Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride; I do not. Bleh.

Claimer: This idea, the dialogue, and 206 bones belong to me. None of the above may be removed.

Author's Note: My picks were...Islode Eris and SherriLee! Congrats. (: Since they both picked option two, switching back, two it is. Enjoy!

Max's Point-of-View

A different cave. Most definitely not telling you where. Things were not going too well. Actually, they sucked. Angel was tired, Gazzy was living up to his name, Nudge was hungry, Iggy was scheming, and Fang was, well, being Fang. Which, let's face it, is a challenge on any day of the week.

"I'm hungry, Max. So, so, so hungry. I mean, I could eat desert rat, even," Nudge was talking at Iggy full force, and I almost grinned. Sometimes, not being Max has a lot of appeal. I could practically see Iggy's face taking on a pained expression. Or rather, my face. It was easier dealing with the switch when I couldn't see. Seeing another me would just be...odd. Not that it hadn't happened. But let's keep Max II out of our little cave.

"But don't tell Fang that. Well, I mean, he's right here. But he probably knows I'm not serious. Can we go? Get something to eat? We're in New York, right?" There goes not telling you where. "Or near it? There are those street vendors. We could just get some kabobs or something from there. Because I know we shouldn't go in a restraunt. Especially after what happened with Jason. What a jerk."

"I'll go with you to get some food, Nudge." Fang. Nudge and Fang had become a lot closer since my little rendevous with Ella.

"Thanks, Fang. No desert rat?"

"I can't make any promises."

"Ew! Fang, grossss!"

"Relax. We'll find a McDonalds or something."

They left, on foot, I think. Or someone else was moving around.

"Max?" A very small, very scared voice called out to me. My baby. My Angel. "Max, Gazzy." I almost answered, then remembered I couldn't. I wasn't Max. Not now. No matter how much I wanted to be, when my baby, my Angel, sounded so terrified. It's okay, Max. I know it's you. I wasn't shocked. No, not at all. I knew she knew, from the beginning. Max, Gazzy is in pain. Please help him. I can hear your Voice, in his head.

I heard Gazzy whimper. But he kept his face stoic, the strongest eight-year-old I have ever seen. Wait-seen? Why could I see? I looked down. I was still Iggy. Too-far-away-for-Max-height tennis shoes, pale, slender fingers, no scars from my little cutting scene at the beach - casually, I slipped out my wing - black, not tawny. I was still Iggy. So why could I see?

Iggy's Point-of-View

I watched Nudge, then Fang, dissapear from the cave, taking off into the sky. Sight. God, I had no idea what I was missing. I mean, I know I could see before those sick whitecoats experimented on me. I remember seeing. But having it again, it was so surreal. It was amazing.

I loved it.

But of course, nothing is that easy. We're mutant bird kids with no home, on the run, constantly chased, without a clue of who we are and where we came from, or why. And every once in a while, something that completely sucks has to happen, to remind us that, no, we're not normal, and no, things aren't okay.

So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when everything went black.

You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

Author's Note: And commence, Operation Switchback. I know that was kind of short, but more is to come, and very, very, very soon. R&R!