A.N. Hey, everyone! So I've had this idea for a Max-Ride story for a loooong time, and finally decided to write it! It takes place after Nevermore, where the whole island has just survived the apocalypse.
This story is kind of just about their new island life, and how Max and the flock get the island back up and functioning again. Having the population be full of mutants is going to add an interesting twist to their lives and relationships. And, contrary to what everyone believes, this island isn't the only place that has survived the apocalypse. I don't have it all scripted yet, so we'll have to see where my mind takes it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or the characters: Jimmy Pats gets all the rights to them.
So here is the first chapter, and happy reading, you guys!
-Lexi

Chapter 1: Establishing Society

"Alright everybody," I yelled to the crowd standing before me, "settle down. We've got a lot of bases to cover here." Within seconds, I had everybody's attention. We were gathered in a large makeshift circle where most of the debris were cleared away for people to congregate around. The sun was nearly setting now, and we were using the last rays of light to full advantage.

I stepped forward on the wooden platform, the remains of one of the many lavish tree house bases, before standing firmly in front of the frantic survivors.

For those of you who don't know what's going on, let me bring you up to speed. My name is Maximum Ride, mutant bird freak and new leader of the apocalypse! The world was destroyed three days ago, and this large island has gone from paradise to ruin. Now, you may be wondering how this happened, and, frankly, I don't know all of the gory details either. But from the bits and pieces of info I've picked up on, there were a whole bunch of factors leading up to the end.

It all started with the school, where I was 'born', I guess. I was raised in a dog crate, along with my family; Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel. We are genetically engineered humans, equipped with 2% bird DNA spliced along with our human genes. Thankfully, we don't have chicken legs or squawk at everyone we come into contact with. But we do have something that sets us apart from the rest; we have wings.

Yep. That's right. Wings. As in, we can fly, soar, swoop, dive, hundreds of feet in the air, going over two hundred miles an hour. Pretty impressive, right?

I used to not think so. Before the world had ended, up until the year before it happened, we had to hide what we were. We couldn't trust anyone, not even the humans that were closest to us, save for my mother and sister. Jeb, my biological father, had helped us escape when I was ten, rescuing us from that dreaded institution. But he disappeared, and we had thought he was dead.

Fast-forward a couple years, and we found ourselves attacked by Erasers – and no, not pencil erasers, either. Half-human, half-lupine (aka. Wolves), all deadly and thirsting for blood, they kidnapped Angel. But you guys know the story; how we ventured back to the school, reunited with Daddy dearest, and I had a date with destiny where I learned that I had to save the world.

But it looks as if nature had other plans. Apparently, the earth had begun its hidden decent into destruction over the last few decades, unbeknownst to modern scientists and astrologers. I still shudder at the chaos that took place when the world ended; it's almost like it was just a nightmare, or vague memory. Or something out of the movie, "2012", or another sci-fi movie of the like.

An asteroid had crashed into the ocean, creating a sonic boom that toppled trees and destroyed the island. The sky had fallen, with comets raining everywhere, and fire covering every inch of the land. I still have many burns on my face and arms, as well as many of the survivors here do.
Then the tsunami wave had hit, taller than a skyscraper and probably wider than the state of Texas. And I was caught in the middle of it all, with my family (luckily) safe in the sheltered caves. Fang and I had faced the end together, and we had made it through. I'll touch more on the subject of him later.

But the weird thing is that even though it's been a few days… I can't recall life as it was before the world was this way. It seems like we're living in a weird time-space continuum. Everything feels different and surreal, but it's hard to picture life as it once was.

Here, even though we were broken and scared, we are free. The school is gone; demolished. No more running, tests, or experiments. We finally got our paradise- a twisted one at that, but we're finally living. The people here are like me and my flock; no, not all of them are bird-like- but they're genetically enhanced. Injected with DNA, born in a lab, have traits that biology never intended them to have. We're not the minority here. We fit in. This is our world now. Our home- not our hiding place.

I remember that the world before the end was crazy- crazier than it normally is on a day-to-day basis. The school was retaliating; the by-half plan was in effect, courtesy of twisted perfection-seeking extremist locos. We were still being tracked by crazed scientists. People were dying due to some mass-manufactured contagion created to 'rid the world of its impurities', or whatever they thought they were attempting to accomplish.

Sometimes I'm glad the world has ended; it seems less screwed up now than it was before.

I always feel guilty when I think that way though- a lot of good innocent people died as pawns in the scientists' quest for power and perfection. In some ways, the world ending as a result of falling space rocks and rushing waves was a blessing; the by-half plan would have been much less humane.

And now, the survivors of this Armageddon, an account that we like to call 'The Fracture', peer up at me, fear and anticipation in their eyes. I spot my mother and Ella in the crowd, and mom gives me a small reassuring smile.

My palms are sweaty, and I tighten my fists. This is almost as nerve-wracking as speaking in front of congress for the first time. Except this time, lives are depending on my decisions. The course of the future could be set right now, as we are trying to establish the base of the new world.

Let's hope I'm as good at motivational speaking as I am at eating chocolate chip cookies.

"Okay," I start off, clearing my throat. "I know that the world has turned to crap and our new homes have been destroyed." I paused for a second before moving on. "Yes, it sucks that we're homeless. It's a shame that we're on our own now, just us. And...It's a tragedy that lives were lost. Especially for those who didn't deserve it."

The crowd nodded, and a few of them broke out into muffled sobs. My heart clenched. Some of the people here had lost loved ones and families, and for once I was thankful that I didn't have any ties to others outside of my immediate family. One teen placed her arms around a weeping girl, trying to comfort her as best she could.

I glance over at my flock, all standing solemnly to the back left of the stage; my own personal comfort. I met Fang's somber eyes and he nods slightly, conveying that he's right here with me.

I turned back to the crowd. "But we shouldn't focus on what has happened; we should instead try to consider how we can move ahead."

An angry boy around nineteen years old shouted from the crowd; "And how do you expect us to do that?" he glared at me, his fists clenched by his sides. "How can you tell us to move on, when we've just lost… everything," His voice wavered, and moisture gathered in his eyes. "When you've lost the people you love. When you know that there's no way to ever get them back? How can you tell us to forget about them dying?"

Tears began falling to his face as sobs racked his body. He looked up at me expectantly, knowing that I didn't have the perfect answer. Similar cries reflected his statement, and a lump rose to my throat.

"I don't expect you to." I shake my head, trying to fight the urge to tear up along with them. There was so much heartbreak here, as the pain of loss was new and in full force. "No one could ever expect you to. You didn't let me finish- I meant that we should focus on how we should move ahead in this world, and not on the destruction of the previous one.

"But you should never forget," I continue, stepping towards the boy as he clamps his hands around his mouth to stop his shaky cries. "Hold on to those memories. The good and the bad. The people you loved and the people you've shared experiences with. It hurts. I know it does." The boy nodded, and desperation replaced the anger and misery in his gaze.

"We've all lost something or someone. Every last one of us. We're all broken, in some shape or form." He nodded again, closing his eyes as tears continued their path down his dirt covered cheeks. I turned my gaze back to the helpless mutants before me, each staring at me with wide reflective eyes.

"And even though we are weak; even though we are weary, tired and exhausted and hungry - Even though we are hurting and fighting to overcome the loss of those we once cared about… Know that we are all going through the same things. We are all fractured, and we are all struggling.

"But we don't have to struggle alone." I turned my gaze back to the boy to see that he had opened his eyes, and was wiping his face with the back of his hand. "We can help each other. We can learn from the mistakes of our past lives, and try to make it right in this one. If we all work together and carry the burden of our loss as one, it will be much easier to shoulder the weight of this new world."

I search through the faces in the crowd once more, my eyes resting on Mom and Ella's once again. Ella is wiping tears from her eyes, and her encouraging smile mirrors my mother's own. A large grin forms on my face as new motivation fills my heart.

"Everyone! We can do this! We can survive, and we will heal! It will take time; months, years, decades, maybe. It will be rough, and it will be hard to bear. But take comfort in knowing that it will get better! We will become stronger, and we will eventually be able to settle in as a new nation." Soft words of agreement rang out among the crowd, and I swear I could see some of them stand taller.

"Never give up on hope! Trust me, I've learned that the hard way." The crowd nods, the few still weeping slowly wipe the tears from their eyes.

The sun is almost set now, and the frayed landscape is bathed in pinkish-purpled hues, more vibrant now than it was before The Fracture.

"The one thing we need right now is hope. Without it, we have nothing. We have to remain positive, and we have to work together. It is the only way we can truly live." More affirmative yells and hoots sounded around the clearing, and I stood firm, loosening the wings from my back a bit. The boy nods his head, allowing a miniscule smile to grace his lips.

"And even though I'm your leader, I want you to know that I need each one of you. I can't do this alone." More nods. "We need everyone to pitch in if we're going to make this work."

"So, what we're going to do is have another meeting tomorrow, when the sun is highest in the sky. Then we'll decide who will do what, and hopefully we can gain some structure in this crazy world." I look back to my flock, asking if they had anything to add.

Fang stepped up to my side, and I gave him a small smile before looking back out to the crowd.

"Think about what you can contribute," He started, his deep voice strong and powerful. "Like Max said, we're all going to have to work together. If you have a special skill or anything that you think may be of use to the community, please let us know." I nodded, and he continued. "If anyone has any talent in the field of medicines, or treatments, please tell us immediately. There are still some people that were injured in The Fracture that need your help right now."

He paused, and the crowd was silent. Then mom raised her hand, and I grinned at her.

"I have medical experience," She said, winking at me. I laughed. She was a veterinarian from Arizona, but she's taken care of me more times than I could count.

"Very good. Thanks, Mom." She smiled at me, squeezing Ella's shoulder. "Anyone else?" Two others raised their hands, and slowly, three more raised theirs as well.

"Excellent!" I grinned, clapping my hands together once. "This is great progress, guys! Alright, you who raised your hands, come with me. Everyone else, think about what you can do to help the group, okay? I think that's it for now, so I declare this meeting adjourned until noon tomorrow!"

The crowd began to shuffle back to the makeshift campsite around the clearing, and I breathed out a sigh. I think we were finally starting to get somewhere, and the thought was invigorating. I stretched, turning to Fang who was still standing beside me.

"Thanks for having my back, there." I said, grinning at him. He smiled his half-smile at me.

"Always." My heart clenched and I laughed, squeezing his hand before walking over to the small group of people gathering at the front of the platform. Along with my mom, Jeb and Dr. Abate were standing in the group, talking amongst each other. A black haired teenaged girl and a brown-haired little girl were standing to the side, holding hands. Two teenaged guys stood amongst themselves, and one of them was the boy who had spoken during the meeting.

I was glad that we had such a great turnout, although I was a bit skeptical towards the little girl, who couldn't be any older than Angel. She blinked up at me with her big hazel eyes, shuffling back slightly into the black haired teen's legs. I smiled at her. Yep, she totally reminded me of Angel.

"Okay, guys." I addressed, nodding at them and smiling once more at the girl. "Let's get to the caves. The injured can't wait much longer."

A.N. So what'd you think? Feel free to leave comments, and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, as is every review!
I also really love hearing you guys' ideas on how you think the story's going to go, and your predictions, so let me know!
Review! :)