All was silent in N-TEK.
The agents have long since gone to bed, Molly happily spending time with Jim in their own room. Max had also fallen asleep, spent from giving out every bit of TURBO energy to keep Steel with them. The UltraLink had gotten damaged during the fight, and while he had been repaired, it wouldn't be enough to sustain him.
Dredd and Naught were arrested and were being tried for their crimes.
Makino was eliminated.
Everything was calm...for the moment.
With a note in his appendage, he knew he only had little time to stay activated. He set the note on a stand near Max was sleeping.
Max just shifted in response before settling back in. Steel floated out of the room and got a final look at the place.
With everything that had been going on, he realized that he would not be needed for now. He was going to fall dormant in a matter of days. And tonight was his final night awake.
He soon came back to the chamber where it all started. The UltraLink sighed while he recounted his first meeting with Max. There were good times. There were bad times. No matter what, they remained partners.
And he hoped Max would never forget that.
The next morning, Max McGrath awoke to find a note on a stand in his temporary room. Picking it up, he noticed that it was typed.
"'Thank you...and goodbye'?" the half-alien asked in surprise.
A knock came on his door.
"It's open," he told the person behind it.
In came Molly with a saddened look on her face, Jim having something behind his back.
"Mom? Dad?" he asked softly.
Without a word, they revealed Steel's dormant form.
"No..." Max began, eyes welling up with tears.
The voice telling him goodbye in his dream...was gone.
"STEEL!"
Many years later, Max had tied the knot with a strong, beautiful woman and was now the Father of a young girl. He was able to love again despite the loss and had since grown to be a strong, independent young man. Copper Canyon had become his home, for so many memories were engraved there.
He was now twenty-six wearing a blue shirt, black pants, and black shoes.
The girl was eight years old with brown hair like his and emerald green eyes like her Mother's. She wore a pink shirt, blue jeans, and pink and white shoes. The two were looking out at the sunset at the beach, silence present while he reflected on past memories.
A tear came down his eye and he wiped it away.
"Daddy?" the girl asked when she thought she heard him cry.
He looked to find his daughter looking at him with concern. Max gave a smile at her.
"I'm fine," he said. "I was just thinking."
"About what?" she asked.
"About my best friend," was his answer.
Her look became curious.
"Tell me more," she instructed. "Please?"
He smiled and figure that now was the time.
"His name is Steel," the former hero began. "And he's my closest friend out there. One day, we can meet him in person."
