Chapter 1

I sat in the room I shared with Ella, my half-sister, in Dr. Martinez's house, contemplating life, the universe, and the number 42.  Ever since the riot at Itex's headquarters in Germany, a mega corporation with their fingers in every industry known to man, the flock and I had  been enjoying some well-deserved downtime in my amazing mom's house.  Why are we called the flock, you ask?  Why because we're just your average family of mutant birdkids.  Well, family is the wrong word.  Angel and the Gasman are the only blood-related siblings among us, but we've been together ever since we were created by the sadistic scientists at the hell-hole we call the School.  Since we escaped, we had a relatively peaceful life in Arizona before being forced to fly across the country several times fleeing for our lives.  Then we found out about Itex, who was a major supporter of the School, funding its sick experiments, and here we are.  But why am I telling you this?  You read the other books... didn't you?

In case you haven't (why the heck haven't you?!), I guess I should tell you a little about myself.  My name is Max, Maximum Ride.  I'm fourteen, thin, and very tall.  In fact, we're all tall and thin for our ages, but we're not scrawny.  The avian DNA in our blood gave us more strength, speed, stamina, and better senses than normal humans, making us all lean, mean, fighting machines, which has helped in the numerous fights with the human-lupine mutants called erasers and, more recently, flyboys, basically robots with an eraser covering grown on them.

My thoughts were interrupted by a prickling sensation on the back of my neck.

"Jeezum, Fang!" I yelped, jumping, "How many times have I told you not to do that?!"

He shrugged and smiled, feigning ignorance.  "Whatever, it's coming on."  Those four words would probably be all I heard the fourteen-year-old say that day.  He turned and walked away, revealing his jet-black wings folded neatly into his back; my mom had been kind enough to cut slits in our clothes for our extra limbs.

I pushed past him and made my way downstairs.  What could be on that drew me out of my brooding?  Only My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.  Don't judge us.  If you had as hard a life as us than you'd welcome something as lighthearted and upbeat as colorful ponies.  The scene upon entering the living room was a rather typical one, nowadays.  Iggy, the blind and lanky fourteen-year-old, and Gasman, who was ten and very blonde, were taking up the couch and fawning over how awesome Rainbow Dash was.  Fang flopped down on the floor in front of them, and Angel was sitting in a la-z-boy, holding her Fluttershy plushie with one hand and petting Total, our Yorkshire terrier (we think) with the other.  Mom (I still get chills when I realize she's my mom) and Ella were in the kitchen, watching the smaller TV in there while fixing dinner.

"Is this the new episode?" I asked, taking my place next to Fang.

Total lifted his head, "Yep, I'm not sure what it's called, but it's a Pinkie Pie episode."  Did I not mention that he can talk?  Well he can also jump about thirty feet in the air, he's a mutant too.

"A Friend in Deed," Iggy chimed in irritably, "Now everybody shut up, I already can't see it, at least let me hear it."  When we were all back at the School, the evil scientists we call whitecoats had tried to "enhance" his night-vision, now he's completely blind.  Whoops.  He learned to make up for it through his other senses, however, and as long as nobody moved the furniture, he could make his way around just fine.  He's also the best cook among us too.

We all settled down and watched Pinkie belt out no less than three musical numbers in the first ten minutes, and that wasn't counting the dance number at the very beginning.  The episode continued, a rather charming one describing the mare's attempts to get a donkey to smile, until Nudge walked in.  Nudge Channel, as we like to call her, is a mocha-skinned twelve-year-old who never...stops...talking.

"Here's that 'homework' you wanted, Max," she handed me a sheet of paper that I immediately shoved in my pocket, "You know, I really think that Cranky is just being a little too..."  In this instance, her motormouth worked to my advantage as it kept my mom from asking me just what "homework" Nudge had been working on.  Suddenly, I heard those evil words spill from her mouth.  "...and of course Pinkie Pie is the best pony."

I almost slapped her right then and there, "Thou hast committed sacrilege in mine presence!" I screamed, "Pinkie Pie cannot hold a candle to the eternal glory that is Twilight Sparkle!"  What can I say?  That mare has some serious snark in her, and I admire that.

My little outburst caused a massive argument, with Iggy and Gazzy on Rainbow Dash's side, Angel advocating Fluttershy with Fang, yes, that Fang, silently backing her, and of course me and Nudge going at in a battle to the death.  Total just chuckled and enjoyed the show, the little coward claimed that all of them were great and we were being stupid.  The room was filled with yelling, mostly insults, for a while until finally Ella and Mom had to come in and break it up.  They too, took the coward's way out and told us that all ponies were great.

When the noise died down at last, I heard a voice in my head.  I personally enjoy the fashionista pony.  It said in an ambiguous tone.  What, you don't have a voice in your head?  You can get them two for one at Target.

Shut up, Voice. I thought back. You have no idea what you're talking about.

When the credits rolled after the episode was over, I went back up to my room to examine the paper Nudge had given me.  You see, Itex was never busted, just their CEO, and I had Nudge keep tabs on them on the ridiculously high-tech laptop Fang had stolen from one of their branches.  Being a mutant has some weird side effects, and Nudge's is the ability to flawlessly hack anything, which is why this was her job.  Flattening out the sheet of paper, I began to read.

The document outlined an amazing business opportunity for Itex's anonymous benefactors, something called Project New Beginnings, which sounded remarkably like the By-half Plan, a sadistic plot to literally kill half of the planet's population.  The flock and I threw a monkey wrench in the works in Germany, but it looked like those reascals were at it again.  It was taking place at the School in two days, just enough time.

"Max!" I heard my mom call "Dinner's ready!"

"Coming, Mom!"  I left the room and went to go eat, slipping the sheet into my pocket as I did so.

A little less than an hour later, I sat in my room again, this time reading over a different sheet of paper.

Mom,

I'm sorry, but I'm gonna be gone for two or three days.  I hate to just leave you like this, but this is something I need to do and I know you'll just try and stop me.  The whitecoats are planning something big, like, By-Half Plan big.  I promise I'll be back as soon as I can.  Don't come after me.

I love you,

Max

Are you sure about this?  The Voice asked.

Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I responded hotly.

No, you don't.  This is very irresponsible, Max.

Irresponsible?!  I'm about to save the world, again!  What more do you want from me?! I was furious by now.

Max, you know you need the flock right now, remember what happened last time?  I grimaced, the last time the flock had split I thought about nothing but Fang and his mini-flock until we met again.

Ugh!  Since when have I cared about your advice?  I set the short note on my pillow and faced the window.  The sun was setting and the horizon was lit up a fiery orange.  It was beautiful,but that wasn't what I was focused on right now.  I figured it would take me about a day, day and a half of hard flying to get back to the School from here in Arizona, giving me less that half a day to stop the whitecoats.  I tightened the drawstrings of my windbreaker, gave my wings a shake to loosen them up, and opened my window.  The col breeze clew in my face and ruffled my feathers as I looked out over the forest surrounding my house.  I was preparing to leap out the window when I heard a voice ting out from behind me.

"You're not planning on ditching the rest of us, are you?"  I turned to see Fang, a smug look on his face, standing in the doorway with the rest of the flock behind him.  I shot Nudge a withering glare, she had been sworn to secrecy, but Fang shook his head and pointed to Angel, who flashed me a grin that was, well, angelic.  Oh yeah, did I mention that she can read minds and sometimes even influence them?  Yeah, a six-year-old telepath, just what every family needs.

"I guess there's no way to get you guys to stay here?" I asked, still somewhat hopeful that the looks I was giving each of them would scare them away.

They all grinned and shook their heads, the rebellious maggots, and entered the room.

"Fine then."  I threw myself out the window and into the cool evening air, not waiting for the rest of them.  Secretly, I was kind of happy that they didn't let me go alone, but no one needed to know that.

I'm not one to say I told you so, but-

Shut up, Voice.