Chapter 18: Can't We Talk This Out?
'Could things get any worse?' Max surmised, pressing himself against a concrete beam in order to calm the pounding beats of his heart. He desperately searched for an escape route while his mind tried to decipher how a victory turned sour in just a few short moments.
While trapped underground. Low on power. And the Avengers slowly cornering them like a pack of wolves.
"Maybe they'll go easy on us", Steel jested, but a heated glare from Max caused the Ultralink to squeak and go silent. The teen felt his frame move into its natural battle position as the Superheroes stopped close by. Matching his stance with arrows and guns pointed, Max waited for the first blow. So he was quite surprised when it didn't come.
Sighing, Iron Man raised his hands in a calming gesture and slowly turned his blasters off. "We come in peace", he announced and the rest of his team instantly gaped at him in puzzlement. "This is not the time for jokes Tony", Captain America informed, still lowered in his defensive pose. "I know, I know", Iron Man acknowledged, waving one of his hands in a dismissive manner. "It's not that. I just think that we should…talk this out."
"Talk this out?", Widow exclaimed, one of her eyebrows raised in skepticism. "I doubt they want to talk. They just hammered the Rhino into the wall like it was nothing." "Well we won't know unless we ask", Iron Man pressed, looking at Max Steel again. "They're standing right there Natasha. Besides, Max Steel has a right to defend himself. Verbally I mean."
"Stark-", Hawkeye fumed, but a giant green heel slamming on the ground cut off his sentence. The Hulk glared at Hawkeye with a unidentifiable emotion in his eyes and the archer took it as his cue to shut up.
"It's worth a shot", Thor said curtly and placed Mjölnir back unto the strap of his belt. Being a Prince of Asgard, he had tons of experience dealing with different types of clans and personalities. So he was sure with his polished conversation skills, he could easily win them over. Walking over to the confused duo, Thor waved and flashed one of his dazzling smiles. "Hello Max Steel. I bid you a good day."
"Uhh…hey?", Max nodded while Steel churned out a "What's up?" in a puzzled tone. Thor observed the hero for a second before frowning in thought. "You seem…paler than what you normally look like", Thor observed with a touch of concern.
Max glanced at the dullness of his attire before exhaling. While not always accurate, the T.U.R.B.O suit could indicate levels of power and how much energy he had to spare. And since he had spent a good portion of it busting out Rhino's teeth, it reflected his current state as worn, dim, and slightly darker in tone. "No, I'm perfectly fine", Max said sarcastically and waved him off. "Sure about that?", Iron Man questioned and floated over to give Thor some backup. "Cause you're not really selling the 'We're ok' stance clinging to the support beam."
"Really...Steel and I are used to this", Max explained, trying to dissolve the sympathy. "We handle on own types of bad guys back home that are way worse." "Yeah, we've done our research on the villains in your area", Tony affirmed and nodded his head. "Personally my favorite is the one in the bulky suit who talks to the goldfish." "Toxzon", Steel corrected but Max was able to laugh a bit at the joke.
Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye watched as the conversation moved from villians to cheesy cop shows (and they honestly didn't know how that even started). Even the Hulk came over and added his opinion. Finally they decided to relent and let their guard down slightly. "Look, Max Steel", Steve entreated and approached the group. "We aren't your enemies. And you do look like you could use some help. We would be happy to discuss this at the Tower and you guys could get some medical assistance."
"…And then what?", Max questioned, his body going tense.
"We're not gonna put you on a dissection table if that's what you're asking", Hawkeye commented and Widow quickly punched him in his stomach. "We just have questions about the alien activity", Natasha began and briefly glanced over at Clint groaning in pain. "S.H.I.E.L.D is concerned about the Ultralinks and how no one has known about their existence except you two. And your organization of course. Our Director would like to talk with you and straighten out anything we don't already know."
Max gazed down at the stones beneath him in thought and Steel let out a humming noise. "Would I…have to reveal my identity?", he inquired and examined the way Black Widow's face contorted into a resigned expression.
"Yes, you would have to tell us who you are."
"Sorry kid", Hawkeye denoted, trying to add some empathy into his voice. "But S.H.I.E.L.D needs to know who they're affiliating with. We can't just blindly trust you." Our teen hero then deflated and slowly shook his head. "Then I can't do that", he resolved and Thor face palmed at the deal gone wrong.
"There are people I have to protect", Max declared. His mind flashed through faces of Kirby, Sydney, his Mom, and lastly…Rina. "And they don't have the luxury of having super powers to fight off whoever decides to go after them to get to me." "S.H.I.E.L.D has the best security on the globe", Black Widow reassured. "Our organization makes identity files top priority-"
"But that just applies to your agency doesn't it?", Steel added with a touch of criticism. "If it's not S.H.I.E.L.D then you'll just break into wherever and take what you want."
"That's right. We know about your trip to N-Tech", Max growled, giving the Archer and Assassin a dark look. "You actually think we'll take your word for it when you guys resort to stealing and running away like cowards? Does that really speak for trust? Because if I was being honest, you two would be the last people to make that list." Hawkeye and Black Widow fumed at them in a strained moment before Iron Man attempted to clear the air. "Okay, we've moved to fighting words", Tony placated and put himself between the three. "Let's just calm down". "I agree", Steve voiced and raised his arms. "This doesn't need to escalate."
And while Tony and Steve tried to dissuade Hawkeye from hitting Max Steel with an electric stun arrow, the duo quickly came up with their own plan.
"Max, you have enough energy to pull off one more T.U.R.B.O Mode", Steel addressed and blocked out their conversation so the other Avengers wouldn't hear them. "But we have to choose wisely cause after that your tanks out." "Maybe Speed or Stealth?", the teen offered, but Steel made a disapproving sound. "Thor would probably be able to match our speed with that hammer of his. And Iron Man definitely has thermal vision."
"Strength or Cannon wouldn't work either. The Hulk would pound us into rubble", Max stated and watched as said green giant grabbed Hawkeye by the waist to restrain him. He then went through a fast mental list of all the Modes he could access. And the answer came to him like lightning. "I got it!", they both exclaimed and then cackled at each other slightly. Of course they would come up with the solution at the same time.
"Let's get out of here Steel", he declared and pushed himself from off the beam.
"Thank for the conversation, but it's time for us to go", Max addressed to the rest of the Avengers and placed his hands on his hips. "I have…a Pilates class I need to get to." "You're not going anywhere", Black Widow informed and instantly pointed a gun at him.
"Yes, we are", Max declared. Nodding to Steel, he suddenly became enveloped in bluish light and transformed. Max felt his body growing slimmer as long snakelike tendrils grew from his arms and jaded spikes sprouted everywhere on his suit . When the modification was complete, Max gazed at the stunned faces of all the Avengers and gave a cocky smirk . Not that they could see it though.
"That Mode wasn't in the file", Steve finally managed to choke out. Captain America stared at the bright sharp edges that pulsed dangerously and slightly shuddered. "You're right, T.U.R.B.O. Spike Mode wasn't", Max said smugly. Truthfully they had never told Berto or Forge about this Mode after their adventure at the history museum. Max figured he would probably have to give up the T.U.R.B.O shard they had found and he really wanted to keep it. Especially since it belonged to his Dad. So they both agreed to keep it a secret. And it definitely payed off in the long run.
"Always have a wild card", he teased and flung one of his whips above their heads to stick into the ceiling with a loud clang. Waving a quick goodbye, Max launched himself into the air and used his arms to fling himself forward at a mind blowing speed. "What is he, Spider-man?!", Hawkeye exclaimed as the rest of his team quickly recovered and started chasing after them.
"Spider-man wishes he was us!", Steel yelled back and Max snickered at his partner's response. "I got him", Captain America trumpeted and quickly pulled his shield from off his back. Focusing on the fleeing hero, he took aim and fired, but Max saw the action and had time to react. Using one of his whips, he grabbed the shield mid-air and flung it around his body. Redirecting it at a new target, Max released and the shield rammed Thor in the gut to slam the Asgardian Prince to the ground.
"Nice!", Steel voiced and observed Iron Man swiftly catching up to them. "I'll handle the Iron Giant". The android then took control of the suit and swiftly went through trajectories and calculated possible directions. Focusing on the T.U.R.B.O. shards in Max's body, he released them, which collided with Iron Man's suit and pinned him to a nearby wall. "Really?! I thought we were bonding", Tony pleaded, unharmed yet annoyed as he struggled to free himself. Steel was also able to hit two birds with one stone as one of the shards hit a bright ceiling bulb and blinded the Hulk as he ran by.
The giant screamed in pain and fumbled, hitting a nearby support beam and knocking himself off balance. Hawkeye and Black Widow tried to stop them as well with ammunition and arrows, but there was a reason the suit was impenetrable. With a growl they could only watch as Max Steel escaped AGAIN and wondered how they were going to explain this to Fury.
And we're done, yay! Max and Steel escaped by the edge of their teeth. And I hope that I made the fighting as clear as possible. In the next Chapter, we'll see how they're adjusting and a new villain may be waiting to strike our heroes down. Until then, see you guys soon! =)