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[Maximum Ride]

The wind rushed gloriously through my wings as I soared more than 100 feet up in the air, coasting on thermals that rose up from the ground from the heat thanks to the sun. This way I didn't have to burn up energy too much by flapping my wings, I could just glide simply. And since I didn't each much, if at all, it helped. See, me and my flock were still on the run, and we ate when we could. It was hard though since our bodies needed a ton of food to keep us going, with meager morsels, I was surprised we lasted this long. I knew it was hard on the others, especially Gazzy and Angel since they were the youngest but they didn't complain. "Hard left!" I called, speaking to Iggy who, as the blind one of us, needed a bit of help when flying so he didn't hit into any buildings. Most times he was fine, he was even our cook, who was much better than myself which I didn't object. I knew he was better so no point in torturing the younger members with my crap cooking.

"Where are we going?" That was Nudge, the motor mouth of the group. Even though she talked constantly and got on our nerves, we still loved her. "I don't know." I admitted, half turning my head to face her while still powering fowards in the sky. "I figured we could fly and see if the Voice has anything useful." Shrugging, I turned to Fang, who was the strong, silent type. His eyes were furrowed in thought, not unusual, his dark wings like a shadow when he passed over the sun. "There is something going on!" Angel called, excitement in her voice. Gazzy yelled too, something about a parade and Total the dog barked before adding his own words. "We are not going down there." I commanded, refusing to look at their crestfallen faces. Did I want to go down and be snapped by photographers and be surrounded by a bunch of people? No, we could do without that exposure, until I heard a scream coming from somewhere down there, a scream of trouble. I wasn't one to back away from anyone in trouble, instead I tended to help even when I shouldn't.

"Stay here, keep flying." I began to bark out orders and we came up with a place where we would meet, hopefully this would be a quick and easy save. Turning my wings slightly and plummeting towards the ground, my wings flared open more, acting like a parachute as I headed towards the concrete, which from my viewpoint looked dark and old. A few people saw me and pointed, but I was on my feet and running towards the alleyway, grabbing a pipe with both hands and swinging upwards, throwing myself over a fence and into a deserted area with dumpsters against the wall, backdoor to one building was peeling with paint, the glass cracked in places. A few more kicks or beats and the door would be dead. Turning my head to the sound of the scream, I saw two guys towering over a girl covered in blood. "Two to one isn't fair." Boldly speaking, I folded my wings into my back as the two boys turned around and sneered at me. "And your here to even up the odds?" He looked at me, and with my own cold smile, I nodded.

The girl was terrified, I saw that, and I also saw metal glinting in their belts, guns and knives. If I was human, I wouldn't be able to fight them and win, thankfully I wasn't human. Jumping, I soared, aiming a kick towards the first guys head, hearing a faint snap which wasn't his neck, but his arm as he raised it to defend himself. His own cries echoed in the air, my heightened senses jeered back from the sound. Sometimes being able to hear really well was bad, shaking my head, blond pieces fell into my eyes which made me wish I had gotten it cut again, I felt fingers around my wrist. "You bitch." The second guy growled, and a smile was still upon my face. "Yea? I get that allot." I went to knee him, but heard something coming out way. Uh oh. I thought, hoping I could get in the air and fly away. I didn't want to leave the girl, but it could be Erasers on my tail, and I wasn't about to become an Eraser Snack.

[Shalimar Fox]

Things had been relatively quiet around Sanctuary, so Adam gave me the go ahead for a shopping spree in New York. Unfortunately Emma had other plans so I was alone for this venture. Not that I minded, but it would have been great to have another girl along for the ride. Well, one good point about being alone for a week of shopping meant surprise gifts for everyone back home. I'd left my fifth department store behind, and somehow managed to still only have 3 bags. Maybe I'd overdosed on shopping yesterday. I thought about getting a bite to eat and was heading down yet another side street, following the smell of food. It wasn't food that stopped me in my tracks however, but a scream. Someone was in trouble, and I sure as hell wasn't going to just stand by when I could help.

I ran for the direction the scream came from, leaping to a fire escape, then scaling a brick wall to the roof of an apartment building. I ran across rooftops, jumping from building to building, until I found the alleyway. Tapping into my feral senses, my eyes shifted to a bright golden yellow as I gazed down at a terrified and blood soaked girl, two thugs, and another woman who's head cocked in my direction just as she was about to knee one thug. So, she heard me. She must be a mutant then. I focused on her for a split second, and my suspicions were confirmed. Those were wings on her back! Here's hoping she's not working for Genomex or the GSA. Leaving my bags of goodies behind I jumped from the roof, landing easily in the midst of the scuffle.

"Hey guys, didn't start the party without me did ya?" Thug number one, cradling one arm against his body, reached for his gun. "Uh uhn, that's not playing fair." Throwing my weight back, my feet came flying from the ground, my right connecting to his wrist, sending the gun flying out of his grip. My left foot, moving swiftly behind my right, caught him under the jaw and rendered him unconscious. Ever seen the Matrix? I can move like that, no special effects required. God I love being me sometimes. I completed the flip, landing in a slight crouch and turned to see that the winged woman taking care of Thug number 2. She seemed to have a good handle on things, so I rushed to the victim, cowering near a chain link fence. My eyes faded back to normal.

"Hey, it's ok, they won't hurt you anymore. Are you okay? Can you stand?" She nodded feebly and I helped her up. "Why were they after you?" She just shook her head and sobbed, then turned and ran off down the street. "Hey! Wait!" I sighed, "Guess she didn't want to talk about it." People like that really bug me. We save your life and you just run away. No thanks, no explanation, nothing. Not that I needed a thank you, but what if this small, backstreet row was a byproduct of something bigger? I have to stop thinking like Adam, or I'll find conspiracies everywhere. Seeing that the winged woman had taken care of Thug number 2, I approached her. "Hey, any idea what that was all about?" I smiled to the blonde. "Looks like I wasn't really needed here. I think you could have taken them both by yourself." I smiled to her. I still wasn't sure what her story was, but better to be friendly and hope she's not mixed up with Genomex.

[Maximum Ride]

Staring up at the woman that came into view, I was startled, enough for the guy to wrench me forwards, placing one foot forward to keep my balance, my wings snapped open to hold myself still when I saw the other girl jumped from the roof and landed on the ground, not even a scratch on her. Years of being at the School had fine tuned my paranoia, and thoughts of this woman being a new experiment was high on my brain pattern. It wasn't hard to come to that conclusion when each new batch seemed more perfect and the fact everywhere we went, other experiments were sure to follow. Like Ari and the Erasers, which thinking of them made my head snap around, checking out each corner of this area to make sure none had sneaked in. Noting that it was clear, this movement and thoughts only took a few seconds, before I turned back to the thug that was still trying to pull me forward. One thing about us mutant bird kids, we were not light.

The new girl was fighting, her movements were very impressive, but I had my own to deal with. Jumping, using my wings to gain extra height, I kick, my foot connected to the guys ribs with a satisfying crack. Lowering myself to the ground, he still tried to grab me, so I grabbed his wrist and spun him around, sending him into a dumpster, and the fight was all over pretty quickly, still I was slightly annoyed I didn't get to finish off both. Call me ungrateful, I wasn't used to anyone else, apart from the flock, fighting beside me and it felt weird. Dusting my hands on my jeans, which were slightly torn and dirty from the constant travel and flight before I regarded the other woman, my stare rather cold, and my posture defensive as a precaution incase she turned on me, which had happened in the past. "No idea. They didn't seem like your typical Erasers, and if it was a trap, then it failed." I could see the School using this sort of thing to trap me, I just had to help those in trouble, Jeb said it was my flaw and I had to work on it.

"I've fought worse." I clicked my neck, feeling the tension and post battle adrenaline leave my body, wings drooped a little bit before I tucked them safely into my back. "But thanks." I was Max, tough, and snarky at times, being nice to a total stranger was odd for me, usually I kept an eye out, not wanting to trust, which had saved out butts from time to time. "How are you able to do that? Jumping from the building and landing without breaking bones. And those fighting moves. I mean, I'm good, but I'm not that good." Shrugging my shoulders, I look over where the girl had run to, shaking my head. It would be nice to get a name or something, but I knew without a doubt she was just a human. Erasers didn't run, not when they were had us flock in their sights. Relaxing a little bit at that bit, I held out my hand. "The names Maximum Ride, but everyone just calls me Max." Was I going to say about the rest of the flock? No, not until I knew I could trust her. Whoever she was.

[Shalimar Fox]

She was just a kid, and she'd come up against worse than 2 thugs in a back alley? Well, I guess I could believe that, she was a mutant after all. Still, it wasn't a very comforting thought. "Worse? Like what exactly?" I checked for pulses on both men. They were alive, just unconscious. Good. "No need to thank me, just doing my job." I smiled again, walking back to her. "Oh, that's nothing. You can fly right?" I gestured to her back, where her wings were now folded back neatly. "I can almost fly. I'm a feral." I tapped into my feral senses and let my eyes change to yellow gold, a vertical slit for a pupil, before letting them bleed back to normal. "Yeah, you are good, I saw that much. I don't know that I'd go so far as to say I'm better. Maybe just more trained." After all, I had years of experience on her.

I smiled once more and gave her my hand to shake. "Shalimar. It's nice to meet you Max. Don't take this the wrong way, but shouldn't you be somewhere....safer?" Obviously she could take care of herself, but she was still a kid, maybe 15 at a guess, though she looked and acted older. The streets can do that to you. If she was living out here on the streets, I'd feel better if I took her back to Sanctuary and have Adam set her up to go underground. Right about then police sirens kicked up, coming our way. "Shit, gotta move. Come on." I grabbed her wrist as we ran at the building I'd jumped from. "Going up!" I crouched low and leaped, towing Max behind me. We landed on the roof easily. "See? Nothing to it." I grinned again and picked up my bags. "Nothing like shopping to get a girl's blood pumping. Time to run."

We practically flew over rooftops, well, sure Max can fly, but she didn't use her wings except for a few times where the leap from one roof to the next was exceptionally wide. Even then it was more of an automatic gesture for her. It kinda made me wish I had wings. When we were safely away from the threat of questioning from the police we stopped. I sat on the ledge of the roof, my bags laying at my feet. I was fairly sure at this point that Max wasn't working for Genomex, and she certainly wasn't GSA. I wondered what her story was. "Looks like we've got some time to kill. How about swapping stories?" She looked wary for a moment, a fleeting look of caution passed over her features. "It's ok. I'll go first." I scooted a little closer to her.

"My name's Shalimar Fox, as I've told you. I work for an organization that helps to protect new mutants. There are others who work with me. Brennan, Jesse, Emma, and Adam. Adam's kinda like our father figure. He saved us. Together, we fight to keep others like us safe from Genomex and other coorporations that target mutants. If you need somewhere to go, you can contact me. We'll help. We can set you up with a new identity and you can go underground. You'll be safe. I'm not psychic, that's Emma's gift, but I get the feeling you're running from someone...or something."

[Maximum Ride]

"Yea worse. Erasers." A simple reply which would have gotten the flock tense, but different story with this girl, before I realized she would have no idea what I was talking about. "I'm a human-avian hybrid, Erasers are human-lupine hybrids. Wolves. We are their prey." My instincts told me to split, eyes wandered upwards to a dark shape in the sky, thankful my eyesight was better than normal, because I knew that shape, my foot tapped slightly on the ground, making a slight noise, before I turned my attention back onto the girl. "Yea, I can fly." My wary nature made me shy away from revealing too much, the stronger side of me wanted to kick her ass if she tried something. "Got to admit, thats cool." I knew the younger flock kids would have a field day meeting her, I just had to make sure she was alright before introducing them to her. "True." I had been fighting for a little less than a few years, trained by Jeb but not actually in a fight until Angel was kidnapped, er, birdnapped.

Reaching out to shake her hand, a started chuckling at her words. "Shalimar, nowhere is safe for the bird kids. We are a hunted species. They'll find us anywhere we go." I tapped my forearm where a chip was located deep under my skin, surrounded by tissue and nerves, founded by my mother, who I hadn't known she was my mom back then. The sirens hit my sensitive hearing, louder than I could imagine, before feeling Shalimar's grip around my wrist, bending my knees, I launched upwards, using my wings to carry us if we lost momentum, although it wasn't needed as soon as we landed on the roof, I folded them again, a few feathers dropped to the ground. I began to run, the strange new girl I had met was beside me, I flew, as in running and jumping, not flying, over the rooftops, landing and running, jumping and doing it all over again. My speed and agility was enough to carry my over without the use of wings, hell even my super speed could get my over. I watched Shalimar, trying to judge her strengths and weaknesses if we ever got into battle. Hopefully that wouldn't happen though.

Stopping, and resting for a moment, the dark shape was still in the sky, along with another, lighter shape which meant they were further up. A moment of wary caution passed through my features, not wanting to share my story just yet, I had already feared I said to much back at the scene we just left. "Hey, thats great, kinda sounds like mine, except, the father figure betraying us." Yea I was slightly bitter still, but stared at the ground, kicking a small stone which flew off the building. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so snarky. But really, mines similar. Me, and some others left The School, the place that created us. We hid out and our father figure Jeb who worked for the School, he helped free us and then, he betrayed us. You would be right about the running from someone. The School, they want us back." Shaking my head, I stretch my legs, looking up at Shalimar. "The flock would be pretty interested in meeting your friends, not many other, uh mutants tend to treat us kindly. Most want to kill us." Sad fact that was my life. There was always someone trying to kill us.

Before I could continue, one of the dark shapes in the sky landed next to us, fingers running through his hair as he stood, light blue eyes stared around, but not taking in anything. "Max. The others are worried. You okay?" He asked, knowing exactly where I was. Standing up, I tapped his hand, a soft smile played along his lips. "I'm okay." I whispered, turning to Shalimar. Iggy was blind, but he could see shapes and colors in certain circumstances, not to mention see things on a white, or bright background. And the sky was bright, which gave me an idea. "Shalimar, can you stand in front of the sky, let the sun keep you bright." Looking back to Iggy, I ruffled up his hair. "Ig, you know the drill." I wanted him to 'see' her, so that he could get his own opinion. Not a 'is she pretty' but 'can she be trusted.' I didn't want to trust my own instincts for a moment.

[Shalimar Fox]

"Erasers, huh? Sounds pretty creepy. Guess they wouldn't like me too much if they're wolves of a sort. I'm a feline feral. But if they were made to hunt avians, shouldn't they have used feline DNA instead of lupine? It makes more sense to me. Not that I'd hunt you. I guess you could say...I'm a vegetarian." I laughed. "I eat meat, just not people. Mutants or otherwise." Can you say EW? "And the Erasers, they can't fly, right? So right there you have an advantage." My smile faltered when she said they weren't safe anywhere. It really sounded like she'd had a rough go of it. "There's a lot of people, and places that are bad for those like us. But Max, there's just as many that are safe. I know what I'm talking about. Sanctuary is just one of those places." In truth, we had safehouses set up all over the continent, each one linked with Sanctuary.

"Oh man. I'm sorry to hear that Max. I really am. Luckily, for me anyway, Adam is one of the good guys. He's got a heart of gold. In fact, he used to work for Genomex, as a biogeneticist. One of the best too. He helped make me what I am today. But, while he was still in Genomex, he found out what they really did with us, to us. They use us, or entomb us for later disection. Adam wouldn't have any part in that. So he left Genomex and build Sanctuary, later founding Mutant X." I couldn't help but smile at her next words. "You don't have to apologize, really. I'm not exactly known for my control over my temper." I laughed a little again.

"You know, this School sounds alot like Genomex. I wouldn't be surprised if they were affiliated somehow." I placed my hand over hers. "Max, you don't have to go back. Trust me. We can help. We can give you a safe place and make sure the Erasers and The School never lay a hand on you again." I know Adam would take them in, help them. He'd also want to know all about The School. "The flock? Like you're family, right? I'd lvoe to meet them, and I know my family would too. There are those out there that can help. Like us. We don't kill." Well, we tried not to, no matter how badly I wanted to at times. Killing wasn't part of what we did. We saved lives.

"Friend of yours?" I squinted up at the dark shape that was coming in closer, soon landing beside Max. I stood up as well, ready to introduce myself and make the claim all over again that we could help when Max asked me to stand in the sun. "Ok. How's this?" I moved a step to the left and forward, the sun shining brilliantly behind me, creating a kind of halo around me. My shadow stretched long and dark across the rooftop. I smiled and waved to Iggy. "Hi Iggy, I'm Shalimar." I felt like a fool, dropping my hand beside me again. My eyes had adjusted to the light, and I saw now that Iggy was blind. "Wait...you're....how do you... I'm sorry, that was rude. I didn't mean to offend you." I'd been about to ask how he flew if he was blind. Surely he must be able to see to some degree, as he found Max, and seemed to be looking right at me.

My comlink chirped just then, Adam's voice coming through. "I've got to take this. Give me a second." I turned my back, not so that they wouldn't hear, but so that Adam wouldn't hear them. I didn't want to give them away until they trusted me. Adam didn't need to know about them unless they were willing to let us help. Or perhaps he did, just not now. I lifted my ring finger to my lips, my nail scraping across one of the symbols etched into the ring. "Hey Adam, what's up?" "Shalimar, good to hear your voice. Things are starting to speed up over here, but no need to worry just yet. Emma and the boys have a handle on things for now. Come home in a few days, like you planned. I was just checking in." I smiled. "Everything's great Adam. If you need me, let me know, and I'll be home right away. But I'd like to stay the few extra days. I've got some more shopping to do. A new pair of boots, and maybe a cute pair of sandals to go with the dress I just bought." Adam wasn't at all interested in my clothing choices. It was simply a way to get him off the line quick without worrying him. "I'll see you soon." I disconnected and turned back to face Iggy and Max. "Sorry about that. It was Adam. This..." I removed the comlink and showed it to Max. "Is a comlink. It's specifically keyed to my DNA. Adam made each of us in Mutant X one. It keeps us in contact during missions. Not to mention all the cool additions like cameras and such. What can I say? The man's a genius." I slipped the comlink back on. "So, am I trustworthy enough to have lunch with? What do you guys say to grabbing a bite with me? My treat." I smiled, hoping that Iggy could at least hear the gesture in my voice.

[Maximum Ride]

"They are creepy. You wouldn't want to see them morph into their lupine forms." I paused slightly, wanting to give her the other information that had let us know what to look out for when spotting a potential Eraser. "They are all beautiful, like models. Late teens, early twenties, fast on their feet too. Not every model you see is an Eraser, but, just be warned. And yea, it would make more sense. Except they are trackers so." Shrugging, I let my wings unfurl a little, I always hated when they cramped up or stayed curled up for too long. "Some can, but they aren't as smooth as the flock. As for your safety." I thought about it, a place we could be safe without being hunted. Angel and Gazzy could be siblings without worrying for each others safety. Nudge could still be Nudge, Fang wouldn't be so silent, and Iggy wouldn't have to feel lost all over again everytime we moved to a new location. "If it deems to be safe, we will go." I'll be mentioning this to the others later.

"Thanks, but you don't have to be sorry. Funny thing, the guy turned out to be my real father. Talk about getting kicked when your down." All I wanted was to tear his spleen out, but I'm trying to be less violent these days. "My real mother is cool though, same with my half sister." Was I about to mention the whole horrid back story that came along with? No, I didn't want to repeat it more than once and go through all the horrid emotions that came along with it, so Shalimar would have to wait. "He sounds swell, and ha, thats like me. Little problem with the temper thing." I laughed too, feeling slightly better and more cheerful, even holding up my fingers together to emphasize before snickering. "I get more pissed off when they try and hurt the flock. I'm their leader, their older sister in a way, and I will not let anyone hurt them." I glanced deeply into her eyes to show that I meant her too. But she seemed ok so I didn't elaborate.

"If we aren't hunted there, we will stay. And yes, the flock is my family." I answered her questions, surprised I wasn't throwing her off the building. Normally I was way more private than this. Again I tapped Iggy's hand, letting him know that everything was ready, he turned and stared at Shalimar:

Iggy: Standing still and feeling really like a fool, I waited until the girl was in place, in front of the sky and letting the sun pour on her, lighting her up and allowing me to see. Not like I used to see, but I could see shadows, and faint glimpses of who she was, and wow, she was beautiful. People thought we were older than we were due to our genetic engineering bodies, while Max, Fang and I were fourteen, our bodies were older than that, more around eighteen or nineteen. Which is why I looked so tall at 6 feet, and my wingspan was fourteen feet. Speaking of which, I spread them out, the golden plumage also glinted from the sunlight. I knew what Max wanted me to do, and I obliged. "Max, you can trust her." How I knew this, I didn't. But seeing her, I just felt a pull, a pull of trust.

Max: "Thanks Ig, thought I was losing my touch." I patted his shoulder, noting how he spread his wings. I knew that sign, he wanted to fly again, because in his mind he felt like a fool. Shalimar was doing something, then showed me the comlink and said Adam was on the other line previously. "Looks neat. Just don't let it around Gazzy. Him and Iggy will want to look in depth." I smiled at Iggy who, of course, couldn't see, but I rose his fingers to my lips to let him know. "You pass the test. The others will join us soon, we can never pass up lunch." Add to that we never knew if we were going to have lunch. "Uh, we eat allot." I added with a sheepish smile as Iggy chuckled. "And as for your remark before, don't worry. Questions are natural. He can fly, he can cook, he has an ability to know where things are, given that hes around it long enough and people don't move the items. He can see in special conditions, like the blinding sky and sun routine we just did." I felt Iggy gasp as I was telling this stranger all this information, even if we did trust her.

[Shalimar Fox]

"Trackers, huh? Well, betcha they ain't got nothing on me." I winked. Thanks to my feral genes, I had excellent senses of hearing, sight, and smell. Pretty useful when tracking someone. I had to admit, I was almost anxious to get ahold of one of these Erasers and see what made them tick. Once again, I was thinking like Adam. I smiled hugely when she said they'd come with me to Sanctuary. "It's safer than a bank vault. More spacious too." Not to mention I was pretty sure the decor had any bank vault beat by a mile. Seems more and more like Max and I were cut from the same, jump now, ask how high later, cloth. "That's me to a T. I can't help it, I'm fiercely protective of the other members in Mutant X, so I hear ya. Anything happens to them, someone's got to answer to me." I growled low, letting my eyes flash feral again before smiling at Max. Yep, we were kindred spirits in many ways.

"Sanctuary's our home base, if they track you there, which won't be easy, they're on enemy lines. We won't let them take you. Thats on the off chance they actually find Sanctuary, let alone figuring out how to get in." I grinned. No way would some Erasers have the codes to bypass our security, let alone spot Sanctuary from the outside. It's nigh impossible.

"Duly noted." I smirked as I adjusted my comlink. "I'm sure Adam will have a prototype or two they can poke at. Sounds like they'll get along fine with Jesse too." I stretched, getting the kinks out of my back. "Yay me, another test passed. I should get a gold star or something." I picked up my bags. "Alright, we're on for lunch. There was a deli around the block, I smelled it when we were roof hopping. And don't worry. If Adam can afford to feed all of us at Sanctuary, plus my all expenses paid shopping spree, I'm sure he can spring for a big lunch." I winked again as I waved a Visa gold card before slipping it back into my pocket.

"Why don't you get the others Iggy, and meet us 4 blocks west on the rooftop. Follow the smell, I'm sure you can find us." If Max said he could do everything, I believed her. Why wouldn't she be aware of her flock's abilities. As he took to the air I added, "Don't forget your appetites!" I turned back to Max. "Well, I'm certainly glad I ran into you. We'll do everything we can to help, and to keep you off The School's radar." Let's just hope that Genomex had no record of them either. Otherwise we'd have 2 agencies to deal with.

Max and I took our time navigating the rooftops to the corner where the deli sat. We stayed on the roof to wait for the others. "I'm not leaving New York for a couple days yet. You guys can stay with me if you like. I've got a suite at the Holiday. Great view, even a balcony. And you can come shopping with me later too. I've still got to pick up a few things for my friends." I grinned, happy to have some company. "Of course, I'll have to inform Adam as well, so he can get rooms ready for you guys back at Sanctuary. I'll wait until after lunch for that."

[Maximum Ride]

"Alright. After lunch we will check out this safe place." I saw out of the corners of my eyes as Iggy nodded. My stomach rumbled at the mention of food, when did we last eat? It was a while ago now, I knew that much

[[not done! getting kicked off to bed]]