The Final Warning

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“	Au contraire, Your Trollness. We're very concerned. We have appointments. Places to go, people to see. Now tell us where the hell we're going!	”
–Max, The Final Warning

The Final Warning

Author

James Patterson

Publication date

9/1/2008

Publisher(s)

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN

9780316002875

Preceded by	Followed by
Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports	MAX

The Final Warning: A Maximum Ride Novel is the fourth book of the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, and also the first book of the Protectors event.

Plot/Summary

FIRST SHE WAS WATCHED. THEN SHE WAS THREATENED.

THIS IS HER FINAL WARNING.

The story opens with the Uber-Director's team failing to capture the flock. Jeb Batchelder, Max, and the Flock then hold a funeral for Ari, Max’s half-brother and Jeb’s only son. The next day they get on a private jet to a conference with the Danning Administration in the Capitol Building in Washington DC, who are trying to decide what would be best for the Flock. The meeting does not go smoothly, and it ends with the Flock flying away to Dr. Martinez’s home where they are currently staying. But soon the short period of bliss is ended for the Flock when they were forced to leave when an unexpected bomb in the form of a pizza arrives at their doorstep. They flee to a motel. That night, while everyone else sleeps, Max and Fang sneak out and Fang kisses Max. Because Max runs from him, afraid to display her feelings, the atmosphere between the two grows cold and distant.

Max then is told by the Voice in her head that she must go to the coordinates where Max and the Flock are asked to go on a special mission – all the way to Antarctica, the bottom of the world. The bottom line of the mission was to lend a helping hand to the scientists of the research vessel, the Wendy K, Dr. Brigid Dwyer, Dr. Michael Papa, Melanie Bone, Brian Carey, Emily Robertson, Sue-Ann Wong, and Paul Carey (brother of Brian), to record data on how the world was changing due to global warming and pollution. Dr. Brigid Dwyer who immediately takes a liking to Fang, and vice versa, much to Max’s growing jealousy. Certain members of the Flock gain more skills – Iggy can somtimes see if surrounded by white and can tell colors by touch, Nudge can attract metal, Gazzy develops a way to release almost toxic gas, Fang gains the ability to blend in with his surroundings, and Angel gets yet another skill – she can change her appearance. And much to the group's surprise, Total, the talking dog the Flock rescued back in The Angel Experiment, who has also fallen in love with Dr. Papa's dog, Akila, starts to grow wings.

While in Antarctica, a member of the research team, Sue-Ann, is attacked by a leopard seal and killed. It is discovered shortly after, however, that she was a mechanical impostor created by an unknown group of enemies attempting to capture the Flock. All the while, Max and Fang’s relationship gets steadily more and more strained and the Flock faces big problems when Angel goes to find a baby penguin in the middle of the snowstorm, and she and Total and Akila got stuck in an ice crevasse. In the end, the Flock was captured by a mutated group of genetically enhanced humans/robots, Transformer-bots.

After being kidnapped, the Flock awakes in an office building located in Miami which has been evacuated due to the threat of an upcoming Category 4 hurricane. They are informed that they are going to be sold at in an auction. The Flock faces the emotionless Uber-Director (who is described as having many of his internal organs connected via plastic "boxes" which his head sits upon). Gazzy erupts his new skill, a cloud of noxious gas, colored a sulfurous yellow green, or how Max puts it, "a green mushroom cloud." As they make an attempt to escape, they find themselves trapped by the Uber-Director's mutated body guard, Gozen. When all hope seems lost, the windows of the skyscraper shatter due to the high speed winds, throwing all of the Flock, the Uber-Director, and Gozen into the hurricane. Eventually, the Flock finds safety in the eye of the hurricane, but the UD and his bodyguard plummet to the earth. After the chaos, the Flock returns to the home of Dr. Martinez where they are offered the opportunity to attend the Lerner School for Gifted Children (a.k.a mutants). As Max declines the offer, she and the Flock take off amidst the circle of reporters, ushering the fact that their existence and genetic mutations have gone public.

The Final Warning

Contents

Plot/Summary

New Character(s)

Adaptations

Manga

International Editions

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