A/N: Okay, I'm not boring you with a long Author's note today. I'm terribly sorry for not updating for a month or so but my muse just didn't want to cooperate. Seeing as it doesn't want to get any further right now, I decided I should at least put up what I have, I owe you that much. So this is Chapter four, part one. Again, sorry for the wait.
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Cry me a river, build me a bridge and get over it.
A great big thanks to all of those who reviewed and to all those still reading!
Enjoy and please review. God knows I need the motivation...
"– watch"
I blinked, mumbling sleepily and asked "wha–?"
"Your watch."
Oh. Riiight.
Yawning widely, I sat up quickly on full alert. Turning to Fang with a grateful nod – for actually waking me up, I murmured: "Thanks now get some sleep."
To my surprise, he actually took my spot; throwing his left arm over his closed eyes without so much as a complaint. Releasing a sigh I seated myself in an upholstered armchair by the window and waited out the scarce hours until morning without complications.
My eyes honed in on the glaring red numbers of the digital alarm clock on the small table beside me. The clock read: five one five. Five fifteen, the flock would be up soon.
It was early but the sun was already rising, sending waves of molten gold through the windows.
I heard movement behind me and stiffened instantly ready to jump to my feet and fight. But I relaxed once I realized it was only Iggy.
"Morning, Ig" I told him.
"Hungry?" he inquired.
"Starving" I answered truthfully, getting up to wake the flock.
Shaking Nudge and Angel awake, I moved away to rouse the Gasman. Fang blinked up at me from beside him when I came over, and silently rose to his feet and started picking his way over to the table.
"I'm hungry" Nudge whined, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Then help Fang and Iggy with breakfast" I suggested, turning away from a disgruntled looking Gasman.
Angel smiled sweetly and offered to set the table.
Minutes later the six of us – plus Total were enjoying a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs.
"That festival's today right?" my little trooper asked, twirling a forkful of eggs absently.
"Yeah Gaz, it is" I confirmed, clamping down on my rising anticipations. I just had a bad feeling about this fair, everything's been so calm for us lately and well – I'm not complaining but when things get easy I tend to get a little edgy. We all do. But – my little guys were looking forward to it, and who am I to rain on their parade?
"Yes! Ohmygosh! The Festival's today!" Nudge squealed happily. "I bet there's gonna be food, and games and rides and –" she gasped and exclaimed, "do you think they will be prizes Max? Can one of you guys try and win me one? Oh please Max?"
I wisely averted my eyes, knowing full well that she was giving everyone the infamous Bambi Eyes.
"Sure Nudge" Iggy answered finally.
"Oh thank you Iggy!" she breathed, practically jumping up and down in her seat.
I let out a sigh of relief and shot Ig a grateful glance, though it was sadly wasted.
"Okay guys, we have a little while until the fair opens" I announced, resuming the leader role, once we had all finished eating breakfast. "Let's get cleaned up and hit the town for a bit while we wait."
I got a mix of replies with varying degrees of enthusiasm. And I herded the flock towards the bathroom.
Gazzy went first, and then Nudge, and Angel went after her. Once the younger set was clean, Iggy took his turn. When Fang emerged from the bathroom I headed in.
After everyone was dirt-free and sparkling we checked out for the day; heading into town. We had a few hours to kill until the fair started.
"So… the poison will restrict the flight muscles and deteriorate the nuclei found in their red blood cells?" Reilly asked, making notes on a clipboard he held firmly in his right hand.
"Yes." Jeb confirmed. "The weakened, depleted red-blood cell count will slow the victim down and that, –" he stopped momentarily turning to face Ari, who was watching them closely, soaking up the information. "will give you the distraction you need Ari. Once the flock is down and weak you can take Max."
The beast's eyes lit and a twisted smile marred his awkward features.
"But even if the poison slows them down; they recover quickly and you know perfectly well that they wouldn't give up on one of their own; especially not on Max." Reilly continued.
"Yes Reilly," Jeb breathed out, patience thinning "but the poison doesn't only slow them down; the absence of red blood cells will cause their bodies to weaken as well. They will find it increasingly difficult to continue in that condition; though that may not stop them from trying. Their blatant self-willed perseverance will just slow them further."
"I would suggest targeting the oldest of the remaining five, as they would be the ones to take over while Max is gone." The other whitecoat interjected.
"Fang and Iggy…" Jeb muttered.
Ari nodded, clearly happy with his orders. Take out the oldest? With pleasure…
"Now that the plans are clear," Jeb went on "I have a team of Erasers waiting for you. Max and the flock are in Massachusetts, heading to the Cornerstone fair. Keep an eye on the flock and keep out of sight until you're needed." His voice was hard with the order and Ari huffed irritably. Though he knew his father was right.
Inside he was nearly jumping with excitement. He would finally get what he wanted! He would finally get Max! Suppressing a gleeful grin the Eraser followed Jeb into the next room; where a team of Erasers were ready and waiting for him.
Judging by what Ari could see, the other Erasers, ten in number, were all clutching what appeared to be tranquilizer guns. Though just having had a briefing of the plan, Ari knew better. These guns held small vials of the poison the whitecoats had designed; each vial was designed like a syringe, though they looked like sedative darts.
The Eraser at the head of the pack handed the seven year old a gun. Ari grinned and cocked the loading piece backwards to drop the darts into his palm. Jiggling his hand to test their weight, the Eraser went on to observe the bullet.
It was long and narrow, barely the length of a toothpick and about an inch in volume. The clear tube held a visibly watery liquid with a reddish tint. The liquid inside the tube seemed to be both scalding hot and freezing cold, if that were plausible. Ari grinned at the bolt in his hand; he knew very well that this was the poison. He also knew from the briefing Jeb had given him that while it was potentially lethal to anything with avian genes, it was nil to harmless to him or any other Eraser. This bit of info appeared to give the lupine hybrid an extra confidence boost.
There would be no failing, not on his part. And he would make sure of that.
Reloading the darts carefully into his tranquilizer gun, he placed it in the holster on his hip and strapped another gun, a fully loaded miniature rifle, to his back. Grimacing at the taut pull of his retro-fitted wings on his back, Ari rolled his shoulders to loosen the muscles and popped a handful of pills to relieve the pain. Hooking a mini transmitter ear piece to his ear and snatching the receiver piece out of another's hands he stuffed it, unceremoniously into his pocket. Deciding he was ready, the sadistic seven year old turned to his companions, already growling out orders for take off.
Heading down the corridors with a quick, even-paced stride, Ari headed out through the doors without a second's hesitation. Spreading wing, he winced slightly; seeing as his wings were grafted onto him after being turned into an Eraser – and thatwasn't exactly done to seamless perfection either. Getting a slight running head start, he took wing and was almost out of earshot when someone called out from down below.
"Don't forget! Wait for my signal, and don't attack before then!" Jeb.
The whitecoat's son just rolled his eyes and grunted in response, although he knew Jeb could neither hear nor see him, and he was out of there within minutes, his team following closely behind in a loose formation.
They would arrive at the fair soon, and then, his plan would finally take wing.
A/n: There some of Jeb's input on the poison. Sorry about the short Chappie, my muse short-circuited on me. Anyways, I'm not sure when the next half of the Chapter will be up.
Please Review, I need all the muse I can get.