Life with Max Steel from the point of view of one of the Max Probes.
Disclaimer: All Max Steel characters --except for Titania and Penny Steel, and those that I've made up for my other fics-- belong to Mattel, KidsWB, and other companies.
I am a nanoprobe --one of literaly billions. I have no name, so just call me Nano 7 --although I could be number 7000. I began life floating in green suspention fluid in a labratory at N-Tek, just another nano.
I see a lot of humans come and go from the lab. So many, in fact, I don't remember their names. "Doctor This" or "Professor That". I can't keep up with it all.
Except for one. Dr. Roberto Martinez. Maybe it's his age. Maybe it's because he's Spanish. Or maybe it's because he's such a kind-hearted young man.
Whatever the reason, he intrigues me. In time, I learn to think of him as "Berto", as I would a friend. May I remember his name until I burn out and die.
Yes, nanos can die. If we don't get enough Transphasic Energy, we starve to death. We can also grow old and die, like living cell tissue, although nanos live a whole lot longer than organtic matter. Luckily, like cells, we reproduce rapidly, replacing lost nanos as quickly as cell tissue does.
One night, we were floating in the suspention fluid, just doing what we do, when someone enters the lab. I can tell right away that it isn't a scientist. The man is huge, and has a metal arm. He goes through files, as if searching for something.
Then, a blond-haired young man enters the room.
The large man is chasing the younger man around the room, shooting at him. Somehow, the young man gets the other man's face off --a mask--, revealing a metal skull with red eyes and long, pointed teeth. The young man is now right in front of our tank. The robot(?) fires again, and the boy ducks. The shot misses the boy, but hits the tank.
We are spilling over the boy, now. His body is absorbing us, through the fluid. We enter everything --every muscle, organ, bone, etc. I, myself, station myself in his right eye.
In the chaos, the intruder escapes.
The boy --whom I find out is named Josh McGrath-- is wheeled into a hospital, where the doctor and Josh's father talk about his condition. He's dying! Josh is dying because we are! Starving to death. And we can't tell them!
Now, Berto comes in. He tells them about the Transphasic Energy. Josh agrees to go through with Berto's suggestion, so he is wheeled in a chair to a huge room, and placed in the center. Everyone else leaves, and Berto --from some control room-- presses a button.
Energy pours into every fiber of Josh's body. We, the nanos, eat it up like we were starving --which we were! It is painful for the boy, this first energizing, but he pulls through. I knew Berto would come up with the one thing that would save us all!
Josh is talking to his father. He wants to join N-Tek --the secret one. His father refuses, stating almost every reason he can think of. Josh answers each challenging reason.
"Josh McGrath can't run around the globe battling terrorists, and still expect to lead a normal life. Going to classes, taking Laura Chen to the movies...." I hear the father say.
"Then Josh McGrath is out of the picture," Josh counters. He passes his hand over his face. Blond hair and brown eyes change to brown hair and blue eyes. "The name's 'Max Steel'."
The father --Jefferson Smith-- is reluctant. This is his son --or adoptive son, but still his son-- after all! But Josh is determined. I get the feeling he always was. So Josh/Max is in.
Josh/Max forms a tight bond with Berto. Wouldn't you, if Berto saved your life? Josh/Max calls Berto, "Bro", while Berto calls him, "Hermano". I've listened to them enough times to conclude that this must be Spanish for "brother".
Josh/Max is fitted with a Bio-Link, which allows Berto to keep in constant contact with him. It also allows Berto to keep an eye on Josh/Max's T-Juice levels and other vital stats. Rachel Leeds becomes Josh/Max's trainer. I learn a lot about the boy during the training sessions.
Josh/Max is brash, bold, and nearly fearless. Why nearly? Because no one, including Josh McGrath/Max Steel, is completely fearless. Josh/Max is also kind. He can be punching the villians one moment, leading hostages to safety the next, and comforting a frightened child the next.
Josh/Max is also very intelligent, something --if the nanos in his ears are to be believed-- that one doesn't normally associate with athletes (Josh/Max is an Extreme Sportsman). Then again, the nanos in his ears hear a lot of gossip. It's just that there seems to be this image of a character called a "Jock", that seems to be all muscle and very little --if any-- brains. That sure doesn't describe Josh/Max.
Josh/Max has had problems with his girlfriend. Jeff's predictions about Josh/Max's normal life is becoming reality. And Josh/Max can't tell her the truth, either. That is very sad.
John Dread has captured Josh/Max's friend, Pete Costas. Josh/Max must steal a sample of us nano probes and the data on us, or Dread will kill Pete. To our astonishment, Josh/Max does just that!
Josh/Max rescues Pete and captures Dread. Only then does he reveal that the probes were very unstable and the "data" is a term paper for collage. Didn't I tell you that Josh/Max is smart!
Josh/Max has finally told Laura the truth, and she has accepted it with as much understanding as I knew she was capiable of.
Josh/Max went on a mission, and returned almost completely drained. He's put in the Transphasic Energy Chamber to charge up, but something's wrong! The controls explode, and the chamber becomes temporarily useless (until Berto can fix it, of course). Josh/Max is rescued from the chamber and rushed to Med-bay.
We nanos have a decision to make. To save Josh/Max, we must choose one of his powers and shut it down completely --prehaps forever. But which one? Which power can Josh/Max do without?
It becomes perfectly obvious. It's a power he doesn't need --at least, not as much as the others. And if it's the only way to save Josh/Max...
We stare at Laura/Titania Steel. She is now infused with nano probes, just as Max is. She will undergo training, becoming a permenant member of Team Steel. Max seems to have more in store for her, though.
Max and Titania is getting married! As he watches her come down the asile, I can see what he sees in her. I hear the priest speak, asking each a question. The question only varies at three points: "Do you Max Steel/Titania Steel take this woman/man to be your lawfully wedded wife/husband?"
Their answers are the same: "I do."
Then, Max kisses Titania, and then they turn to face the audience. I see Jeff, Berto, Kat, Rachel, Chuck, and many other N-Tek agents. I also see Pete and Jo, and other friends of Max and Titania. Berto and Kat are behind Max and Titania for some reason. Maybe they'll be the next ones to get married.
Titania hands Max a small bundle. Inside, something moves. As Max looks at the bundle, I see what he sees. A beautiful baby girl! Max and Titania's daughter!
Like Max and Titania, the baby has Max Probes inside her, inherited from her parents. By Max's side is Berto. Good O' Berto! He'll take care of them! He'll make sure the Steel family has enough T-Juice to keep their nanos healthy and happy!
"What are you going to name her?" I hear Berto ask. Nearby is Jeff, Kat, and Rachel. Outside the room, I can detect the other agents. They are excited and happy for their "Nano-Powered Family". I can almost hear them falling over each other as they listen for whatever news they can catch.
"Penny," Max answers. The others smile. I think it's an in-joke, or something...
"'Penny'?" Kat asks. "Why 'Penny'?"
"During World War Two," Jeff explains, "copper was needed for the war effort, for things like wires and copper tubing, and such. Since all the copper was used for war stuff, they had to make pennies out of something else."
"Three guesses what that 'something else' was!" Max smiles at her. Now, what metal could possibly have been used for pennies, if copper wasn't available?
"Steel?" Kat guesses.
"Yep!" I can almost see Max's grin. I can diffenently see Jeff's!
Steel? Pennies used to be made out of...
Steel. Steel penny. Penny Steel.
Max, my friend, you are a clever one!
There will be many more adventures with Max Steel and his family. I hope to see as much as I can before I grow old and die, becoming useful only to my fellow nano probes. Prehaps, I will.
But one never knows, does one?
And that, is Max Steel from the perspective of one of the countless Max Probes that share his body. And yes, that's a bit of the future you see. Max and Titania do get married, and Titania will have a baby girl. The name was choosen for the very reason stated: For steel pennies. They do exist. I have one, dated 1943. Except for the metal --which gives it a silvery look-- the pennies are the same as copper pennies. If you are lucky, you might find some at yard sales and flea markets, or from a dealer in old coins. I got mine for $2.00 --much more than it's regular value, but worth it for a nice little piece of history. Everyone should have at least one steel penny.
Here's a challenge: Take any Max Steel adventure or situation --be it an episode or a fic or whatever-- and tell the story from the point of view of a nano probe anywhere in his body. I chose one in his eye because it can "see" what Max sees. Try it with a nano from, say, his ear. Do all the nanos in Max's ear hear gossip, or do they hear something more. What about the nanos in his heart, or lungs, or even his brain? What do they think of Max and his friends?