“What kind of final test?” Nudge asked, sounding apprehensive.
I sighed. “Something asinine, probably life threatening, and guaranteed to make me angry every time I remember it for the rest of my life.”
Angel looked up at me, worried. “Do you think Fang will get here soon?”
I nodded. “I’m sure he’s on his way.”
But he probably wouldn’t make it in time to spare me this idiocy. Instinctively I began taking deep breaths, super-oxygenating my blood. My knuckles were scarred from the last little skirmish I’d had with the flying can openers, and I cracked them loudly, already bracing myself to feel pain and to ignore it.
The rally was taking place out in the wimpy winter sunlight of the prison yard. The sky and air felt as gray as the lifeless dirt beneath our boots. I thought about Dr. Martinez and how she might actually be my mom. Outside of the flock, she and Ella—Ella was my half sister!—were my favorite people in the world. I wished I could take several hours to just enjoy thinking about it. Now I might die before I ever saw them again.
The remaining ranks of mutants and wannabes were lined up neatly in the yard. There were fewer of them than before, and I remembered what Max II had said about how they disappeared every day.
Was this going to be another fight with Max II? Did they really want me to kill her this time? I prayed no one was sick enough to make me fight Ari again, but I wouldn’t put it past them.
“Wait here,” commanded a Flyboy in a metallic voice.
Sure, I thought, because telling me what to do always works so well.
Several Flyboys surrounded us, pointing guns. The guns seemed to be welded to their arms, part of them. An improvement over the last ones—now they couldn’t drop their weapons or have them taken away. Those guys just kept innovating! That’s progress, people!
“Welcome, everyone,” said my ex-mom, walking out onto a platform. Her image immediately popped up on half a dozen movie theater–sized screens posi
tioned all around the yard.
She opened her arms in greeting, and then I noticed the viewing stands full of people over to one side. Everything about them said “government wanks,” and I figured they were here to be impressed, flattered, and bribed, not necessarily in that order.
“Welcome, honored representatives of...” Then she launched into a geographical who’s who of countries all around the world. Pretty much every country I’d heard of, and a bunch I hadn’t, seemed to be thinking about jumping on the Insane Apocalypse bandwagon.
“And now, prepare yourselves to view many of our most stunning achievements,” said the Director, pressing a button that opened an eight-foot metal-clad door.
Great, I thought. My day’s about to get worse.
Which, come to think of it, was the first of their stunning achievements, actually.
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“Okay, they got me,” Total whispered. “I am one stunned little dog.”
Angel, Nudge, and I nodded silently, our eyes wide at what was happening in front of us.
I won’t describe the scariest things we saw that morning, ’cause it would depress the heck out of you. Let’s just say that if these scientists had been using their brilliance for good instead of evil, cars would run off water vapor and leave fresh compost behind them; no one would be hungry; no one would be ill; all buildings would be earthquake-, bomb-, and flood-proof; and the world’s entire economy would have collapsed and been replaced by one based on the value of chocolate.
However, since they were evil, basically we saw stuff that would fuel the world’s nightmares for the next five hundred years.
“Max, if you survive your final test, can you steal one of those magic outfits for me?” Angel asked, leaning against me.
“I’ll try to get one for each of us,” I replied, and then I realized what she’d said. “Hey! ‘If’?”
She looked at me seriously, and I hoped she hadn’t developed a way to predict the future. “We’re way outnumbered, and I don’t think they’re gonna fight fair.”
I held her hand tightly. “They never do. But I will survive, and I will steal you one of those magic suits.”
She smiled.
“Here you see our patented process for growing replacement limbs,” said the Director. A man walked out, reached over, and detached his arm from the shoulder. He showed that it was made of flesh and bone, and was attached to him by an electronic interface that looked suspiciously like an iPod data port.
“Way gross,” said Nudge, and we all nodded.