Brief Explanation.
I was not going to bring this specific project to the attention of my fans. However, after much inward debate, I have relinquished my secrecy. I have decided to rewrite and edit "The Untold Story of Max Steeler." The beginning chapters do not vary much from the original version of this story. The only differences evolve from improved writing and perhaps an addition paragraph or two. As the story progresses, however, much will change. I am rewriting this story to fit into the completed animated series, including the last season. Slight changes have been made to both plot line and characters (both biographical and personality) changes in order to accomplish this.
Unedited summary
Slade. A criminal mastermind obsessed with the Titan's destruction. He is possessor of both machinery and weaponry. Who designed his weapons? His drones? The apprentice suits? The mechanical worms?
Three choices, two girls, and one secret. Meet Max Steeler. Learn her story. And prepare to rethink everything you thought you knew about the Teen Titans.
Disclaimer
I do not own Teen Titans or the Teen Titan characters. However, Max Steeler is a character of my own creation. Please do not steal.
Chapter Seven: Action
Silence. Darkness. Solitude. Max sat at her work bench, rewiring a Titan's communicator. Placing a pair of tweezers on the table, she grabbed a plastic cover and fitted it on the communicator. She paused, searching for her screwdriver. Finally, she spotted in on another table, quite out of reach.
She lifted her hand, palm open toward the screwdriver. Her eyes flashed blue. The screwdriver trembled and slowly rose into the air, flying into her hand. She then screwed the cover in place. Once finished, she turned the communicator over, staring at the Titan's insignia. She could call if she wanted to, if she felt compelled. They wouldn't listen. Nobody would listen. She thrust the communicator into the brown backpack beside her. It was too late to ask for help. Next she dug out a small shoe box. Setting it on the desk, she wiped a layer of dust off the lid before carefully removing it.
Six months had passed since the accident; funny how she thought of it as an accident. Her mind needed it to be one. If only she had said something, done something, but it was too late. No, Terra's death was an accident. An accident assuaged her guilt. She removed an item from the box—a long sleeved black shirt with a yellow "T" surrounded by a yellow circle. She smiled, pressing the soft material to her face, and then placed it in the backpack. Next she removed pair of blue goggles. She placed these around her neck.
Memories flooded her mind and she quickly dumped the rest of the contents into the backpack and zipped it closed. She slung the backpack across her shoulder as she stood. Grabbing her disc, she headed for the door. She was ready to leave. Terra's death had forced her to be ready.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Max froze. She knew that voice.
"That's not possible," she whispered, unwilling to turn around.
"Death cannot hold me."
Slowly, she turned to face—a ghost from her past, the haunter of her dreams—Slade.
"The world practically ended during your hibernation, Max," he continued. "The Titans prevented it. I can't say I'm displeased." Slade examined his hand. "I made out rather handsomely. And speaking of the Titans, Robin was with them."
At first Max didn't understand what Slade was talking about. Then it clicked. "Oh no," she said, defiantly. "I activated it!"
"Why was Robin with them?"
"He probably figured it out! Stopped it before it was too late!"
"Like Terra?"
"You can't control someone against their will."
"You designed something that could."
"No, I tried, but it didn't work."
"So you failed yet again."
"You wanted the impossible!"
Slade struck her, and she fell to the ground.
"I will not tolerate failure any longer!"
Max lifted her head to face him. Her breathing grew heavy. She glanced to her right. Her disc lay two feet away. She flashed Slade an icy glare, then quickly pushed herself to her feet. Grabbing her disc, she bolted for the door. Quick as lightning, Slade pulled out his rod and dealt a sharp blow to her shoulder—her scarred shoulder. Sharp pain surged through her arm as she slid to her knees. He struck again. Max lifted her disc, blocking his blow. He pulled back; the rod melted within his hands. Max lept on her disc and flew toward the door. She removed a small object from her backpack and threw it toward the keypad. On contact, it made a small clicking sound. The door opened. She flew through the door, refusing to look back.
...
The moon shone bright in a clear night sky, engulfed in a sea of shimmering stars. Despite the presence of stars, blackness hovered over the city. Max alone stood out against the blackened canvas of the night. She sat on the tallest building, hugging her knees to her chest, staring blankly at the city below. The city itself remained vacant, except for the occasional car passing by.
The gentle breeze danced through her brown hair as it hung loosely upon her shoulders. Sighing, she adverted her gaze to the sky. She absorbed her surroundings as if they were newfound, as if she had never seen the moon, the stars or even the city life below. A single tear trailed down her cheek. She had defied Slade and stood up for herself. Now alone in the darkness, Max couldn't help but debate her decision. She had nowhere to go, no friends to help her, no place to call home. Lost and alone, yet free for the first time.
Still, who knew how long that would last.
And so, the real changes have begun.