Black And White

Black And White

Max and the Gang need to go out with a bang, they are great characters, and they deserve an amazing death. WARNING: Character Death; spoilers; dark imagery

This may seem familiar to “We were Colored Outside the Lines” but it is different. Bare with the first few paragraphs.

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This was it; this was the way it was going to end. It was actually that simple. After all the years we spent fighting for our freedom, we never actually achieved anything. Here we lay, Fang and I, in these cold cages pressed onto the floor. We could barely lie on our sides. My baby, my sweet little baby had been first. They took her, took her away from me, away from us. It must have been hours ago that they took her. They took Gazzy right after her. Angel knew it was coming, and I felt her pain as my own. They said she went peacefully, but I wouldn’t put it past them to experiment with our deaths.

Did they think we were stupid, did they underestimate us? Or did they just want us to suffer for fighting against them? It wasn’t fair. It was never fair. It will never be fair. It was all over, this was the end, we were torn up and separated. They were killing us off one by one so that we could feel their pain. They would save me for last. Saving the world was good and all, but I couldn’t even save the flock. Some leader I was, I was supposed to protect them, but I led them to their deaths.

“Max, don’t think like that…”

“Jeb, go away. You’ve had a helping hand in this too.” I was so tired, my voice barely slid past my lips. Fang had tired himself out by struggling in the cage. He lay on his back with his arm out stretch through one of the bars. He lay there with his eyes closed, his breathing slow paced. Shifting on to my stomach was difficult, but I managed to do it. I lay awkwardly on my left arm, my right arm bent at my side holding on to a bar. The doors creaked as they opened and two white coats came in. The fear rose inside me. Fang didn’t move though his eyes did open to slits, glaring murderously at the two men. I tried to cry out, to warn Nudge. We had all wasted our voices yelling and screaming when Angel and Gazzy went. He was so brave. He fought to the very end. We don’t know what happened to him. They came in with a stretcher and placed a mask over his face. He was out within seconds. I had hoped it was that easy for him. That would be the most peace any of us would see. If he was dead, why would they pull the straps over his small form? His chest moved up and down with his breath.

Nudge was taken, my poor girl, she tried valiantly to fight off the hands, but they were too much. She screamed as they took her off, tying her down to a chair that they wheeled off down the hall. The doors closed behind them. Her screams could be heard for some minutes. Why were they harming them? They were just children. It should be me; it is my fault they have to go through what is happening.

“Jeb. What is happening to Nudge? And Gazzy?” I saw Fang twitch violently in his cage and his eyes drifted to mine. Iggy could be heard cursing under his breath.

“You don’t want to know that. This is for the best Maximum. I would help if I could but I have very little say as of now. I don’t think you should be wasted. You are too perfect. Hold strong, remember that life is one big test.”

“Screw that! What is happening to my family?!” The silence hummed on and I was sure Fang or/and Iggy thought I had cracked. Jeb sighed.

“Gazzy is in surgery. They are taking look into his digestive system to see where they went wrong.”

Bile built in my throat, but I was too exhausted to rise to the bait. His voice sounded guarded and edgy. Panic etched my veins.

“And Nudge? What is going to happen to Iggy and Fang?” Again the silence pressed on. I could physically feel the tension in the room, the other two trying to hear what the voice in my head was saying. This silence was longer then the last and I began to worry more.

“Nudge is gone. They have drilled into her skull to examine her brain functions. They want to find a way to control experiments by selectively choosing the genes that make up the brain. And Iggy. They plan on working with his eyes. They want to see if they can get the lasers into his eyes before they kill him.” There was another pause. In this time I slanted as far down as I could until I could just barely see the edge of Iggy’s cage.

“I’m sorry Iggy. If I could, I would have done anything to get you guys free, I would.”

“I do not know what they have planned for you or Fang. There is nothing on file. I’m sorry Maximum, I’m sorry it had to come to this.”

It was silent in my head for a while after that. I thought of screaming out for Jeb, clinging to any last hope that I was still Maximum Ride and I could save the flock like any other day.

It has been two days, at least, since we have been visited upon. The White coats had left us here with nothing to eat or drink, we feared to sleep as we may not see one of us go. My eyes ached with need for sleep, and still my heart thundered as if the white coats could walk in any minute and take Iggy.

“Max?” I was startled at the whisper from my right. Fang had his face turned upward toward the under side of the top of his cage. My cheek was still pressed to the cold surface.

“Max…I…” He was drowned out by my heart thudding in my ears as the door opened.

“Iggy…” It was a breathy whisper. Suddenly my tiredness was out the window. They were killing my family!

“Leave us alone! Why are you doing this?! Don’t touch him! I swear I’ll kill you! All of you!” Along with my threats I tried without progression, to break out of my cage. I kicked and slammed my body against the bars and screamed. I was angry, how dare they do this to my family? What had we ever done? The White Coats murmured to one another. I wanted out! I wanted my family to be fine and flying away from this place. I wanted for them to be able to live like normal kids, and not have to put up with all this crap. I would give anything, my own life if need be, I would give it up gladly. I wanted to beat the living hell out of the White Coats and if there were any more Erasers, throw them in too. I was hit with the bright over head lights when the top of my cage was opened. Some one was yelling my name, I think Fang, but it could have been Iggy. I tried to force my way out. This could be it! This could be our chance! If I could get past these White Coats, I could get Iggy and Fang free, and then we could go find Gazzy and the others, even if they were…

I didn’t have enough room to open my wings, and more hands were appearing, holding me down. A needle probed my neck and I tried biting at it. It pushed past the skin before I could. The serum was heavy; I could feel it in my muscles. My eyes drooped drastically, my hands stilling. I wanted to fight; I wanted to give us a chance to live. The antiseptic smell was all around me and I was nearly ill. I now fought to keep my eyes open. I was so tired.

“Sleep Max. Save your strength…”

The hands let go. I could hear who was yelling now, it was Fang. Iggy was already gone. They had already taken him. My cage closed with a crash that pained my ear drums. Whimpering I curled back on my stomach, pressing my head into the cold metal, trying to find relief. My body hurt. My face was bruising, as was my arms and knees from throwing myself against the heavy metal bars. I peeked open my eyes, looking over at Fang to tell him I was ok. He was scrunched on his side, pressed against the metal bars closest to my cage. He didn’t look comfortable.

The doors hadn’t closed yet; the White Coats were still here. Why? Why were they still here? Fang eyed them, and then turned back to me. An understanding was evident on his face but I couldn’t understand. He knew something, he knew something they knew.

“Fang…” He cut me short with a soft look.

“Sleep Max. We’ll get out of here. Save your strength.” His dark hair fell across his face and for a moment I was remembering when we were younger and he would say the same thing. When we were fighting to get free of the school in the first place.

Before Jeb had helped us.

Before the thought of freedom had ever crossed our minds.

“Sleep Max. Sleep.” His soft commanding voice lulled me gently.

Sleep.

Sleep sounded good right about now. NO! I had to stay awake! I couldn’t let them take Fang. I wouldn’t! My eyes drifted shut against my command.

I woke abruptly to face an empty cage.

Empty.

Breathing slowly, it clicked and I started to cry.

They took him, and I had been sleeping! It had just been us left, the mom and dad of the Flock, and I had turned my back on him.

“Fang!” The scream hurt my throat, and the tears slipped down my face to puddle on the metal.

“Why?! Why?! Why us?! What did we do?!” My throat slowly started to close up. All I was left with was a hoarse whisper.

“Why? Why…why…” To my shock someone answered.

“It is all of your fault Maximum. It is your fault and his fault. His because he gathered support, he made others aware of us who other wise would have been oblivious. And your fault because you fought against us. You ran away time and time again and you showed people what we were doing. We could have peacefully experimented for ages if you hadn’t made an uproar. It is your fault they are dead.” My head spun with the drugs they had given me.

“Where is Fang? What are you doing to him?” I asked Jeb, screaming my thoughts at him as well as the person who was in the room.

They were gone.

They were all gone.

All my life I had wished I was normal, that I was just like every one else, but now that they really were gone I was faced with reality. I needed them to survive, I wouldn’t be Max without them. I was made to protect the Flock from Flyboys or Erasers.

Oh.

Wait.

I hadn’t been able to do that anyway.

My stomach was lurching in agony and my heart torn it self to shreds.

My blood thundered through my veins and my mind was muddled in despair.

“Max, you have done well. I’ll send someone to end your suffering.”

“Fang…” The tears came again. There was a commotion outside. Some yelling and bangs.

Some scientist came rushing in to the room, needles in hand. They looked scared. I bet my mother had been looking for us. Maybe, maybe Jeb had gone against what I thought of him. Maybe he did some thing good this time…

Maybe he wanted us to survive. I didn’t want to. If I wasn’t with the Flock, I didn’t want to live.

The White Coats flung open my cage. They didn’t even acknowledge the lack of a fight. I felt the prick of the needle in the side of my neck and gritted my teeth against the burning pain.

I waited.

Waited for the death. It came slowly as the White Coats injected us with the liquid. There was a loud banging on the door and a rushing of boots. The door crashed open but it didn’t bother Fang and I. We just kept our eyes on each other, waiting.

“Freeze! Step away from the crate, lie on the floor and put your hands on the back of your heads.” The White Coat’s hand shook and the last bit of the serum was forced through my veins. I whimpered. I heard mom. She was calling my name. She was lying down next to me, her face just inches from mine.

“Mom?” So tired.

“Max, I’m here, stay awake, please, for me, try and stay awake.” I hummed and sobbed.

“They’re gone, mom. I failed them. I failed the world.” She cooed to me. Blinking for a long second I opened my eyes to a frightened looking mom. She was crying and was holding my face in her hands.

“Max? Max! Thank god, I thought I had lost you. You didn’t fail anyone, Max, you’ve done more then any one could ever expect of you.”

I shook my head, hating myself for being such a wimp, for not getting up and whipping some Eraser behind with Fang and Iggy and the gang by my side. I didn’t deserve to live where they could not.

“No, no. They’re dead, mom. They killed them all.” My throat started to close up and the puncture wound from the needle began to burn dully, creating an ache between my eyes. They wanted to close so bad. Against my will, they slid closed and I felt so much better.

I just wanted to sleep.

“No Max. They are alive, they are alive. They were being kept in another room.”

Forever.

“Max, you finally showed us that we created a perfect human being. You fought well, but you were too perfect, too smart, and too strong.”

I just wanted…to…sleep…fore…