Authors Note: Hey readers! Hope you enjoy this fic, and I've learned a few things from my last fic, which I will still update on, so hopefully this one is better. I'm always aiming to improve, so send me your suggestions and comments! Story starts from back at the school before Iggy was blinded, then skips around a bit. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Disclaimer: Trust me, that is not my name on the cover of Maximum Ride

Twisted Hope

What if, instead of Iggy, it was Fang? What if Fang had been blinded instead of Iggy? Would Iggy still be the same bomb-making pyro we love and Fang Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome? And what about Max? Would she still love him as well... or would she fall in love with Iggy?

Twisted Hope

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Max PoV

"Fang?" I whispered softly from inside my cage. "You asleep?" No reply. I moved closer to the edge of my cage, where I knew the dark haired boy was sleeping. "Fang!" I whispered, louder this time.

"Max?" he mumbled. "What is it?" he asked, opening his eyes. He sat up, or rather, as far up as we could sit in a cramped cage.

I pointed to the empty cages next to mine. "They're gone!" I whimpered, a note of panic in my voice. Fang looked worried also, shrugging slightly.

"Maybe the whitecoats took them?" he guessed. I shook my head. "Not all at once, they've never done that before, besides they would have taken all of us," I explained. Fang bit his lip, but shrugged again.

"I'm sure they'll come back, right?"

"I dunno."

He curled up to sleep again, and I sighed. He was never one for talking much. I closed my eyes as well. No sense in worrying now, the others would come back later. And if not, I would get them back.

A few hours, or it could have been minutes, later I opened my eyes. A clanging noise echoed around me, and I glanced around to see the rest of my Flock; Iggy, carrying baby Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy climbing back into their cages. Iggy set Angel down into Gazzy's cage, the two were so young and small they could share.

Fang looked over to Iggy and Nudge, smiling in relief. I gave a small smile as well, since no one looked hurt. "Jeb took us and was talking to us about stuff," Iggy explained.

The smile disappeared off my face. "Why just you guys, what about me and Fang?" I asked, feeling a little jealous. "And why Angel and Gazzy, they can't understand!" I continued. "What about us, we need to know stuff too!"

Iggy shrugged. "He just said to bring everyone but you guys. I don't know why, he just did."

"Well what'd he tell you?" Fang cut in.

"Just stupid stuff about how to clean our feathers, stuff like that."

I laughed. "Oh, he taught us that last week. He'll have to teach Angel and Gazzy, they probably didn't understand it." "Yeah," Nudge piped in. "But he also said tomorrows testing day, and that one of us is going."

We all fell silent at that. Testing day is the worse, when one of us gets brutally tested on by evil scientists. Sometimes the experiments don't even have a purpose, it's just for torture. We all have scars and memories of cruel experiments, except maybe for Angel or Gazzy.

"Who's going?" Fang demanded quietly. We all held our breath. We didn't want any of us to go, but it's even worse when we know who it is, who is probably going to be suffering and being tortured tomorrow. I would rather it be me instead of Nudge, or Gazzy, or innocent Angel. Me, Fang, and Iggy are all used to daily pain and torture, but Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel are still so young.

Nudge gulped. "Iggy," she murmured. Iggy nodded in fear, he already knew it.

I glanced at Iggy with sympathy, feeling fear and worry as well for my brother. Well, technically he's not my brother, but I like to think of all us freaks as family. A Flock, I guess, since we all have wings and stuff. We can't fly though, and if we try to learn, we get hurt by the whitecoats.

Iggy shrugged. "No biggie," he reassured us, trying to push it off. But his eyes told the real story.

He was scared. Any of us would be if we were in his place. We all had been in his place. We knew what it was like, what he would face in the morning. Being roughly clawed by Erasers, evil whitecoats sneering and mocking your pitiful resistance, then being led away, unsure if you would live, if you would ever see your family again.

"Max, I heard them talking about a big operation. Is that… bad?" Iggy shuddered. "It probably is." I bit my lip and nodded. Whatever the whitecoats had planned, it probably wasn't good.

"After one of us gets tested, Jeb usually comes and lets us out of our cages for a while though," I tried to comfort him. "And then we get let out and can stretch our legs and wings." Iggy mumbled something and turned away. I strained my ears to hear him.

"But what if I don't come back? Then how can I enjoy it?"

"Iggy, you'll come back. And if you don't, we'll kill all the whitecoats to avenge you, and all the erasers too. And then we will bring you back, okay?" I declared firmly.

Iggy gave a weak smile. "Thanks Max." He yawned and closed his eyes. Everyone else was asleep. I closed my eyes too, and was just about to fall asleep, when I heard Iggy mumble something.

"I'll stay here, Max. Just for you. I'd never leave you alone."

I cracked my eyes open. Iggy was snoring. Did I imagine what he said? Was I dreaming? Or maybe he meant me and the rest of the Flock. He probably meant that. Why would he single me out? I was just being stupid. It was because I was tired. I need sleep, and I had to be alert tomorrow. I closed my eyes again and fell asleep almost instantly.