AN: Sorry for taking so long, but I love playing video games, so I was side tracked. I am putting out a preview at this point to determine how this next chapter should go? With Prototype 2 out and in consideration, tell me how this get's interesting.

Chapter 5:

Third-Person:

"We have nothing in common!" Fang hissed as he cradled Max in his arms. Iggy was out cold, so was Max, and Angel, even Nudge was not untouched, leaving the remaining 2 members of the flock conscious, but barely able to throw even a decent punch.

Iggy was still trying to catch his breath but charged, albeit against Fang's wishes, and got promptly side-kicked and went through two wooden fences before stopping. And he even bent a car door before dropping like a sack of stones. Fang wanted to cave that man's face in, but after seeing the carnage he has unleashed upon his family, he needed to think this through.

And after much thought, diplomacy maybe an option after all. Well, after his ribs had healed of course.

Ella was still trying to find Iggy, and realized no one was around to help the others.

"Gaz, take care of the others. I need to speak with this guy." Fang ordered. The young one opened his mouth to protest but Fang's silent glare said otherwise. With a pained expression on his face, he nodded, and went towards the others.

Max would have not approved of this, but since she isn't exactly awake at this point he made the choice for them all. That didn't mean he liked it though.

With a huge sigh, he walked towards the house, as though he was an inmate on Death's Row.

After what he's seen, he might just be right.

Alex:

Mrs. Martinez walked calmly towards me and slapped in the face. Didn't hurt, but the message conveyed in that slap was clear: she was furious.

"That was completely unnecessary!" She yelled in my face. I was surprised, but she was always the free spirited person in class, and she wouldn't take shit from anyone, least of all, me.

"Unnecessary? Your daughter decided to throw hospitality out the window and she threw the first blow, I simply defended myself." I said calmly.

"You did more than defend yourself, I assure you. You might have sent my daughter and her friends a one-way trip to ICU or the morgue!" She screeched. Jesus, she needed to lighten up.

"If they were normal humans, that would be the case, but it seems that isn't true neither, isn't it?" I retorted.

Her face was a mask of controlled rage, yet she calmed down and took a seat on whatever could hold her weight long enough to hear the whole shindig.

"Now that you're settled in, we can discuss some things. Specifically your work on genetic mutations."

"I've moved on, and no, I have already moved on from that research. Truth be told, I am glad I got out. The experiments done there, I would not have wished it upon-" I raised my hand to cut her off.

"I wasn't finished yet, but since you don't look like you're in the mood to talk, I might as well show you this file." I threw a folder that from my jacket to her. She caught it deftly and scanned the contents. When I saw her eyes widen, I smirked. "Do I have your attention?"

She was shaken, and her tone was controlled, but barely, "You have to understand. I have left that life a very long time ago, so I have no idea as to who would continue this. But, how-"Once again, I cut her off. This time, I turned my head slightly to the right. He may be good in being silent, but when I switch my vision, he can't hide from me.

"Why don't you come out, Fang? Fang, your name is Fang, right?" Slowly, he came out, a guarded expression covering his face.

"The only reason I'm here is to see what kind of crap you're selling to Mrs. Martinez. Since she ain't about to throw you out yet, I think you might be telling the truth."

I was gonna go out a limb here and say he was trying to bait me. So far, he still had enough brain cells alive in that skull of his to try such a tactic. Ballsy, but dumb.

"Trying to bait me? Very mature, kid. But I think you lost some brain cells in that head of yours that you've forgotten what I can do to you. Maybe you need to re-enlightened. At least your girlfriend got the memo, assuming that shock didn't render her brain dead."

Fang was about to pounce, but Mrs. Martinez was kind enough to stop me, but she had that same look of murder that was promptly directed at me. I think she was torn between saving me and letting that boy try and throttle me. Both scenarios amused me.

Eventually, they calmed down. I even offered him a seat, but to the boy in question, I think he took that as a slap to the face. Still, he wasn't rude. He was too curious to what we have been talking about.

Fang spoke first. "Alright, what do you want?"

"Blunt, aren't ya, kid? Well, I need information and some help. I stumbled upon something that may help me get to my goal, and still help your group get what they want. It seems we have a common interest." Then I pointed to the folder that was still in Dr. Martinez's hand. "Take a peek, and I believe we can talk freely about this."

-Fang-

I looked at him with some apprehension. I really had doubt this guy isn't gonna kill us, but if being a parapalegic was the alternative, then death would have been preferable. This guy was like nothing I had ever seen. Was he even a hybrid at all? The way he fought made me feel a bit intimidated, knowing that this guy was gonna kill us all? His arms were a demolition man's swiss army knife with wings? Or are they even part of him to begin with? We were born with ours and I have a gut feeling this guy wasn't giving us the full lowdown.

But, with Max out like a rock and my standing army is a tough mom, a 9 year old demo boy, a blind guy and me, I don't have any illusions that my usual punch and go method for bad guys would work this time.

He took a seat at what was left of the couch, which was torn in half during the brawl, and began in a very deep voice.

"So, how's my audition?"

My temper was on a thin line here, and this guy was now trying to pull me over the sane edge.

"Audition?! After what you did do us, you thought I was impressed?!" To my slight horror, a part of me was. After all, we have been through some tough times, but this guy made all of that a prologue to the main event.

"Well, I see we have a firebrand here, but now to the crux of the issue: We seem to have common foes here, and the saying "the enemy of my enemy is a friend" could be an apt solution to our problems, both of them. You and your friends don't need to pretend to be my buddies, we are anything but. I am simply using you, and you using me. The question is, do you want to?"

This guy was staring at me like a wounded pup. As much as I hate the guy, he reminds me of me, in a "I hate friendship and I hate facebook" sort of way.

However, we still don't know what he gave to Ms Mar-

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

Just my luck, I was about to find out.

3rd Person:

Ms. Martinez was livid. Here on her house, were the very notes that were used in her thesis, back in Harvard College.

While a thesis maybe boring to most of the people, the contents contained theories of genetic mutation and evolution. It even had formulas to set the groundwork of future genetics that would ultimately result for the benefit of humanity, and that was made while she was, well, under the influence of alcohol. She was in a party, when a sudden dash of water, used to sober her up (her friends did it) got her memory jogging to a deadline she needed to meet in order to get her grades up, a thesis paper writing.

It's amazing how alcohol can cook so many ingenious formulas, both known and in conjecture, to be included in her research documents. It was her own theory in genetic biology, and her idea as to where it was going to go to the future. Although to be fair, she had help from some of the smartest students in the class, who just so happened to have some formulas ready to be used, since they didn't know if theirs was even acceptable. Martinez didn't have time to be picky, she just rolled with the punches and took what she got.

One such formula, however, was used to create the Blacklight virus.

It was pure luck that Ms. Martinez had made that formula. However, when she gave it to her professor in her college years, she was immediately investigated by some rather shady authorities, to her confusion and resulting irritation. The authorities who gave her the interrogation where complete "uptight, a-holes" in Martinez's respectable own words.

Eventually, they realized that she stumbled unto this little formula as a fluke. They warned her never to divulge the secrets of that formula from now on, till the day she died. She was given a very hefty bribe, and an additional perfect score which gave her the status needed to move up to the world.

While still very cross, the bribe and status of her perfect score has bought her silence completely.

It would take a full 17 years to realize what kind of mistake she has made.

"What the hell is this? IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE?!" She raged, making those nearby cringe, except Mercer.

"My work, an innocent thesis used back in my younger years, was used to do this?!" She threw the contents onto a nearby table. On those files were her formula and the effects of its usage, particularly on a town called Hope.

Martinez looked like she was caught between crying her eyes out and screaming her rage over both her intelligence, and her own ignorance about this entire thing.

Normally Fang would have been content to just sit this one out, be silent, and disappear to whatever environment he was in at the time, but a stranger comes in and tells her that the worst terrorist attack in history was due to her own innocent formula, and also indirectly responsible for your girlfriend getting her bones broken in places that was not humanely possible and knocking her out at the same time (yes, that did sound impossible, to him, anyways.) then it called for some intervention.

Fang cleared his throat "So what? Just because she wrote the damn thing doesn't mean she meant to do this type of crap onto the world." Outwardly, he was stoic and calm, but inwardly, he felt conflicted. On one hand, he saw Max's mom, who loved her daughter as much, if not more, as he does. On the other, he saw a negligent grown-up indirectly cause people suffering and misery, just so she could move up in the world.

But then, his gut tells him it may not be entirely the woman's fault. I mean, how could she know?

Did she know?

Alex Mercer broke the silence the finally telling the pitiful woman what he came here for.

"Your reasons are irrelevant now. I am more interested in asking for your help. The same people that made the virus may have been also involved in your daughter's own winged predicament. I understand people want to use Max like a puppet on a bad talent show. She may fly high, but after everything she's been through, she might as well dance to the tune of a blind man with a flute." He said so casually.

Fang looked like he was gonna start the whole thing again when…

"And what are you?" Max's voice reverberated in the room. Everyone turned heads and saw Max in the doorway with an ice pack on her head.

Fang moved to help her, but Max brought her hand up to his face and gave him a look that meant she was not willing to be the victim.

"You certainly know a lot about me, but nothing about you, Mr. MERCER. Now let's say I actually want your help, what then? How will you solve all of life's problems, huh? What then?"

Max was clearly upset (understatement of the century) but clearly if he wanted them dead, well, it wouldn't take much effort.

And Mercer knows that while she may not understand words, she understood action. And that was enough to get her to listen.

"Let's just say I'm a VIP with backstage access. Now, you may not like me, and I may not like you, but think about it. The people that made your life hell are toying you like doll, and I am here offering you the chance to cut those strings. What say you?" Alex asked in a smug voice.

Max's head was pounding, and she could not stand straight, but the chance to take down those men and women responsible for placing the world in jeopardy is not something to ignore lightly.

Max was silent for a few moments, and as soon as her mouth opened, Alex cut her off again.

"You know what? I will give you until morning to decide. You clearly are not thinking straight and the moment you open your mouth, you can't take it back. I want you to be in a clear state of mind when you think about it." Max glared at him, and wanted to protest, but another sledgehammer-sized headache rushed in to stop her.

Alex took note and closed this whole fiasco, saying "My point exactly. I will await your answer in the morning. Get rest. And try to think this through." And with that Alex Mercer stood up and took off into the night, leaving foot sized craters when he ran.

Fang glared into the direction of Alex, but then looked over to Max, and hoped to whatever deity watching over at the time to please make Max give doubt.

Fang just wished tonight's events was some sort of nightmare that he'd wake up at any moment now.

AN: I am finally done with this chapter. Review and ask me what comes next.