Shameless plug here. I recently finished another story on fanfiction.net. It's pretty short, and it's more of a character study than an actual plot-filled story, but I'm actually really proud of how it turned out(which is rare xD). It's called Free Fall - www.fanfiction.net/s/5387258/1/Free_Fall

[{ tessa }]

Lol yea I know what you mean. comic relief!

ooo and that story is beautiful!! It almost made me cry lol

[Roxie !]

xD Tess, it almost made me cry writing it! Particularly the second, third, and last chapters. We are such saps.

Title: Broken Wings.
Author: Moi.
Rating: PG-13ish for violence and language.
Fandom: Maximum Ride / Alias
Pairings: Max x Fang, Sydney x Vaughn, Ella x Iggy, and possible Irina x Jack.
Chapter Summary: Back at the safe house, the Flock listens to Ella's story, and Angel finally gets her cure. Will it work?
Notes: Sorry about this chapter...the best word to describe it is...well, "filler". Actually, the next few chapters will probably kind of be like this. But they WILL probably be fluffy and luuurve-filled. So yay! xD But there IS something big in the works, so keep a sharp eye out...everything is not what it seems -creepy twilight zone music-



We took Ella back to the place we were temporarily calling home, and for awhile, things seemed to run pretty smoothly. At least Angel was happy, something she hadn’t been since she was attacked. Because as luck would have it, the minute we walked in the safe house door, and old friend was there to see us.

“TOTAL!” Angel saw him before anyone else did, and pushed past me to hug the little black dog. His tail was wagging madly as he covered Angel’s face was doggy-kisses. I winced and put on a face that pretty clearly warned him not to even try any of that with me.

“Reunited at last!” Total cried dramatically. Yes, he can talk. What did you expect? “I thought you guys had abandoned me!”

Iggy rolled his sightless eyes. “Oh, yeah, Total. We just left you without a word. We weren’t, you know, in trouble or anything.” He snarked. Total looked indignant.

“How would I know?” He asked, already a bit irritable. “I did try to find you guys, but being a…well, member of the canine species, my resources are pretty limited.”

Angel scratched his ear, beaming. “That’s okay, Total. We’re sorry we scared you!”

While Angel and Gazzy filled the dog in, I helped Ella over to the couch and set her down. “How are you feeling?” I asked my sister, looking at her closely.

Ella tried to smile. “I’m fine. Great, actually. This…this isn’t so bad.” She looked at her wings, but I could hear the forced optimism in her voice. Why did this have to happen to her? When you had wings, people like the guys from the School pretty much pegged you as a target. For the Flock, being hunted was a way of life. Our instincts were perfected to survive. But Ella…Ella didn’t know that life. She wasn’t cut out for this. But how could I protect her?

“Ella,” I said again, staring at her earnestly. “I really need to know what happened to you. Can you talk about it?”

As Fang and Iggy came over and seated themselves nearby, Ella looked slightly hesitant. But I could see how determined she was to reveal the truth. It didn’t take long for her to build up the nerve.

“Yeah. I think so.” Ella frowned, concentrating. “A lot of it is kind of blurry. But I remember…I remember being with Mom. She was getting really stressed out, because those people who took me were pressuring her about her research. I don’t know what they told her, but she seemed scared. But we never thought they would actually try to hurt us...”

I was afraid to push her, because she already seemed pretty freaked out. It was like she was scared she’d get hurt if she revealed what she had learned. But before I could say anything, Iggy spoke up. He was good at sensing people’s emotions, in a way.

“It’s okay, Ella.” He said quietly. “You can talk to us. Those guys aren’t gonna hurt you again.”

She looked at him, surprised, and then looked back at me for reassurance. I nodded encouragingly.

“T-they got me. When I was coming home from school, they just pulled me into their car. And then…I think they must have drugged me, because I can’t remember anything else except waking up in that place.” Ella shivered. “For the first couple of days, they just kept me there. They kept asking me these weird questions about Mom, and her research…and you, Max. They knew I was your sister!”

I felt my stomach drop. I had a sinking feeling that I definitely had something to do with Ella’s abduction. I could have stopped this. But I didn’t.

“And then,” She went on, a little louder. “They started asking me random stuff. Like my medical history, and my blood type…and they put a bunch of stuff in me. Drugs. I think they were testing them? But I dunno…I can’t really remember much after that. All I can remember is waking up, and seeing you guys, and realizing that I had—had—“ Ella broke off, but I think we all knew what she was going to say.

I wasn’t good with this sappy, emotional stuff, but I knew how serious this was. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” I told her gently. “And I’m sorry we didn’t help you sooner. But I promise we’re gonna find Anna. And we’re gonna find out why she did this to you.”

Ella looked bewildered. “How are you going to do that? You said before that even the CIA didn’t know where she was!” She pointed out anxiously.

Iggy stood up. “The CIA’s afraid of breaking a few rules. We’re not.” He responded, sounding amused. “Are you hungry, by the way?”

Beaming, Ella nodded. “Yeah, starved!” She added, realizing that Iggy couldn’t see her gesture. “Do you think I could help you cook?”

“If you’re up for it.” Iggy sounded slightly surprised, but not displeased. “Come on.”

I watched him help her up, and smiled as they headed into the kitchen together, chatting still.

Fang smirked. “Sure. Now he’s a gentleman.”

I gave him a playful shove. “Yeah. Maybe you should take a leaf out of his book?” I teased.

He pretended to think about it for a moment. “Nah. I think it would ruin my charm.”

I rolled my eyes and grinned good-naturedly, but was then distracted by Nudge skidding our way.

“You guys!” She gasped dramatically, as if she’d just been running a marathon. “Those agents finally clued in to the fact that we need to like, entertain ourselves in here! Look!” And she held out a tiny white iPod for our inspection.

“Wow, really?” I looked at it, admittedly a little impressed. “I didn’t think they’d waste the time of day on us.”

Nudge nodded. “I’m gonna go download some songs!” She informed me enthusiastically, before bounding away.

Fang looked after her. “You know, it’s almost like she’s a normal kid.” He commented. I realized he was right. Out of all of us, Nudge had always longed the most for a normal life. I was glad that she was enjoying herself…if only for a little while.

But good things never lasted. I shook my head. “You think we’re getting a little to…I dunno. At home here?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

Fang cast me a glance. “I think they know it’s not permanent. But as soon as Angel gets better, we’ll have to leave. I don’t know if they realize it’s that close at hand.” He observed quietly.

“And then,” I added, “We find Anna, and we take her down. With or without the CIA’s help.”

The silence that followed was this kind of satisfying, agreeing silence. It was one of those moments when I really felt like Fang was my other half.

“How long do you think it’ll take before they’re ready to give Angel the cure?” He asked after a few minutes.

I turned to look at the six-year-old, who was sprawled out on the floor next to Total now, chatting animatedly. “I don’t know.” I admitted. “But I have a feeling we’re going to find out soon.”


--


Sooner than I expected, it turned out. We spent the next day more or less chilling out. Usually, it would have made me pretty restless. But I was tired from our raid on the Estonian labs—we all were. So okay, I was content to sit around for just a day. Sue me.

But the morning after that, things got interesting. It was about eleven in the morning, and I was half-heartedly trying to help the others with a jigsaw puzzle we’d found. It was supposed to be some kind of picture of a horse, I think. It shouldn’t have been hard at all for a couple of mutant kids, except for the fact that Iggy and Gazzy kept arguing over every piece that anyone tried to lay down.

I think they were just bored. I sighed and turned to stare at the door, spacing out almost immediately. I knew what was behind that door; the stone-faced CIA guards who were meant to be protecting us. Not only that, but in Sydney’s absence they kept coming in to ‘check’ on us. I mean, whatever. It was creepy, and truth be told I didn’t trust any of them. They never really said anything to us, let alone gave us any helpful information about what was going on. But today, I decided that we’d waited long enough. I was going to interrogate the next agent to step foot in this house if it killed me.

The Flock generally approved of my plan, but no one else seemed as on-edge as I was. I kept on glancing at the door, willing it to open. And then, miraculously, it did. I blinked, and recognized the agent who came in as a surprisingly non-stone-faced freak.

“Agent Vaughn!” Angel called, being the second to see him. The rest of the Flock turned towards the door.

Agent Vaughn nodded at us with a smile. “Hey guys. Sorry it took me so long to come fill you in, but there’s been a few…developments.”

I tensed. “What kind of developments?” I asked at once, automatically fearing the worst. “Is it about the cure?” I swear, if we’d gone through all of that for nothing, I was going to throw something.

But Agent Vaughn shook his head. “No, the cure’s legit! Actually, we just brought it over—but because of the deal that’s been made—well, it’s a long story.”

“Deal?” Iggy said, fixing his sightless gaze on the agent.

Agent Vaughn smiled mysteriously. “I’m sure she’ll fill you in.” He said, turning towards the door.

Before we had a chance to ask any more questions, three more people entered—two generic looking CIA employees, and another familiar face.

“Sydney?” I asked, stunned.

Sydney peered into the room and grinned at us as Fang quipped, “Long time no see.”

Gazzy sprang up to get a better look. “Whoa!” He said, his head tilted in amazement. “But is she—like—are you here for real? Are they letting you come back? How’d you do that?”

“I promise I’ll tell you everything later.” Sydney said hurriedly. “What matters now is that we have a lead on where Anna might be headed next. And we have the cure.” She added, showing us a syringe of clear liquid.

I felt a wave of relief. “Does it work for sure?” I asked her.

“It’s never been tested, so we don’t know exactly what the effects are going to be.” Sydney replied warily. “But if all goes well, Angel should be feeling okay within a week’s time.”

I glanced at the others and grinned, wondering if that would be a few days faster in bird-kid time.

Angel ran over to the agents eagerly. “Can we do it now? I would really like my powers back. Please?” She asked, obviously trying to put on her innocent goody-goody performance. I laughed under my breath.

Sydney nodded, smiling. “Sure we can. You might want to sit down, though.” She suggested, motioning to the couch. We gathered around, and I was practically holding my breath as Angel settled on the couch, looking determined. Sydney sat down next to her and began dabbing at her arm with a cloth Agent Vaughn had handed to her.

I winced, imagining what was coming. I knew Angel didn’t like needles. None of us did, really. She tried to tough it out, but ended up squeezing her eyes closed as she was given the injection.

“There,” Sydney said at last, drawing back. “That was easy, wasn’t it?”

Angel opened one eye. “Can I have a pink band-aid now?”

Sydney grinned and looked at Agent Vaughn. He nodded, amused. “One pink band-aid, coming right up.”


--


“How do you feel?” I asked Angel a few hours later. She looked up at me.

“Not too much different yet. But they said it’d take awhile.” She answered, shrugging. “I can’t wait to fly again, though! I’ve really missed it.”

I smiled and put my arm around her. “I bet.” I said with an inward sigh. It would be okay. The cure would work. It had to. Angel was going to recover, my sister was safe, Sydney was back, and we were getting closer and closer to finding Anna.

I watched from across the room as Iggy and Ella took part in a good-natured argument about something that was happening on the TV. They were cute. But I knew if I ever told Iggy that, he’d probably cover my next meal in lemon juice.

Still, though, I had to admit: for the first time in awhile, life wasn’t sucking that badly.

I had to remind myself, though…it was only a matter of time.

[{ tessa }]

LMAO, yes!! Total!! Angel was cute in this chapter. I'm so glad she got her cure. poor Ella though D=. & it's so typical of Max to be ominous even when things are going well XD. cant wait to see what happens next!!

[Roxie !]

Tee hee yeah. Glad you liked it! But that chapter, and the chapter I'm writing now are kind of stumping me. I'm so bad at writing action-packed stuff, and then suddenly slowing it down. Not that the action's over, or anything ;D. But, gah. Writer's block.

[Roxie !]

Title: Broken Wings.
Author: Moi.
Rating: PG-13ish for violence and language.
Fandom: Maximum Ride / Alias
Pairings: Max x Fang, Sydney x Vaughn, Ella x Iggy, and possible Irina x Jack.
Chapter Summary: Sydney, Vaughn, and the Flock decide to take the afternoon off and get away for a few hours...Alias-style, of course!
Notes: Bwahaha. I had sooo much fun writing the last half of this chapter. It's not even right. xDD And also, what is WITH the fourth season of Alias? I forgot it got so crazy. I just watched that episode where Sydney like. Got turned into a vampire or something.

Also, I realized exactly how ghetto I am today when our sub teacher laughed in this weird, Woody Woodpecker way and the first thing out of my mouth was "SHE KILL'T AS HECK!!" xD I NEED to get out of my school district.





A few days went by, but somehow we weren’t much closer to finding Anna. My mother’s information had led us to one important asset, however: Julian Sark. AKA the British, weasel-y, manipulative criminal that I despised so very much. We’d gone in expecting to find an unknown associate of Anna’s, but instead we found him. I know he has something to do with this. I’m sure of it. The CIA had him in custody, but he wasn’t talking. Literally, he hadn’t said a word.

To say that I was frustrated with the results was an understatement. I think it showed more than I realized, because after various attempts at interrogation, Dixon made a suggestion:

“Maybe you should try talking to him.”

I stared at him blankly over my cup of coffee. “Excuse me?”

“Syd, you’ve dealt with Sark before. You know his loyalties are flexible.” Dixon reasoned calmly.

Scowling, I opened my mouth to retort, before reminding myself of Dixon’s new position. I couldn’t exactly squabble with him anymore. “And you think he’ll listen to me, of all people? Sending me in there is going to endanger my sanity, and his physical health.” I grouched, eyes narrowed.

To my annoyance, Dixon smiled. “Can’t deny that. But out of everyone in this agency, you’ve had the most experience with Anna. You know how likely she is to betray those she works with, and I’m sure you can convince Sark of the same. I have faith in you.”


And that’s how I ended up standing in front of yet another CIA cell. Scratch that, inside of a CIA cell. It was an interrogation, after all. And this time, I was far less than thrilled.

I could hardly stand to see the look on his face move from surprise to mocking amusement. “Sydney Bristow,” He smirked. Some(okay, most) might have found his accent downright sexy, but right now it made every word that slipped from his mouth even more obnoxious. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

I wasn’t going to let him provoke me. “Sark. We’re going to have a little talk about Anna Espinosa.” I told him curtly.

Sark raised an eyebrow. “I would absolutely love to speak with you, Ms. Bristow. Really, I would. But…I’m not quite sure I’ve been offered the proper motivation.”

“How’s this for motivation?” I hissed. I really didn’t have the patience for his games today. “You tell me what you know, and I refrain from knocking a few of your teeth out.”

“Oh. Well, that’s tempting. I’ve always admired your spunk.”

“Are you going to tell me, or not?”

He leaned back against the cell wall. “And what would you like me to say? I’m not sure why you’re under the impression that I would know anything about Anna Espinosa.” He answered haughtily.

“Don’t play dumb!” I snapped instantly, infuriated by his taunting expression. “Listen, Sark…despite what you lead people to believe…you’re not as stupid as you look. You must know that Anna doesn’t have partners—at least, not for long. She’ll betray you the first chance she gets.”

I glared at him, but he merely shrugged. “While I’m flattered that you seem so concerned for my well-being, I must point out that, once again, the CIA is barking up the wrong tree.” Sark leaned slightly closer, his smirk wider than ever. “I can’t tell you anything about Espinosa, Ms. Bristow. But if I were you, I’d keep my pretty neck out of harm’s way. You do have a habit of…endangering others for the sake of your own personal crusades—“

SMACK.

I didn’t even register doing it, but the next moment my hand was drawn back and Sark was rubbing his now reddened cheek, looking mildly surprised. “Your sense of humor isn’t as broad as it usually is.” He observed quietly. “Pity.”

I seriously considered hitting him again, but instead grabbed him roughly by the collar of his worn prison shirt. “I swear to God, if you keep playing games I will make you wish you were dead. Lives are at stake here. Do you think that’s funny?”

Sark merely stared at me, bemused. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the cell door opening, and the next thing I knew I was being gently pulled away from the criminal.

“Sydney, I think you’ve done all you can.” Vaughn was saying softly. “Come on.”

Numbly, I straightened up, even as Sark sneered, “And the cavalry has arrived. Thank goodness.”

Vaughn cast a warning glare at him over my shoulder, but said nothing. Instead, he led me out of the room with a composure I had to admire. Seeing how calm and collected he was, I suddenly felt ashamed. I’d lost control too easily.

“I’m sorry.” I muttered once we were clear. “I…overreacted.”

He shook his head and managed a smile. “I know you’re stressed right now. And let’s face it, the guy’s an ass.” He sounded so disdainful as he said this that I had to laugh. I knew Vaughn was just making excuses for me, but at the same time he was once again proving that I could count on him for support.

We exited the prison hall and walked into the main headquarters. Suddenly, Vaughn turned to me. He seemed like he had something he wanted to say, and I paused curiously to wait for it. But before he could get it out, someone cleared their throat behind us.

Slowly, I turned around to see my father staring at us coolly. He didn’t seem to want to look at me, his eyes shifting to Vaughn, but then he seemed to realize that he didn’t have much of a choice. “How’d the interrogation go?”

I frowned. “Sark’s giving us nothing.” I admitted uncomfortably, well-aware of the chill in the air.

Jack nodded briefly. “Well, that was to be expected.” He replied formally. After an awkward pause, he turned and made to walk away. “I’ll inform Director Dixon—“

“Dad.” I wasn’t sure what made me blurt it out like that, but it made him stop. I stared down at the ground uncomfortably, knowing that his patience wasn’t to be tested. How was I supposed to say this? “…I just wanted to tell you…you were right. I’m getting too emotionally involved in this.” I left out the part about me nearly attacking Sark a few minutes earlier. He’d most likely see it on camera later anyway, and I wasn’t sure I could stand to see the knowing look on his face.

My father narrowed his eyes slightly, contemplating. “Does that mean you’re willing to transfer the case to someone else?” He asked me hesitantly.

I couldn’t help it—I smiled a little. “No. I’m not going to give up. But I’m going to start listening to your advice more often.”

Another short nod. “Well,” Jack sighed. “I suppose that’s a start.” And then, with a grumbled good-bye, he left.

Vaughn shook his head. “You know, he still scares me sometimes.”

I grinned at him. “Yeah. Me too.” I agreed half-jokingly.

Looking around as if he were suddenly afraid of being over-heard, Vaughn hesitated before speaking again. “Look, Syd, like I said...I know you’re stressed out. We all are. But lately, things have been really rough. I was thinking…” Much to my confusion, he seemed to be stumbling over words. “We could all use some time to relax. I was thinking…if we could just find away to get away from it all. Just for a few hours…”

I raised my eyebrows skeptically. “Get away? Now? Vaughn, they’d never let us—“

Vaughn raised his hands. “Just hear me out. I know it sounds crazy, and it might be a long shot, but it’s worth thinking about: I think we should take the kids out.”

For a minute, I was convinced that I had misheard him. I blinked at him dumbly. “…The kids…?”

“Well, didn’t you say they were getting restless?”

“Actually, the word I used was ‘destructive’.” I cut in dryly, remembering that very morning when three plates had been broken during Nudge and Angel’s game of tag. “They’re bored. But we can’t just take them out of the house, Vaughn, you know that! It wouldn’t be safe!”

“Think about it, Sydney.” Vaughn urged, grinning slightly. “After all they’ve been through, they deserve a break. And so do you.”

That was it. He was completely crazy. Either that, or he was in fact, replaced by some kind of death-defying, reckless clone. “No way.” I protested. “How could we…” And then I looked into his eyes, and realized exactly what he was thinking. Oh, god.

“You’re insane.”



---



“Hey!” I snapped my fingers and peered into the ticket window with an over-exaggerated pout. “What’s a girl gotta do around here to get some service?”

“Uh, sorry.” A girl stumbled into view who looked like she was about a year into college, and definitely not happy to be there. “How many?”

“Nine.” I said without missing a beat.

“Nine?” The girl looked doubtful.

Vaughn, now sporting a fake mustache, leaned in behind me. “We got kids, lady. Got a problem?” He snapped.

To make things a little more fun, Iggy and Gazzy decided to chime in.

“Get out of the way, twerp. Oldest first.” Iggy sneered, shoving Gazzy to the side.

Gazzy adopted a look of indignance. “Quit it, Peter! I was here before you!”

“Both of you, knock it off!” I turned around and pretended to glare. “Or neither of you are getting your tickets!”

The girl working the ticket window seemed to have had quite enough. With a look of distinct distaste, she ripped us our tickets (of varying colors) and handed them to Vaughn, who in turn handed her the money.

“I want the pink one!” Nudge announced bossily. “Pink’s my favorite color, and it’s my birthday, so I get to pick!”

I had to admit, they were good at this. I giggled under my breath and led the whole crew into the amusement park.

“This is gonna be great!” Ella beamed around at the various rides. “I’ve actually never been here before.” Back at the safehouse, she’d still seemed kind of tired, but she made it clear that she wasn’t going to miss this for the world.

Iggy kept pace beside her. “Hey, Ella, we should find a dunking booth and volunteer Fang.” He suggested, grinning.

Without turning around, Fang responded. “I heard that.”

“This is so cool!” Gazzy blurted suddenly. “Especially these wigs. I wish I could’ve had the clown one, though.”

“Sorry,” I replied, hiding a smile. “I just don’t think you would have blended in very well wearing that.”

As you might have guessed, both the Flock and Vaughn and I had come to the park in disguise—the Flock’s complete with clothes that hid their wings. Our cover? A big, noisy, obnoxious family from New Jersey. It was just crazy enough to work.

“Okay,” Max said slowly. She and Fang seemed to be the only ones out of all the kids to be able to keep their heads. She remained stubbornly cynical, but I could tell she was glad to be out of the safehouse for awhile. “If this is gonna work, we need to stay together. So that means compromising, guys.” She added, casting a warning glance at the younger members.

Angel smiled innocently as Max’s gaze came to rest on her. “Sounds goods. We’ll take turns picking rides! But youngest first!”

Gazzy opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it upon seeing Max’s expression.

“Let’s ride the Ferris Wheel.” Angel decided immediately, pointing towards it.

“You know,” Vaughn muttered in awe as we followed them. “At Angel’s age, you would have never got me on a Ferris Wheel. I was terrified of heights.”

I smirked sarcastically at him. “Hmm. I wonder why she isn’t?”

“No idea.”

I laughed, before remembering what I originally had wanted to say to him. “Vaughn? Thanks for this. You were right…we needed this.”

He smiled at me. “You’re welcome.” He answered quietly.

“Guys, come on.” Angel called from ahead. “Before all the good cars are taken!”

Vaughn nodded in her direction. “Sounds like an emergency.” He commented, quickening his pace.

I shook my head, amused, and followed.

[/size]

[{ tessa }]

SARRRRK!!!! *drools over Sark* lol I love how you threw him in there! and that last part was the best thing ever!! I can just picture them doin New Jersey accents. But it was really sweet too. & Iggy trying to volunteer Fang for a dunking booth = WIN!! lmao

& rotfl at that killt as heck thing! XD Im going to say that to you all the time now. and If you think the vampire thing was bad, what about Nadia turning into that zombie thing and almost killing Syd??