Incandescence - Flying Saucers
By Lebnaniya

Disclaimer
I do not claim any rights to the Batman Beyond series in the animated format or the comic books. All copyright material belong to their respectable owners. The following story is entirely fictional and pays tribute to the amazing characters developed by said owners. As a fan, I am writing this out of respect to the owners as well as to elaborate on this couple because I don't think the series gave Terry and Ten a proper relationship and ending.

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Max wondered how outside it could be so peaceful and calm while the shadow in her heart left her feeling bathed in darkness. While she was working on a book report with the television on, a live-news report informed the citizens of Gotham that Sam Young and his wife, Barbara Gordon were attacked and that three unidentified assassins along with Batman had been fighting on the premises. Although the D.A. and Commissioner refused to comment on the situation, the evidence was astounding. Agents had managed to capture an unconscious assassin, Yeah, that must have been hard, she snorted, knowing full well that it was Batman who was to thank for that. With the assassin in custody, it was only now speculated that he would be interrogated as to why he had attacked the couple. The agents also affirmed that they were still in fact looking for a fatally wounded Batman due to the amount of blood that was located on the premises. The security guards and special agents would not answer as they quickly deemed the information to be classified.

Tears pricked at the back of Max's eyes, threatening to spill, but the young woman held them back with amazing restraint. Hugging her knees tight to her chest, Max sighed before she moved over to stand by her window. Staring into the night sky, Max struggled to remain calm. She knew that being the Dark Knight was something that Terry would never give up and with that came great responsibilities and risks. Max closed her eyes as she recalled all those memories of when she spoke to Terry about his work.

Terry was searching for a way to avenge his father's murder. Bruce was searching for a reason to continue living. Was it really fate that brought them together? Terry's been working so hard just trying to live up to Bruce's basic standards. I know that his first big case wasn't as successful as he had hoped. Terry had to deal with a mutated woman who could change her shape into blue liquid. Terry was badly injured until Bruce came along to save him. Not the greatest impression he wanted to show his boss, but still, he was just starting.

His next big case was with Spellbinder - Doctor Billings of our high school. He used psychology to manipulate others to do his dirty work with the help of a huge mesmerizing eyeball. He made others commit crimes and steal for him without them knowing it, since they were hypnotized, so to speak, in fantasies or dream-like-worlds.

Max's thoughts drifted back to her friend Chelsea. She had gotten into trouble for being under Spellbinder's influence. She told me that she thought she was in the jungle hunting for treasure; instead, she had given away a priceless family heirloom to Spellbinder. At first, I thought it sounded ridiculous that she could be hypnotized that easily without knowing it, but then again, am I any better?

Spellbinder came back and started addicting fellow classmates including myself with VR fantasies where we could live our dreams. I was hooked. I couldn't imagine not having that in my life; being able to have and live with the family I never had. Terry would never understand, or so I thought, until I realized he was fighting for me. Max closed her eyes as she recalled their confrontation on that horrible day, when Terry had just arrived to save her from herself.

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FLASHBACK

"Max, what are you doing?"
"Go away, you wouldn't understand."
"I understand Spellbinder's got you hooked and you are stealing for him."
"So what?"
"So keep up at it and you'll end up a veg."

END FLASHBACK

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Max closed her eyes, as the cold night air blew past her. She reopened her eyes and recalled how sincere and angry Terry had been with her that day. She was supposed to be above the influence. Not like the others to get hooked or obsessed with childish things, but she did. She was just as human as everyone else and Terry was trying to get her back. And he did get her back, when Max realized that she would be losing Terry to Spellbinder. Had she not chosen Terry over her fantasies, Terry would have surely died. Max sighed as she remembered how caring Terry was; he never brought it up again nor did he ever scold her for it. He knew. He understood. He would give anything to have his father back. But not reality. He wouldn't give up his existence for it. Max had almost made that mistake and that's why she looked up to Terry, not that I'd ever admit it, Max thought with a small smile.

Shaking herself from all those memories, Max focused her attention on what she believed was a figure flying in the sky and out of the darkness came the young man whom she immediately recognized as the friend she was so worried about. Moving away from her window, she made way so that Batman could climb in. As Batman weakly climbed into her window, Max had to close her eyes to stop the tears from spilling. His bat suit was ruined and torn apart, especially on his chest where she could see his skin. His body looked battered as he ducked his head to get through the window and to her horror she could see blood spill on her floor, as he finally stepped in. Max walked forward, embracing Terry as she hugged him.

Terry hugged her back before swaying on his feet, collapsing on her. Though she was a head shorter than he was, she was still able to hold him up. Walking him to her bed, she carefully laid his body down onto her bed and removed the batsuit. She ran to the bathroom and took out her medical-aid kit. She picked up a small bucket with warm water and a towel as she began to clean his wounds. As she sat on the edge of her bed, she pushed back Terry's bangs as she caressed his face. Oh Terry, why do you always do this to me? Max wondered.

Because you have no one else to turn to, do you? She answered her own question. Max took note, that thankfully, Terry's injuries were not life-threatening. All vital organs were safe, although, she was a bit shocked at how much blood covered his arms and sides. He had some deep gashes and that's what took most of her time cleaning him up. He also had a nasty cut on his chest but Max knew it was nothing severe. Terry's body convulsed as she applied alcohol on the cut, but he was still out, so he probably didn't feel the searing pain that spread through his body.

When Max was finally done, she decided that she too, needed to rest. She went to her bathroom and stripped down. Jumping into the shower, she threw the temperature marker to hot and turned on the water at full blast. The water splashed at her body, and she could feel her muscles ache. I wasn't the one fighting and I'm so stressed out! Max sighed, as more hot water poured over her body. Max finally stepped out and changed into her pajamas. She walked back into her bedroom before she picked up Terry's hand, turned it over and positioned her fingers to feel for a pulse. She was relieved, once again, as it sounded steady.

Looking over to Terry, Max couldn't help but wonder how much more of this he could handle.
No man is an army.

Terry could never defeat crime altogether and sometimes Max wondered if the fight was even worth it. Gotham was no longer the crime-ridden city it use to be when Terry became the infamous superhero. But she could never ask him to give it up. All she could do was remain forever by his side; whenever you need me Terry. And with that, Max reached over to her phone, always thinking one step ahead, as she dialed his home phone and contacted Terry's mom, telling her that they were working on a late night project and that he would be staying over for the night. Her next phone call was to Bruce. She knew he'd be worried – even if he'd never acknowledge it and Max could have sworn that she heard him exhale a sigh of relief once she told him that Terry was stable. She stayed on the phone with Bruce for several minutes before he was satisfied that no one had seen him. He made her wait on the phone while he used satellite imagery and hacked the police radio to make sure no one spotted him on his way to her place.

When she hung up the phone, Max contemplated about where she would sleep. She hesitated for a second, before she made up her mind. Turning off the light in her room, Max then moved to the other side of her bed as she laid down beside Terry. Her eyes fluttered before sleep claimed her, but her heart screamed all night for her friend. Terry, please be okay.

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Early morning arrived sooner than Max would have liked; she moved off her bed and got dressed for school. Just as she was about ready to leave, she checked on Terry one last time. His deep breathing confirmed he was still fast asleep; she would be sure to bring some medication from the store as soon as she got back. It would be a long day though, so Max hoped that Terry would remain sleeping all day long. Bending down, Max kissed Terry lightly on the lips before she straightened herself, picked up her bag and headed off to school.

Max smiled to herself as she locked the door behind her. Am I taking advantage of him? I sure hope so, after what he did to me last night. Max rationalized as she left.

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For Max, life was pretty routine except when it involved Terry. She had arrived at school and met up with Dana. The two of them went to math class together before they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. After school ended in the early afternoon, Max had a small lunch before she went off to work at the bookstore. There, she worked until the late evening before the store finally closed.

Finally! Max whined, as she made her way back to her apartment. There, she took the elevator up to her floor before walking the hallway to her unit. Taking her keys out from her bag, Max inserted the key into the lock and walked in. She hesitated for a second when she realized everything was still dark. Terry didn't wake up? Her heart began to race as she realized that he probably had a concussion or something worse. Flinging her bag onto the sofa, she closed the door quietly without making a noise. Her heart stopped beating however, when she heard some rustling in her kitchen. Panic overtook her for a second as she hid behind her couch. Okay! Calm down! It could be Terry...but what if it isn't? Peeking from the side of her couch, Max couldn't see anyone. Looking around, Max realized she had nothing to use as a weapon, however, there was a baseball-bat in her closet from her ex-boyfriend.

Max made her way to the closet and pulled out the bat; cautiously, she walked towards the kitchen. Okay! On three. One. Two. Three!

Lunging forward, Max flipped the lights on and charged at the intruder. She was fully prepared to swing the bat at the intruder's head when she realized who it was.

"Terry McGinnis!" Max shouted, as she grunted to herself and mentally kicked herself for over-reacting.

Terry was surprised when he realized he wasn't alone at Max's place. He had strolled into the kitchen, looking for any snacks but he couldn't find anything that he would touch. Just as he opened her refrigerator, someone had scared the shit out of him from behind, before he realized it was Max. What scared him though was that she was wielding a bat right at his head, before she stopped herself. Now, she was frustrated and growling at him. Terry had instinctively raised his arms in surrender, but he couldn't help but smile as he laughed at the irony of Max's choice for defense.

Max flung the bat onto the side as she massaged her temple. She had been so stressed out just worrying about Terry she was finally on the edge and becoming paranoid. Looking up to her friend, Max couldn't help but glare at Terry but she also couldn't help but smile at the same time. He was barefoot in her kitchen, wearing some old sweatpants, no shirt —lithe and fit— with sun-touched black hair and aquamarine eyes. There was no way she could stay angry with him for scaring her.

Her emotions getting the better of her, Max walked straight up to him and pushed him back, "Terry you jerk!"

A mischievous grin spread across his face, "What?"

"Get back into my room!"

"Max, Max, Max…I thought we were just friends. Although, the friends with benefits idea doesn't bother me …OW!" Terry said, as he jerked away from one of her punches.

"Terry!"

"Maxine!" Terry mimicked, clearly having regained his strength if he was able to be this much trouble.

"Damn it, Terry. I don't wanna laugh right now. I want to take care of you and get you back to normal. Now get back into bed!" Terry reluctantly obeyed as he walked over to her room, but just as he entered her doorway, he turned around and said, "Max, aren't you gonna join me?"

Terry ducked into the bedroom just as a pillow came flying at his head. Max had walked to the living room to stand next to her sofa just as he made the comment. "Okay! Okay!" Terry gave up on picking on his best friend. She was clearly agitated but just before he went back in, he walked up and embraced her from behind.

"Terry! What're you..?"

"Thank you," he said, before letting her go and kissing her on the cheek. "Next time, don't take advantage of a paralyzed man...you little pervert." Max couldn't help but blush, as she realized that Terry somehow felt or knew that she kissed him. Terry had wanted to make her laugh, but he knew she'd be more irritable if he tried to do so. He wanted to tease her about the kiss earlier; somehow, despite all his pain, he could feel her presence as she had leaned over and pecked him on the lips. After thanking her, Terry released her from his embrace as he smiled back at her and returned to her room.

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The next day was pretty routine as well; just like the previous day, she had gone to school and then went to work, but instead of returning home, she went back to campus. It was 10:00 at night when she looked at her watch. Thankfully, she was not alone. Max had run into Dana in the library and the two of them decided to walk each other to their destination. The dorm rooms were in a different building on the far east corner of the campus, despite its remote location, there were obvious perks to the entire situation. The first two floors of Dana's dorm building were lounges and game rooms where all the students could kick back and relax. The third and fourth floors were designed as kitchens and dining areas where students could make their own meals the fifth and sixth floor were computer labs and multimedia centers built for students who would need the extra hours after the library closed to work on projects. All the floors above that were dorm rooms for the rest of the students but not just any kind of dorm-room. The building itself was brand new and had great views of the city. Only those who could afford the high price tag lived in that building. Max had asked her why she chose to live in the dorms when she could have stayed with her parents, but Dana wanted her independence. It didn't hurt that her bank account was safe and secure, so living in a building that practically resembled a high rise wasn't a bad idea if you had the money.

"So Max, this is a first! You waitin' till the last minute to finish your homework. It must be Terry rubbing off on you." Dana joked.

Max laughed at this before replying, "Actually Dana, this isn't homework. It's uh…side project I'm workin' on."

"Not homework? Something for work?"

"You could say that," Max said, as she laughed nervously, not wanting to give more details about her "research." As they reached the security doors outside of the building, Max interjected again, "Are you sure I'm allowed in here? The library's still not closed."

"Max stop it. You're with me." Dana said, as she searched in her purse for her student ID card which would grant them access into the building. "Tada!"

"Yippee," Max joked, as she watched Dana slide the card through the system. They waited a few seconds before the light turned from red to green, giving them access into the building. "So you meetin' up with Chelsea and Blade?"

"Just Chelsea," Dana responded, as she opened the door and walked through; Max followed behind, making sure the door locked behind them. Max felt apprehensive as Dana showed her ID card to the two security guards standing on either side of them before she returned the card back into her purse. Max was sure they were going to stop her but Dana motioned for her to follow and the guards let her through. Max had been feeling uncomfortable all day long and purposely made sure she was around people. She felt bad vibes every time she was alone and she didn't know what to make of it.

"Bobbie ain't with you guys?" Max asked, trying to focus on something else.

"Blade? No, she's out on a date with Carter," Dana grinned, wagging her eyebrows as they finally made their way to the elevators. Dana pushed the button as the two of them waited. "But Chelsea's here so I thought I'd check up on her. Plus, I wanna hear all the juicy details about her date with Jack."

"She went on a date with Jack?" Max was a little surprised, as the elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped in; Dana punched the up button.

"Yep! And hopefully, if Blade comes back early, we can talk about her date as well." Dana smiled, thinking about her friends. Max couldn't help but notice that she seemed a little depressed talking about her two friends having what appeared to be soon-to-be-boyfriends.

Max extended her arm out and placed her hand on Dana's shoulder; Dana looked up confused at Max's gesture. Things are so much damn easier with Terry! Max bit her bottom lip before trying to explain things in words, "You know Dana...you'll find someone. Someone special who will fit your lifestyle. Someone steady who'll be the perfect guy..."

"I know Max and thanks," just as Dana was thanking her friend, the elevator stopped at the fifth floor and the doors opened.

"This is my stop?" Max asked, as she stepped out and turned around to face Dana.

"Yep!" Dana said, as she held the stop button and gestured for Max to go down a hall and to the right. "You'll need your ID to access the lab but don't worry, it's not like trying to enter this building. Once you're it, it doesn't matter. As long as your ID is active, you should be able to access any computer and have the rooms all to yourself. Honestly, I doubt anyone even uses these floors," Dana joked.

"Thanks. Goodnight Dana. Have fun."

"Oh, I will," Dana said, with a mischievous smile on her face, anticipating the girls-night she was going to have with her friends. Max couldn't help but laugh as the doors closed. Max then pulled out her wallet, as she looked for her student ID card. She walked down the long corridor and made a right before coming upon a pair of glass double doors. She couldn't see through them though as they were stained glass with various colors. She swiped her card and waited for the security system to grant her access. The lock took a long time before it finally released and Max pushed open the doors and looked around.

She was surprised at how beautiful the room was. It was huge, it had to be at least 4000sqft with various sofas, tables, individual desks, white boards, newspaper racks, scientific journals and over fifty computers spread across the entire area. Max knew for sure she wanted to be somewhere alone where she could work on the five mini disks she had received from Terry the previous night and just have some privacy. This was perfect. She looked around again but this time, she noticed that she wasn't alone. She had somehow missed her when she first scanned the room but this time, she saw her. Walking toward the center of the room with some journals in her hands, Melanie stopped in her tracks as she spotted Max. They both stared at each other for a few seconds before a smile of recognition spread across Melanie's face. Max smiled back, remembering her from the night of the attack.

"Hey." Max was the first to speak.
"Hi." Melanie responded, as she set the journals on a table by the sofa and sat down.

Max felt a little awkward. They were never introduced to one another so they both didn't even know where to start. "You a procrastinator?" Max joked.

"Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. And I'm a pro." Melanie answered with a roguish smile.

"You know what? I totally agree." Max responded, "so I'm just going to…" Max trailed off, as she headed towards one of the computers. She purposely chose one of the computer desks that was facing Melanie, so that Melanie couldn't see what Max was working on. Melanie didn't seem to mind, as she picked up one of the articles and began to read, taking notes every now and then. Max put her bag and books down before she logged onto the computer. As she waited for the computer to load, she tried to recall anything about the blonde beauty.

That night, that was the first time I saw her. She hugged Jack for quite a while before she went to go talk to Carter. Terry also looked jealous when she was with Carter. He didn't tell me anythin' about her either. Max frowned as she looked over at the other girl. What exactly is the relationship between her and Terry...Max found herself lost in thought as she failed to realize she had been staring.

Sensing the girls eyes on her, Melanie stopped reading and turned in her seat to look at Max. Max was so deep in thought, it didn't even register to her senses when Melanie got up and walked up to her. When Max finally blinked, she was startled to see Melanie right in front of her.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." Max apologized. Melanie raised an eyebrow before extending her hand out. "I'm Melanie, Jack's sister."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Maxine, but everyone just calls me Max." The two girls shook hands.

"So, you a friend of Terry's?" Melanie asked, somewhat out of nowhere. Max wasn't expecting the conversation to turn, but she obliged. "Yeah. We're friends. And you?"

"Nothing more than an old acquaintance." Melanie said, her voice softening before she turned around and returned back to her seat.

"Oh." Max felt a little uncomfortable about how sad Melanie sounded. However, both of them had work to do so they both returned to their assigned projects.

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Max was not really sure how long it had been, but she finally blinked her tired eyes and stretched in her chair and stared at the computer screen. Her eyes were getting tired from all the work. Max looked over at the clock and was surprised to see that it was already 2:00am. She had spent the last twenty minutes working on one problem, and as soon as she got passed that one, another level came up with one of the most ridiculous security features ever. If I'm not mistaken, I'd say someone our age had made this program...Max thought, as she frowned at the screen. She had to be incredibly accurate and careful as to not damage the disks, otherwise, when Terry returned to Bruce tomorrow with the disks destroyed her life as she knew it would end. And the way things were going, she wasn't doing too well. Out of the five disks, she had already ruined one of them, forcing to hack into it resulted in a somewhat apoptosis episode – a self-destruct code.

Max yawned and then looked over, surprised to see that Melanie was still working on her papers. She must have really procrastinated.

Finally accessing the next level, Max waited as the screen began to change. She contemplated going back home to rest, or she could go upstairs to see Dana and the others. I could go upstairs and tell them I lost track of time and spend the night here, that way I don't have to go all the way back home…

As the screen loaded, several boxes appeared in which she would have to type in the password. Underneath the boxes were several words: Pape 1954 Municipality.

Great! Max thought, as she wondered what kind of idiot designed the software for the security system. She then spent the next forty minutes searching for the terms, cross referencing them to every state in the US along with government documents, historical records and even current events. She had to hand it to them though because it was driving her to the brink. She couldn't figure it out. But then again, she didn't really feel too bad because didn't the commissioner also fail to crack them and her people, government people, were still working on it as well? Exhausted, Max read the words as they appeared on the screen.

"Pape 1954 Municipality. What the hell do you mean?" Max asked. Sighing to herself, she gave up. She'd give the five disks – deny she even touched them – and hope Bruce would be able to crack them. She was tired and worn out from the day's events, not to mention the stress she had been under while taking care of Terry, plus work and school. She cursed under her breath as she pushed herself away from the computer.

"Chateauneuf-du-Pape in Provence. A municipal law of 1954 prohibits flying saucers from landing within the borders of the municipality. I haven't heard that one in years." Melanie laughed.

"What?" Max turned in her chair to face Melanie.

"France. Chateauneuf-du-Pape. We use to make fun of it when we lived in France, actually, all the residents use to make fun of it." Melanie repeated, putting her paper down. "What are you working on?" At first, Max felt a little embarrassed talking out loud – to herself no less – but then her embarrassment turned into curiosity. She quickly typed on the computer screen, double checking with Melanie that she spelt it correctly before hitting submit. In a few seconds, the screen went black. Max was crushed, the idea of having to turn in two broken disks to Terry really upset her. And Bruce would know it was her who messed them up. Her life as she knew it was officially over…but then, suddenly, the screen turned green and a database opened.

"Melanie. You did it!" Max looked up, wanting to thank her when suddenly, the double stained glass doors burst open, sending glass flying everywhere. Five men dressed in black and wearing masks emerged aiming their weapons at Max and Melanie. The two girls had jumped up during the commotion and just as the men surrounded them, the two girls closed the distance between them as they were now standing side by side facing the assailants.

Finally, one of the men spoke, "Maxine Gibson. Cease your aid with the Batman and come with us. Refuse, and it will cost you your life!"

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Additional Notes
For this chapter I was inspired by the idea of friendship and what it means to trust someone. It is a type of love, but not the love of romance. It's something unbreakable and that's what I was trying to focus on as I wrote this. For all you Terry and Max fans, this was for you.