Story time!

[le Dawnz]

First of all, killt as heck? What the hell? Secondly, vampire thing? Zombie thing? KILLING SYD? Wow this show is weird. Thirdly, that last part was just totally awesome. Iggy and Gazzy being all "Move twerp!" "I was here first! Stop being a meanie!" "Let's volunteer Fang for the dunk tank!" "I heard that." xDDD I love the Flock. And Vaughn being all "We got kids, lady. Got a problem?" And I totally loved the part where you said "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." Dude it's true. It is so much easier to sound obnoxious or snooty with an accent, but accents are also totally sexy. Loved this chapter! ^^

Oh, by the way, I finally finally FINALLY started writing the next chapter in my MRFF. I'm sorry it took so long! Hopefully it'll be done by Monday. (No school! Yay! ^^ -does cabbage patch dance-)

Oh! And Tess, I totally love you for your name. I know it's been that way for a while, but I forgot to tell you. LOVE that song.
Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world. Took the midnight train goin' anywhere... DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'! HOLD ON TO THAT FEEEEELIN'! xD

[Roxie !]

Tessa - xD Greeeaat! And DUDE I forgot about Nadia. What the EFF. Okay, let's count how many people Sydney has lost BECAUSE OF SLOANE. Danny, who he ordered to be killed and left in the bathtub(nice xD). Francie, who he arranged to be killed and replaced with a frickin doppleganger. Will, who...basically left because Sloane was trying to kill him. Nadia, who it was Sloane's fault got brainwashed in the FIRST place, and then he goes and SHOOTS HER(to save Syd, but still). Irina, who...well, she was working with Sloane, and that's why she died. And Jack, who died to STOP Sloane once and for all. I HATE THAT GUY!! And besides, he looks like a T-REX. EW, and while we're talking about Jack, what were the writers ON?! HOW COULD THEY KILL HIM!? OR IRINA?! THEY WERE THE BEST FREAKIN CHARACTERS ON THAT FREAKIN SHOW!UGH. ...wow, sorry, that got rant-y. xP Realize that I've been holding this in since like. 2007. or whenever it ended.


Dawnie- xDD The kill't as heck thing...don't ask. It's just a really ghetto way of calling someone like...messed up or weird. xD And the zombie thing is a REALLY, REALLY long story..season four of Alias was just completely strange like that. I have no idea why. And LMFAO, I totally love Iggy and Gazzy. And I love writing them. Especially in this chapter, where you know they deff went completely over-the-top just because they could.

and GOOD!!! I can't even LOOK at that thread anymore because I'm like "OH MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!!" xDDD I realize that I totally should have known you wouldn't kill Fang, but I did NOT see that coming...I'm probably saying this for the millionth time. xD. I can't wait for an update!

...Oh Snap. Now that song's stuck in my head! Man, the Glee pilot was so good. I wish more of the episodes would be like that..

[{ tessa }]

I KNOW!! if Syd would have never met Sloane her life woulda been sooo much easier. lol well obviously. she wouldnt even be a spy at all! but then she would have never met Vaughn...OR Irina or Nadia actually. wait didnt Elena brainwash Nadia? remember Nadia gets captured and then Elena injected her with that stuff that made her flip out.

oh and thanks Dawnie!!! I love that song too! and Glee! the pilot was the best, but I think the other episodes are cute too.

[Roxie !]

Oh yeah I know! But the reason Elena was able to do that was because Sloane had given Nadia that weird Rambaldi stuff in season 3(?) that made her prone to the injection that Elena gave her...right? Or am I confusing myself? Maybe I just wanna blame Sloane for everything. Man, season four might have been weird, but at least it was good. I hate season three >.<. Mainly 'cause of Lauren.

[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: An attack on the safehouse brings everyone to an inevitable realization.
Notes: Yay...a little bit of action this time around. xDD I really, really hope no one guesses where this is going because I have so much fun with these cliffhangers. I really do! OH! And something else. Jennifer Garner plays Sydney, yes? Well, in this chapter is a reference to a movie she's in(happens to be one of my favorite movies, actually). Spot it and you get a cookie!




Okay, okay, God forbid I admit it, but a day at an amusement park? Not such a bad idea. Granted, I spent half the time worrying about being attacked, but it was actually kind of…fun. At least it gave the Flock some time to let lose. They really needed it.

Speaking of letting lose, it was great and all, but there was something missing. I needed to feel free, and limitless, feelings that only flying could give me. I hadn’t spread my wings since our mission in Narva, and I really, really needed to. It was making me kind of grumpy.

But for the sake of everyone else (I know, what a sacrifice), I kept a smile on my face as we returned to the safehouse that night. You’d think that after a long day like this, everyone would have been pretty tired. You’d think we’d come back here and be able to have a nice, quiet night to finish the day off, right?

Wrong. Because Sydney, who for all her moxie at all things super-spy, hasn’t yet mastered the technique of saying no to a Bambi-eyed, begging little kid. Which is how Angel, along with Gazzy and Nudge, ended up stuffing down a heap of cotton candy before we left the park.

Not. Good.

“PAAAAR-TAY!” Gazzy whooped as he charged through the rooms. “Do we have any soda? Oh man, you guys, I could stay up all night!”

I shook my head immediately. “No way is that happening. Dream on, Gaz.” I told him, though there was no way of telling whether he heard me or not, the way he was zipping through the house.

Angel giggled as she watched her brother go, in the midst of her search for Total…who had wisely seemed to have decided to go into hiding.

“Well, I think I should be going.” Agent Vaughn coughed hurriedly.

Sydney, who had collapsed on the couch after realizing her mistake, looked up from rubbing her head sheepishly. “How convenient.”

He grinned. Actually, I couldn’t blame him for wanting to get out of here. I doubted anyone staying here was going to get much sleep tonight. But Nudge had other ideas.

“Wait a sec, Mr. Vaughn!” She called, scurrying over to the desk where she’d set her iPod. “I’ll put some music on. You can totally hook this thing up to a music player, so we can all hear it! I have some really great songs—“

As she chattered on, Vaughn seemed to realize that his escape was going to be delayed. I rolled my eyes, watching Nudge as she set up. “Not too loud, okay Nudge? If those guards come busting in here, I’m not taking the fall for you.”

She waved a hand carelessly in my direction. “You’re no fun!”

Deciding not to comment, I sat down next to Fang and watched warily.

Fang stared at the unfolding scene with mild interest. “What kind of music do you think she has on there?”

“Oh, definitely something hardcore. You know how Nudge likes her scream-o.” I joked. Fang seemed to agree that Nudge’s choice in music was most likely going to be as girly as possible, and closed his eyes as if he hoped to block out the sound.

We were lucky (or not so much?) to be able to even hear the music over everything else that was going on in the house. I recognized the first song vaguely, which actually kind of surprised me, seeing as Nudge is the only member of our Flock who religiously listens to music whenever she can.

Get a load of me, Get a load of you
Walking down the street and I hardly know you…

Resigning myself to the fact that this song would probably be stuck in my head for the next couple of hours, I sat back and watched Nudge kind of dance around the floor. I was determined not to look at Fang’s expression—I knew I’d crack up if I did.

Suddenly, Agent Vaughn turned to Sydney and held out a hand. Sydney stared at him blankly.

“Come on, Syd,” Vaughn laughed. “Might as well make the most of it!”

Sydney looked as if she was holding back a smile. “You’re kidding me, right? We’re not—hey, Vaughn!”

We watched in amusement as Vaughn pulled Sydney abruptly to her feet. “Wrong answer.” He chided, gently swaying her around the room.

Why can’t I breathe whenever I think about you?
Why can’t I speak whenever I talk about you?

It was one of those moments that was kind of totally cheesy, and yet, watching the looks on both of their faces, I had to admit it was sweet at the same time. And it only made Nudge happier, no longer being the only one dancing.

Although, as a side note? Shoot me if I ever look so openly twitterpated over anyone. The thought of which made me a little uncomfortable sitting next to Fang. I averted my gaze from the dancing couple and cleared my throat quietly. I could feel Fang staring at me curiously, but I didn’t look up.

“Well, I’m beat. I think I’m gonna go to bed.” I announced as the song neared an end, faking a yawn. I muttered my goodnights and returned Angel’s hug when she ran over to me, before making for the stairs. Geez. I really needed some fresh air.


---


I woke up early the next morning. I know I should have slept in, and I tried to. But sleep just wouldn’t come back to me, so I headed into the kitchen and just sat by the window for a few minutes, thinking about…stuff. But I wasn’t alone for long.

“Mornin’!”

I turned around to see my sister walking into the room, looking more cheerful than I’d seen her for awhile.

“Hey Ella.” I greeted, smiling at her.

She sat down across the table, and seemed to wince. “Ow. This is still kind of awkward.” I shot her a questioning look, and she added, “My wings.”

“Oh.” I said automatically, suddenly feeling guilty all over again. I looked around helplessly, trying to think of something I could say that would make her feel better. “It gets easier.” I said lamely.

Ella tilted her head. “Does it?”

I shrugged. “Okay, I wouldn’t really know.” I admitted. After all, I’d had my wings all my life. To me, they felt normal. But I could imagine that Ella feeling how I would feel if I suddenly sprouted, like, a tail or something. I couldn’t even think about having to go to Total for guidance.

But then again…it gave me an idea. I sat up suddenly. “Hey, Ella? If you want, maybe sometime I could…you know, help you learn how to fly. It’s one of the few perks of having wings.” I added, joking slightly.

I didn’t really know whether that was going to cheer her up or not, but it seemed to do the trick. She grinned immediately. “Really?”

“Sure. It might even be a good idea to teach you a few basic aerial fighting moves, too. Just in case.” I suggested, surprised at how much we both liked the idea. Ella was beaming still as she accepted the offer, but then I felt a tiny drop in my stomach as I realized something. The way we were talking, it was like we expected Ella to be living with her wings forever. It was like we were admitting that there wasn’t a way to fix this. And as much as I liked the idea of teaching my little sister how to fly, I really, really didn’t want that to be true.

Ella had a life—a life with our mom, the kind that part of me had always wanted. What if she had to give all of that up?

But Ella, oblivious to my inner turmoil, broke the silence by voicing a casual question. “Max…? …What do you think of Iggy?”

I looked at her, completely thrown. She seemed to have suddenly found something very interesting to look at on the kitchen table. Awkward. I coughed a little. “Iggy? Well, he’s…uh…Iggy.” I answered, at a loss for anything else to say.

“Yeah.” Ella nodded, folding her arms and looking back at me hesitantly. “But do you think he…I mean…does he…” She trailed off. I raised an eyebrow, still kind of bewildered that I was having this conversation with my sister. But suddenly, Ella seemed to deflate. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“Forget you said anything?” I repeated skeptically. I stared at her closer. “Ella, maybe we should talk about this.”

To my surprise, she smirked a little. “Just like maybe we should talk about you and Fang?”

“Whoa!” I put up my hands. “Let’s not get too crazy here.”

We both laughed a little at that, and then fell into silence again. It actually wasn’t too awkward, considering the conversation that had just taken place. It was a nice, sisterly bonding moment.

But, like everything nice in my life, it didn’t last for long.

CRASH!

I barely had time to react to the earsplitting noise of shattering glass before the unmistakable sound of gunfire rang out. I leaped to my feet, knocking over a few cups as I instinctively spread my wings.

“Max?! What’s happening?” I heard Ella call behind me.

Without looking back at her, I muttered, “Ella, get upstairs. Wake up the others.” I knew she must be terrified, but I a moment later I heard her heading for the stairs.

Slowly, I moved towards the kitchen door. I could still hear the gunshots, sounding dangerously close, but probably not inside the house. Yet. There was no time to think this through, or make a plan. I stuck my head out into the adjoining room cautiously.

“GET DOWN!”

I instinctively leaped out of the way, whipping around to face whoever was behind me. But Sydney’s eyes were focused on the people outside; she was holding a handgun and already firing a round of bullets at the potential intruders.

“What the hell’s going on?!” I demanded as she lowered her gun slightly.

Without looking at me, she gave a grim reply. “They found us. Max, you and the rest of the Flock need to get out of here. You can make it out one of the back windows. Try to make it to Headquarters if you can.”

I was barely even registering what Sydney was telling me. I just stood there, frozen as she fired another round at the goons.

“We have back-up coming. Go!” Sydney urged, finally stealing a glance at me.

Then, something in me snapped back to reality. I turned around and raced up the stairs, praying that the rest of the Flock was ready to move. It looked like I didn’t have to worry, though, because when I got up there everyone was on their feet and a window was already broken out.

“Let’s move!” I shouted over the sounds of fighting below.

“Max—“ Ella started, looking really pale. “I—I can’t.”

Right. She couldn’t fly. And right now was definitely not the time to teach her. But before I could say anything, Iggy stepped up. “It’s okay, Ella, I’ve got you.”

Fang already had Angel, who still hadn’t recovered complete use of her wings. He led the way, leaping out of the window and into the air. Gazzy followed, then Nudge, then Iggy with Ella. Total clumsily flapped out after them, and then, after making sure the room was empty, I took a running leap out the window as well.

We flew up, high over the safehouse, not daring to look back. Hopefully our attackers were too distracted to notice the mutant bird-kids making their escape from the back of the house.

“Where are we going?” Nudge called over the wind frantically.

I hesitated. “We need to go back to Headquarters.” I answered finally.

Fang looked over at me. “Are you crazy? The CIA said they were going to keep us safe, and they didn’t. We—“

“Fang, where else can we go?” I cut him off impatiently. There was no time to argue here. “We won’t be safe anywhere else right now. And we need to at least find out what happened!”

After that, no other protests were voiced. I think most of them were in too much shock to argue over anything right then. I still couldn’t believe it myself. How had they found us? What had happened?


---


When we arrived at CIA headquarters, they were already expecting us. We were ushered into the main rooms again, and while various agents scurried around trying to figure out what had happened, we took some time to rest.

About an hour later, I was sitting with my head in my hands, trying to rid myself of a persistent headache, when Fang came and silently sat down beside me.

“Our lives suck.” I told him grouchily. “Seriously.”

He folded his wings at his sides. “Pretty much.”

“Like, really?” I went on, shaking my head. “I don’t think things could get any more messed up than they already are.”

Fang didn’t respond to this. He just…sat there. And just when I was beginning to get a little bit uncomfortable, he finally spoke up. “Yeah. Our lives are messed up. But then…look at these people. Look at Sydney. Look at Agent Vaughn. They come close to death every day, just like us.”

I stared at him, bewildered. Since when did Fang feel the need to discuss his in-depth observations? “Yeah…” I agreed slowly, trying to figure out what he was getting at.

He looked at me with those dark eyes that I tended to get lost in. “I know this isn’t really a good time to talk about this, but…did you see them? The other day. They were happy together. Their lives aren’t normal, but they’re happy.”

“We’re happy sometimes.” I said, fidgeting. This was totally uncharted territory Fang was going into.

He was silent again, this time longer. I had to wonder what was going through his head; what had made him bring this up all of the sudden. And then, he said it. And my heart almost stopped.

“Max…I think that once things cool down…you and I should…get away for awhile. It doesn’t matter where. Dinner, or a movie. Or just flying. But it’s something to think about.” He said, as if it were the most casual thing in the world.

I gaped at him, and, unwilling, I could feel a blush creeping up onto my cheeks. “Are you serious?”

He stared at me, frowning slightly, and I got my answer.

I honestly had no clue what to say. Part of me wanted to get up and jump for joy; to get up and dance around the Headquarters and hug everyone from Marshall to Director Dixon. But the other part of me was mortified that he was even bringing this up. shit. “Fang…” I stuttered, trying to remind myself to be responsible. “We can’t. Not after—“

But I was interrupted (thank God, because I really had no idea what I was going to say), by Sydney, Jack Bristow, and Director Dixon suddenly heading our way.

“They found the safehouse.” Director Dixon stated the obvious. “Anna and her men. We have no idea how, but they did.”

I drew a deep breath. “Was it…” I trailed off, looking at Sydney and silently asking whether or not we had put ourselves in danger by going out to the amusement park. I could tell by her expression that she was thinking the same thing. But then Dixon spoke again.

“This was a planned attack, but it didn’t have much force behind it. Which means one thing: they were doing this to scare us. They had information…information about our security codes. They turned off all alarm systems beforehand.”

I relaxed slightly. That meant that it wasn’t the amusement park thing that had given us away. But then…

“How could they have gotten those?” Sydney asked quietly, voicing the question on everyone’s minds.

Her father spoke up then. “It’s classified information stored in databases only we have access to. Which means one thing.” He looked around ominously. “Somewhere in this headquarters, maybe even in this room…we have a traitor among us.”

[le Dawnz]

Dun dun dun!

[{ tessa }]

13 GOING ON 30!!!! right?! the song??? I love that movie!!

oh and awesome chapter!! I want to guess who the mole is. hmm. and aahhh Fang asked Max out!!!! <3 <3 haha. & Sydney and Vaughn were super cute.

[Roxie !]

Thanks guys! xD Dawnie, I know right? And Tessa, yup! -hands you a cookie- I know, it's definately one of my favorites =). And hee hee! Try to guess if you want. I won't say anything -shakes head-

[{ tessa }]

hmm this is harder than I thought. I thought about different characters but it was always "no!! they'd never do that!" lol. Ok my first guess is Angel. like the injection might have done something else to her or something. or if not, Irina somehow? even though shes in prison

[Roxie !]

Oh, I see how it is. Why's Irina always gotta be the bad guy? Huh, Tess?! You just hate her cause she's Russian.

xD No, actually, both are great guesses! But I won't say anything ^^.

[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: It appears that Ella might have found the solution she's looking for...but at what cost?
Notes: Ugh, I feel bad for not giving you guys any answers xD. But they WILL come, just be patient! In fact, the next chapter I'll post will have a little more romance, and then it's gonna start off the events that are gonna lead to the big finale -dun dun dun-. Oh, and there's SpyFam! in this chapter. Best thing about Alias, right? xD




We sat in complete silence for what felt like hours, letting my father’s words sink in. I suddenly felt cold and uneasy, as if the room we were in was no longer safe. We’d dealt with moles before—a couple times, actually. And every one of those times, the CIA headquarters had become a mass of distrust and suspicion. It tore us apart. And now, when so much was at stake, I couldn’t even imagine what was going to happen.

“Dad,” I started tentatively. “What’s going on? Are there—are there investigations being done? Anything?”

Jack scowled slightly. “There are going to be interrogations. They’re questioning anyone involved with this case…that means you and I as well, Sydney. But in all honesty, I don’t see it going anywhere. We have no proof. No leads. Nothing to go on.” He stated grimly.

I could think of someone who could give us a few leads. Anna Espinosa was the root of all our problems, but she kept slipping right through our fingers. I sighed, frustrated, and stood up. “I guess I’ll get mine over with.” I said, glancing at the Flock. None of them had moved, and most of them were staring at the floor sullenly.

I walked purposefully towards the interrogation room, trying to clear my head. I knew I wasn’t really under any real investigation; it was protocol to question any agents involved. But I really hated this kind of thing. Being forced into a room with a bunch of stone-faced officials and hooked up to about three different kinds of lie detectors wasn’t exactly a party.

As I reached the door, Marshall was just coming out. “Hey Syd!” He greeted brightly, although he looked kind of nervous. “Those interrogation things…they aren’t a lot of fun, are they?”

“Tell me about it.” I said, frowning at the door. “What’d they ask you?”

Marshall shrugged. “Oh, you know. The usual. Where were you at such-and-such, can anyone verify this, what did you have for breakfast this morning—heh, kidding on the last one.” He clarified unnecessarily. “Although, speaking of breakfast, I did tell them a joke…What did one banana say to the other? I find you a-peeling. Get it? Because bananas…well, yeah, they didn’t find it amusing either—I was just trying to lighten the mood. Uh…well…anyway…good luck in there, Syd.”

“Thanks, Marshall.” I answered, a little wearily. As he scurried off, I took a deep breath, and headed into the office.

---

It went pretty much exactly as I’d predicted. The two in charge of the procedure, Katherine DeChancie and David Rink were two elite agents from Langley—the national CIA base. They cut straight to the chase, and the whole thing took about twenty minutes, although it felt like it dragged on a lot longer than that.

Jack went in after I did, though I barely gave it a second thought. My father might not be the kindest individual, but I knew without a doubt that he’d sooner die than leak any information to an enemy. The question remained, however, who was the mole? I knew most of the people involved in this case very well—Dixon, Vaughn, Marshall, Jack…and I couldn’t believe that any of them would ever do anything like this.

But what about the other agents? The ones I couldn’t vouch for; the ones I didn’t know personally? Even if they weren’t involved with this in particular, it wouldn’t be hard to hack one of our computers here and get all the access they’d ever need. But then, wouldn’t that show up on security?

I couldn’t think about it anymore. It was making my head hurt. Instead, I headed back over to where the others were still gathered.

“So what happens now?” Fang was demanding as I came within hearing range. “Are we supposed to kick back and relax? Angel’s still recovering, we still don’t have any answers about Ella, and now we have no place to go.”

“We’re working on finding you another safe house. This one would be more drastically secure, and the specifics on it would be confided in only a select few.” Dixon assured them in his slow, calm voice.

This didn’t do much to reassure the Flock. “Yeah?” Iggy challenged. “And what if one of your ‘select few’ happens to be the mole?”

“We can’t do this again.” Nudge said suddenly. “I hate all of this hiding we’re doing! We have to stop Anna, once and for all.”

Privately, I agreed with her…with all of them, really. I couldn’t blame them for being hesitant to trust us again, after everything that had happened.

Dixon took a breath. “Three days. I’m asking you to give my people three days to find this mole, and get a lead on Anna. If we can’t, you get to leave, no questions asked.” He proposed.

I watched as the Flock exchanged glances. Clearly, most of them still thought he was stalling.

“Max?” Ella asked suddenly, turning to her sister. “What do you think?”

All eyes turned to Max, and I realized suddenly that she hadn’t said anything the whole time. When she looked up, I could tell that something was wrong. She looked from Ella, to Fang, to me, to Dixon, and let out a long sigh. “We need to stay.” She said simply.

I definitely hadn’t expected that. Max had been itching to get out of here since day one, and I would have bet anything that she’d be one of the first to vote for leaving. It appeared that I wasn’t the only one surprised, because at least half of the Flock were openly gaping at her now. She turned to them challengingly.

“Where else are we going to go? Any suggestions? We’re in no shape to keep running. There’s no point of trying to go live our lives again until Anna is taken care of.”

“So, what you’re saying is that we should keep hiding like cowards?” Fang said abruptly, staring at her.

Max said nothing, and it was then that I knew for sure that there was something she was holding back. I wondered whether or not I should call her out on it, but before I could decide, she looked at me and spoke first. “Sydney, can I talk to you a second?”

I blinked, frowning slightly, but answered her. “…Of course you can.” I tried not to look too puzzled, quietly excusing myself from Dixon and moving a few feet away from the others. Max got up and followed, looking unusually hesitant. We stood in silence for a moment, and I was trying to decipher her expression when she finally spoke.

“It’s Ella.”

Mildly curious, I shifted my gaze over to the bat-winged girl for a second, but allowed Max to continue.

“I didn’t want to her to hear this—it could give her false hope. But this morning, we were talking and I was thinking…” Max stared at the floor. “I thought, she really doesn’t deserve to be dragged into all of this. She was meant to have a normal life. And now, because of me, she can’t.”

Her tone was brisk and to the point, but I felt my heart twinge sympathetically. “Max—“

Max held up a hand. “I know you’re going to tell me that it’s not my fault, but I’m not worried about that right now. I just want to fix this. I thought about it for awhile…and then I remembered Angel’s cure. It was meant to reverse the effects of the injection Anna gave her—which was supposed to get rid of her powers.”

I could see where she was taking this, and I was slightly taken aback. I hadn’t thought about this before. “Right.” I mused slowly. “It was supposed to drain her abilities…but not get rid of her wings altogether.”

“But what if we could alter it somehow?” Max pressed on. “Marshall still has the sample. What if we could change it so it destroyed her DNA?”

What she was saying was starting to make sense. I was already feeling hopeful for Ella, but I didn’t want to get everyone prematurely excited. “If we could do that, Max, she’d probably still need her wings removed surgically.” I cautioned carefully.

“I know. But we have to at least give her the option. We have to give her a way out, if she wants it.”

I thought it over for a moment longer. “Okay…okay, maybe this could work. The problem is, I don’t think even Marshall would know much about the procedure. I mean, he wouldn’t know where to start.” I narrowed my eyes slightly, knowing what was inevitably coming next. “We’d need an expert. Someone who’s seen this kind of thing before.”

Max looked at me warily. “You sound like you have someone in mind…”

“I do. But you’re not going to like my suggestion.”


---


A few hours later, the Flock had been moved again. This time, it was a seemingly harmless old home, with all sorts of hidden machinery and security devices. No guards directly outside, but that wasn’t to say they weren’t near by. And it had about a million different escape routes, from hidden doors to a roof exit to a trapdoor leading to an underground tunnel. Personally, I thought it was a little insane, but it was enough to reassure the Flock to stay for a few more days. I wondered how much longer this was going to last. Would they even hold out through the rest of Dixon’s extension?

Only time would tell. Anyway, that’s where they were now. All of them except for Max, who was determined to get answers for her sisters. Unfortunately for her—and maybe for me, too—there was only one person on hand who could give them to us.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Jack was asking Max more than he was me.

She shrugged at him. “Do I have a choice?”

He clenched his jaw and turned to me. “I’m not letting you go in there unescorted again.”

I rolled my eyes, but I knew there was no point arguing him. When it came to Irina Derevko, everything was black and white with my father.

And that was how the three of us ended up filing into my mother’s cell, much to her surprise. As the door clanged shut behind me, she looked up from her book and stared at us, looking rather uneasy. There was a long, drawn out moment that could have easily been nominated as one of the most awkward pauses in my life.

“Well,” Irina said finally. “This is unexpected.”

“Kindly spare us the pleasantries.” My father snapped before I could say anything. “Or I’ll make you regret wasting our time.”

I could feel the tension in the air weighing down on me as my parents stared at each other. Irina inclined her head coolly. “Charming, Jack. No time for pleasantries. But there’s always time for empty threats, isn’t there?”

Before Jack could respond, I stepped between them. “We didn’t come here to argue.” I warned them both, trying to keep the situation under control. It wasn’t uncommon for them to bicker like this in the rare instances when they were together, but right now time wasn’t on our side. I turned to Irina. “Mom…we need your help.”

It occurred to me that we were asking a criminal straight from CIA’s Most Wanted list for help more often than it was probably safe to, but as Max had said, what choice did we have?

Irina raised her eyebrows and surveyed me inquiringly, before slowly, her gaze fell upon Max. I saw the realization dawn on her. “This is about the prophecy.”

Max looked uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if she was going to say anything, but then she took a breath. “Well, yeah. But no. Look, I guess I should thank you for helping us back in Estonia. So yeah, there’s that. But now…my sister…” She paused, as if unsure of how to continue.

“Do you remember the girl we rescued? She was unconscious?” I clarified quietly. Irina gave a tiny nod, and this seemed to spur Max to go on.

I listened silently as she explained our situation, but I kept being distracted by Irina’s expression. While mostly blank, there was something…off. Something dangerous. It was a look that I’d seen before, and it instantly made me anxious. Because of Rambaldi’s DNA research, Max was connected to one of his prophecies. And when it came to Rambaldi, my mom…well, she wasn’t herself. I was beginning to worry for Max; beginning to wonder whether this was a good idea after all.

But then, Irina responded, and her tone was neutral enough. “The theory itself isn’t too complicated. I’m sure someone from the CIA could easily make the modifications needed to make the serum more stable and direct. It wouldn’t take more than a few alterations.” She stopped.

“But?” Jack asked suspiciously.

“But,” Irina continued. “These alterations would heavily speed up the process. At the most, we’d have a little over a day after it was injected before it is rendered useless.”

“So the wing surgery would have to take place that day?” I asked, bewildered. I didn’t see how we could do it. I turned to my father. “Dad? Would we be able to—“

He shook his head slightly. “We can’t exactly walk Ella into a hospital, can we? There are CIA-specific hospitals we could use, but the security there in a case like this is questionable at best.” He said gruffly.

Irina gave a tiny sigh. “You think I’d use the surgery to escape.” It wasn’t a question.

“It’s not just that.” I told her quickly. “It would be ridiculously easy for Anna Espinosa—or any other organization, for that matter, to catch wind of something like this.”

Jack clenched his jaw. “You’d need to be there to walk any medical staff through the surgery?” He asked Irina. She nodded, and he paused for a moment, before glancing at Max and I. “…There is an emergency medical room in the new safehouse.”

Max gaped at him openly. “You want to bring her…there?”

I couldn’t really believe it either-- that my father, of all people, was putting this suggestion out there.

“You’d be heavily escorted.” Jack continued, directly warning Irina now. “Under surveillance at all times, and blindfolded until you entered the safehouse.”

She smiled at him slightly. “I assumed.”

“Hold on,” Max said suddenly, looking at us as if we were crazy. “You’re willing to risk Ella’s life like that? Are you insane?”

“If I wanted to harm your sister, I would have. I already had the chance.” Irina reminded her icily.

Somehow, I didn’t think this would reassure her very much. I turned to her. “Max, no one’s making you do this. It’s up to you—you and Ella.” I said gently.

At this point, Max was looking even more overwhelmed, if that were possible. She didn’t seem to want to look at anyone in the room, and I couldn’t tell whether she was angry, confused, resigned, or a mix of all three. Wordlessly, she shook her head. I knew this couldn’t be an easy decision to make; if I were in her position, I can’t say what I would have done.

And then, abruptly, Max turned on her heel, and walked out of the cell.

We watched her go, and I admit that I wasn’t quite sure how to react.

Unexpectedly, Irina made a suggestion. “You should go after her, Sydney.” She told me quietly. I turned in time to see my father shoot her a reproachful look, before looking at me and reluctantly nodding.

“You should make sure she’s taken back to the safehouse.” Jack admitted.

I paused, then gave a short nod and headed for the door. Before I opened it, I chanced a glance over my shoulder. Jack was still standing there in stony silence, and Irina didn’t seem to want to look at him. For the millionth time, I reflected on how dysfunctional my family really, really was, and then left through the door.

[{ tessa }]

oooh Something deff does not feel right!! But YAY Irina! omg this:

Unexpectedly, Irina made a suggestion. “You should go after her, Sydney.” She told me quietly. I turned in time to see my father shoot her a reproachful look, before looking at me and reluctantly nodding.

“You should make sure she’s taken back to the safehouse.” Jack admitted.

LOL that was so in character. and ROFL x 500000 at Marshall trying to tell a joke