A/N- My first Maximum Ride fanfiction- here goes!

Thanks go to disneydork, my very awesome friend who is always there for me! (Check out her story, Beautiful. You know you want to. :D )

Disclaimer- The very basis idea for this isn't mine, and I'll tell at the very end of the story where it came from. –shocking music- The characters belong to JP. So what's mine? Well, I mention a rock in the fifth paragraph. That's about it. –holds spiffy rock up-

In the end, you could say the whole experience would change the Flock's lives forever.

Well, this isn't the end, now, is it? This is the beginning. And the beginning we will start at.

I love how people always start clichéd books with, "it was a normal day, until…" as it's overused and overrated. However, my own experience started like such. Normally. Somewhere, a book editor is rolling in their grave.

Now, after discovering Dr. Martinez was my own mother, needless to say there was some shock-evaluation going on. I have to admit, going to my room and reading a book –yes, Maximum Ride can read, don't start with all the jokes- became a common thing for me to do. I needed time to escape into someone else's problems.

It was at such a time when a slow knock came at my closed door, and I was bumped out of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. (Don't ask. Mom said it was good.) Anyways, I was tempted to throw a rock at whoever knocked. The book was actually decent!

"What?" I groaned, turning the open book onto the bed. "If Itex isn't back or someone isn't dying, I don't care."

The door opened, and a sullen-looking Fang walked in. Oh, never mind about the rock.

"Hey."

Fang's one word made my heart leap to my throat. I struggled to keep it in my body. "Hey."

Uh. How could I be attracted to Fang? He's my friend. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't want anything else to distract me.

He sat on the edge of the bed, the very edge, a good three feet away from my legs. He eyed the room, filled with posters of musicians that had previously been Ella's, and the various stuffed animals. He turned to me, dark eyes piercing and shattering my soul.

Aren't I the poetic one?

"Want to go flying? I feel cooped up here." He twisted his hands together. "Haven't been out in ages."

"Where' s the rest of the Flock? Do they want to come?" There was no way I was going to leave them- experience had taught me that.

"Iggy and Gazzy are using bismuth to blow stuff up for Nudge and Angel. Don't ask where they got it from- I don't know and I don't want to know. Either way, they've been off for an hour and don't show signs of returning."

"What's bismuth? Sounds illegal."

"It's some sort of metal you use to blow stuff up with. You can buy it on the Internet, apparently. I've decided not to ask if it's illegal or not. So you coming?"

I looked at The Adventures of Tom Sawyer with longing, but when my eyes met Fang's, I didn't care if Tom drowned in the Mississippi river.

"Course I'll go!" I told him, smiling. His eyes smiled, but his lips didn't. Close enough, I say.

We went into the cramped hall together, and made out way to the outside door. Curiously, Mom nor Ella were there.

"They're out shopping," Fang answered my unspoken question. "I said that you didn't want to go."

A short burst of anger flared up in me for him making my decisions, but it was quickly extinguished when I looked at him again. Uh. Stupid hormones.

"Mm'kay, let's just go," I replied, throwing open the door and revealing the crisp, cloudy sky. We walked the way to the forest, and found a small clearing that would do for takeoff.

My special-made T-shirt allowed my wings to fling open, as did Fang's. Wordlessly, we both jumped into the sky, the deafening sound of air rushing past us. We cleared the treetops, and soared into the sky.

We flew in and out of the clouds, raindrops sticking to my skin. I laughed in enjoyment, and I heard Fang do the same, a rare occurrence. From there on out we stuck to weaving in and out of the spaces between the clouds, not wanting to freeze.

After about twenty minutes, we stopped and hovered mid-air, wondering what to do.

"Want to go check in on the Flock?" I asked before an uncomfortable silence arose. "Bismuth is dangerous, right?"

"I don't know," Fang answered. "I failed my science test when we were in school for that small bit."

I laughed, the sound ringing in the air. It was weird, hearing it. "Where are they?"

"Not far," he replied, "A well-sized clearing does well for their explosions; they showed it to me once."

"And where was I?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"Off with Ella, I think. Anyways, c'mon."

He took off at a fast pace, angling downwards. He flew back to the trees, and he started flying a foot above the highest reaches of the branches. I quickly followed, being left behind not high in my books.

It took about ten minutes to reach the "clearing", which turned out to be an abandoned field that used to belong to a farm. Landing with a thump, I realized that it indeed was a good place- the hard dirt would prevent fires from spreading, if they occurred.

Fang was already with the Flock, the three other figures waving. I jogged over.

"Hey Max!" Gazzy started. "This stuff is sweet. Hard to get, but awesomely cool."

"There was this big explosion!" Angel put in. "It was really neat. Can you do it again?"

Iggy answered, his clear-blue eyes looking in my general direction. "Do you want us to do it again, Max? It's perfectly safe. It's not nearly as big as Angel says. Just three feet tall, three feet wide. Bismuth is perfectly safe stuff, as long as you don't get in its way."

I shrugged, saying, "Sure, might as well."

Iggy and Gazzy put their heads together, putting boxes of sorts together in weird ways and wiring different things. After a minute, they stood proudly. "Got it!" Gazzy shouted.

"We have to back off," Nudge said. "Iggy said that you'd skin him alive if something happened to us."

"He's right," I answered, glad. "How far?"

"Ten feet," Iggy said for her. The Flock and I all moved back, crouching.

"It's timed to go off in twenty seconds," Gazzy whispered, the wind whistling around us. I was worried someone might see us all here, in the middle of a barren, dead field, but a quick glance said otherwise. We're in the smack-dab middle of nowhere.

Before I could reply, a bird suddenly flew down from the sky, scaring the wits out of me. It stood… right beside the contraption.

"Shoo!" all five of us yelled, not wanting bird smithereens splattered on us.

"Go! Fly away!" Nudge screamed, throwing her arms around.

"You'll be blown up!" Angel yelled.

"Ten seconds!" Gazzy said, panic etched on his face.

I stood quickly, and started sprinting to the bird. There was no way this bird would die. I crossed the ten feet rapidly, and when I neared the bird, it cocked it's head to the side and flew away. The contraption was four feet away.

"MOVE!" Fang yelled, but before I could even step, I remember a surprisingly big sound, and then, well, nothing.

Oh, goody.

A/N- Did you like it? Reviews are highly appreciated. Anyways, my brother uses bismuth to do experiments of sorts, but I don't know much about it. If I messed up on my elements, is there one that's better for the story? Either way, it won't really affect the story too much. I just needed an explosion, which are easy with Gazzy and Iggy around. :D

Thanks for reading, I hope you like future chapters! (Fun stuff next chapter- hehe.)