A/N: Hey. Back again. . . I've got nothing else to say, so have fun I guess!

Chapter 9: Heart Like a Hand Grenade

Max blinked against the harsh light overwhelming his senses. It was almost enough to distract him from the sharp pain in his back. He heaved a grunt as he tried to push himself up. At least, he would've if not for the constriction he felt on his arms.

He felt all the drowsiness wash away as he frantically tilted his head up to look. He was able to spot his arms and legs were bound in steel bands that were attached to a bed.

"Steel," Max muttered, "What's going on?"

He was met with silence.

"Steel? Steel, you there?!"

He tried to fight the rising panic in his voice, but his more frantic emotions won out. His vision was beginning to tinge with light blue T.U.R.B.O. energy. He tried to level his breathing and push it back down, but it refused to obey him. The energy started to rebound inside of him before shooting outward again and again. It felt like his insides were ripping themselves apart.

"Gah. . ! What is happening. . . to me!"

He was vaguely aware of the sound of several pops before a shout tore its way from his throat.

Gohan's eyes widened at the familiar spike in Ki. "That's Max! It feels like before but even more chaotic! Just what is going on with him?"

In a blink, Gohan was standing in front of the room he'd left Max just hours before. He had to glance away from the window with how bright the lights were. The amount of Ki Max was giving was, not only powerful for this world, but dangerous for him. It kept flickering wildly while reaching higher and higher heights.

He didn't want to think about what would happen if it spiked too high. It wouldn't be anything pretty.

He reached a hand for the door handle, ready to rip the door away.

"Gohan, don't!"

Gohan found himself face to face with Commander Forge and two familiar faces. He gave a slight start when he remembered just where he'd seen the other two. They'd been among the people fighting against Max on Gohan's first day in the new dimension.

"Why are they here?" Gohan asked, glancing at the two villains.

"I don't think this is the time, musclebound brute," the armored man retorted. "We have a time bomb to defuse."

Gohan let the quip slide as he stared at the Commander, hoping for some kind of an explanation. Thankfully, he obliged. "Max's T.U.R.B.O. energy is in a flux! There's no telling what'll happen if you go in there."

"He's right!" Gohan glanced past Forge to see an out of breath Berto, doubled over with his hands on his knees. "I-If you go in there, y-you'll be bombarded with unsafe amounts of T.U.R.B.O. energy! I know you're strong, but there's no telling what it'd do to you!"

Gohan glared at the door, feeling Max's erratically jumping higher and higher. He had no clue how much longer Max had left. "We can't just leave him in there! He won't be able to take that much power!"

"We know," Forge assured, "The containment room should be able to siphon some of it off and keep Max stable and safe. We just need to stay calm and wait it out."

"Uh, sir! There's a slight problemo with the containment room!"

Forge spun to glare at Berto who was too engrossed in his pad to notice. "What is it now?!"

Berto's head shook like a bobblehead as he tapped away at his tablet. "The room can't keep up with the energy Max is putting out. It's gonna overload at this rate!"

"Is there a way to stop it?" asked Gohan. "Like how it happened earlier with Max. Maybe it'll shut off on its own?"

"We can't take that chance!" scowled the armored man. Gohan didn't need to see his face to feel the irritation rolling off the man in waves. "Max Steel will blow this facility to Hell if we don't fix this right now. You have a safety hatch for the room, do you not?"

Forge frowned at the man. "Yeah, why?"

"Send me there and I'll absorb some of his energy! That way, it'll lessen the strain on the Containment Stabilizers!"

"Are you insane, Dread? I'm not going to let you absorb Max's energy!"

"In case you haven't noticed, you don't have a choice, Ferrus! I'll survive a T.U.R.B.O. explosion just fine, but I can't say the same for everyone else."

Gohan glanced back and forth between the two men. Forge didn't show any sign of backing down, even as Gohan could feel Max's Ki surging higher and higher. "Commander Forge," Gohan pleaded, "if Dread can handle it, we should let him step in. I don't think Max can last much longer."

Forge kept his gaze on Dread for an agonizing moment. "If he tries anything, I'll stop him," Gohan added.

Forge rubbed his temples. "What has this week come to. . ? Come with me, Dread. Gohan, is there anything you could do to contain a potential blast?"

Gohan felt his heart go cold. Max couldn't die. He wouldn't let him. He may not have known much about T.U.R.B.O. energy or Stabilizers, but he'd be damned if he let someone else die on his watch. He owed his father that much. "I can make a barrier around it. You're gonna save Max, right?"

Forge gave a tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "We will. This'll be short. C'mon Dread! Berto, keep us posted!"

Berto flicked a silver earpiece before nodding. "Understood, sir!"

With that the two men headed off for what Gohan assumed was the safety hatch. For a minute or two, though it felt more like hours, Gohan and Berto stood in relative silence, save for the piercing hum of Max's energy.

The scientist was fervently monitoring the pad. Just when he was about to talk to Berto, the man's head snapped up. "Commander Forge, sir?!" he asked. ". . Yeah, yeah! Right! The T.U.R.B.O. levels are still escalating faster than the Stabilizers can hold up. They're close to bursting! . . . I'd say maybe about 8 minutes until the whole thing explodes."

"I'm sorry, what?!" Gohan asked. "What's going on?"

Berto didn't seem to hear him as he tapped away at his pad. He suddenly stopped not too long after and nearly dropped his pad. Gohan's concentration on his barrier wavered at the sight of it.

"W-What do you mean Dread can't absorb it fast enough?!" Berto stammered out. "Didn't he make that suit for that purpose?!"

Gohan wanted to rush into the room and yank everyone to safety, but he knew it would do little good. Everything was so far out of his control no matter how strong he got, it seemed, he was still too weak. Always too damn weak.

"Wait what's happening in there?!"

"What?! What's going on, Berto?!" Gohan demanded.

Berto finally looked over at Gohan and moved to speak, only to stop and press his earpiece further in. "What. . ? You think it's Steel? But those levels of T.U.R.B.O. energy are. . . uh, yessir! They're stabilizing! This is incredible. . ! OK, understood, sir!"

He tapped his earpiece once and gave a deep sigh of relief.

Gohan tried not to sound too exasperated with the situation. After all, it seemed like it was good news. "What happened?"

"Max's T.U.R.B.O. levels are stabilizing! They say Steel is causing it! It's incredible. He shouldn't be able to handle nearly that much energy, much less regulate that much of it."

Gohan did note that Max's Ki was still a bit higher than normal. "Is his Ki supposed to be higher than normal?"

"No? What do you mean?"

"His energy is higher than it was before. Is that supposed to happen?"

Berto glanced down at his pad with a small smile. "Looks like the darn thing did work." At Gohan's questioning stare, he continued. "The device was supposed to kick Max's T.U.R.B.O. energy into hyperdrive, so that he could take his power to new heights! I guess it kinda worked a little too well, huh?"

Gohan gave a small smile as he finally dropped the barrier. "Yeah, maybe just a little."

Randy stood across from Howard, pacing back and forth. After all the insanity he'd had to deal with, talking it all out with his bro was only natural.

"What do you mean strange? I'm gonna need you to get a little more specific, Cunningham!"

Randy rubbed the back of his neck, casting his eyes to the ceiling. "Y'know, like. . . actually calling me by my name, holding a conversation with me, and not treating me like a total shoob! It's like she's a completely different person!"

Howard almost dropped his Hershey bar and his eyes got real big. "Oh. Oh wow. That is weird."

"I know. It's freaking me out! Do you think it's because she found out I'm the Ninja? I think this is because she found out I'm the Ninja. Why'd she have to find that out?! Ah man, I don't even know what Theresa's gonna think-"

"Chill, Cunningham. She and Theresa are probably just trying to wrap their minds around the fact that you're the Ninja."

Randy scoffed. "Don't say it like that!"

"What? It's true."

"I'm trying to be serious here, Howard."

"So am I!" At Randy's deadpan glare, Howard rolled his eyes. "Look, it's probably nothing! Just wait it out for a while and if worst comes to worst, mindwipe them!"

Randy blinked in surprise. "That. . . That's actually not a bad idea."

"Hey, just cause you make all the plans doesn't mean I can't make one every once in a while. Now let's play some video games! There's no Grave Puncher on this Earth, but there is Mortal Kombat~!"

Randy sighed as he leaned against the wall next to him. "I wish I could, but I can't right now. Cell's competition is gonna be here in a few weeks, and I need to train for it."

Howard threw his hands up, very nearly sending his controller across the room in the process. "You've seen what Cell can do! There's no amount of training that you can do to get on the same level as that guy. So you can either waste your time training or let Gohan handle it."

"We stopped him in our drill today!"

"He was holding back! We both know that Cunningham. Face it. There's nothing we can do, so why worry?"

Randy balled up his fists as he glared at Howard. He understood where his friend was coming from, but why did he always have to be so honking selfish? "I'm the Ninja, Howard. And even though this isn't Norrisville, this is a place that needs a hero. A lot of heroes. And as the Ninja, I'm not just gonna stand by and let someone else do this alone."

With that he spun on his heels and took off for his room.

Vlad rubbed his hands with a smile of delight. His portal looked more like an arch of wires, encompassed by metal. The wires would spark every now and again, illuminating the darkened sewer.

It was a far cry from his laboratory on his Earth, but it was good for keeping out of sight and spacious enough for desks, blueprints, and a portal. That being said, he'd need his clones to tidy it up a bit faster. He didn't know how much longer he could go stepping in sludge before he snapped.

"Almost ready! I just need a little more time and parts and I'll be back to you, Maddie! Isn't that correct, Emergency Portable Maddie!"

His darling hologram flickered with her bright smile. "Of course Vlad, sweetheart!"

Vlad cracked a sly smirk. "In a matter of time, I'll be able to slay Jack, comfort and woo Maddie, and share custody over Danny. Oh, I love it when a plan comes together!"

"You're so smart, honey!"

Vlad glanced over at his nearly finished portal before staring down at his blueprints. Vlad stroked his goatee with a sigh. "Yes, I'll need a few more pieces from THI to get this portal operational. Then, I'll return to Amity."

Gohan headed into the N-Tek food court. He felt bad for just giving a nod to some agents who waved at him, but he didn't feel much in the mood for talking. Not even the handful of agents who came by to thank him for saving the pilots in the Canyon could lift his spirits.

Stuffing his face full of food was good for clearing the mind, at least that's what his Dad told him.

He found an open seat and ordered an obscene amount of food, but Gohan couldn't find it in him to be bashful at the look the waiter gave him. Once the food finally showed up, he dove in with reckless abandon.

"Hey, save some chicken for me!"

Gohan blinked at Jazz. He had no idea when she'd shown up, but she was standing next to him with her arms crossed and a twinkle of mirth about her. Unluckily for him, he could still feel the rocky interior beneath her facade. No matter how good her poker face was, he would always be able to see through it with relative ease until she learned to handle her Ki.

"Are you going to eat that?" she asked, pointing at the chicken wing still protruding from his mouth.

Gohan flushed slightly and swallowed it down in one massive gulp. His face only grew redder as he watched her nose scrunch in disgust. "I can't help it," Gohan muttered, crossing his arms.

Jazz simply waved a hand as she sat down, resting her arms on the table. "What was that earlier? With the sirens and everything?"

Gohan looked at her seriously. "Max's Ki went crazy. I honestly don't know what happened, but it's something about a new device that they had him try out."

"He's OK now, right?"

"Oh yeah, he should be fine. That's what they told me anyway."

Jazz frowned at him. "You don't seem like you believe that."

Gohan wanted to laugh but instead he just shook his head. He was such a screw up. "I can't protect you all."

Jazz leaned closer to him, rubbing his back. "I told you. You're not going to do it alone."

The warm circles being rubbed into his back filled his whole body with warmth. It was so relaxing and comforting. It was as if nothing could go wrong just sitting there like that.

But Gohan knew better. "No! I mean, I can't focus on Cell with you guys still being here! There's no Hyperbolic Time Chamber here to get them time to train, and even if there was, it wouldn't be enough. Max almost died today because of me. I can't just sit by and let this keep happening!"

Jazz just glared at him, removing her arm from his back. The missing warmth was immediately noticeable. "We are stronger together than apart, Gohan," Jazz stressed, gesturing with her hands. "You can't take down Cell alone. You've tried that. Let us help you."

Gohan stared into her eyes. Her eyes were like an unrelenting fire. She wasn't going to back down until he said yes, he knew. "I'll think about it. How about we get back to your Ki training?"

Jazz opened her mouth to say something but Gohan shook his head. "Later."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Jazz cracked a small smile at that. "Alright then! I've been studying over all of the notes that you've suggested to me. I've even found a couple of books on the subject!"

"Where'd you find books on Ki? I didn't think we were allowed to leave?"

"Jefferson's a lifesaver. He got me a couple of books whenever he was free!"

Gohan finally allowed himself a smile. "Of course."

"C'mon, you dumb machine! Work!"

Viceroy impatiently drummed his fingers against the desk. He'd barely been able to keep out of the Sorcerer's sight to work on the schematics. As such, it had been stressful and painstaking business to attempt to fine tune the design. If his calculations were correct (as they often were), the invention would work without a hitch.

If only the damned computer would finish loading.

"C'mon, c'mon, you hunk of junk-!"

"Viceroy? What are you doing there?"

Viceroy felt a chill run down his spine as he sat frozen. The Sorcerer's voice was so close by and menacing that he could hardly muster the strength to turn to face him.

When Viceroy finally mustered the courage to glance up, the Sorcerer was glaring down at him while his lips twisted into a nasty scowl. Viceroy hadn't been much of a believer in one's life flashing before their eyes, but for a moment, he could relate. "Well?" The Sorcerer ground out.

"I-It's a Ninja destroying weapon, Mr. Sorcerer sir! It's almost done! It just has about. . ." He glanced over at the screen before looking back at the Sorcerer. "10% more to go!"

The Sorcerer's scowl never left his face, but he thankfully directed it to the screen. "A Ninja destroying device, you say?"

Viceroy perked up a bit at the optimistic tone. "Ah, yes, Mr. Sorcerer sir! When this baby's ready, the Ninja won't stand a-"

"Fool!"

Viceroy hid his face behind his arms as his heartbeat raced. He had only been able to make out a bright light, but he didn't dare uncover himself. "A Ninja destroying weapon! How many have you made and failed?"

"Temporary setbacks, I can assure you, sir!"

"Excuse me if my worries are not yet quieted, Viceroy! In case you haven't noticed, we have bigger problems on our hands than the Ninja! Make something that can defeat Cell! Not some third rate drivel that'll hardly leave a dent even in the Ninja!"

Viceroy could make out the light growing brighter and brighter when he finally dared to look. He found himself face to face with a glowing ball of magic aimed at his salvation.

"Woah, woah! Hold on, now!" Viceroy chuckled nervously as he stood between the Sorcerer's magic destruction and the computer. "You didn't let me finish. It's a Ninja destroying weapon, but it's also a Cell destroying weapon! A very wonderful way to kill two birds with one stone, if you ask me!"

The Sorcerer glared at Viceroy. He squirmed under the being's glare. "I want to see you test it out."

"I'm sorry, what, sir?"

"You heard me clearly. Give the "Cell destroying" weapon a go at the real thing. Unless, of course, you're lying to me?"

The venom in his tone was not easily missed. Viceroy smiled nervously as he clapped his hands together. "Yessir! I'll get right on that!"

"Good."

The Sorcerer was out of the room just as quickly as he'd arrived. The scientist slumped back into his chair as he tried to steady his racing heart. It was a virtually impossible task with all the factors running through his mind. Whether it be the true purpose of the device, the abilities of the weapon, or the power of Cell, he had his back to the wall.

"No," he chided himself, "you'll figure this out because you are Viceroy. The baddest, most brilliant scientist in the multiverse!"

Danny looked over at the half-Saiyan. He was teaching his sister Ki if Danny remembered correctly. He would've asked her himself, but there'd been no need. She wouldn't stop talking his ear off about the "miraculous power of Ki" and the "wonderful friend" teaching her.

He couldn't help the flare of distrust he felt when looking at Gohan with her. He felt bad about assuming bad intentions from Gohan considering all that he'd done for them already, but he couldn't easily shake the bad vibes that he'd gotten up in the air.

"Not that I don't love inconspicuously spying on your sister and Gohan, but why are we inconspicuously spying on your sister and Gohan?"

"I'm gonna have to agree with Tucker on this one," Sam drawled. "Why aren't we doing literally anything else?"

Danny glared at them. "We're not spying. We're just making sure Gohan doesn't try anything, that's all."

Sam sighed. "He's a good guy, Danny. And Jazz can handle herself. Just let them be."

He felt some of the fight go out of him as he cast one more glance at the training teens. 'Don't Fenton this up, Danny' he told himself. 'Just let them train. There is nothing going- is he about to touch her?!'

Danny shot up from his seat and marched towards them.

"Danny, don't-"

"Hey, Gohan!"

He relished the startled look on Gohan's face. "I need to talk to you about something. In private."

Jazz frowned at him with her eyes narrowing. "What's up? You can say it in front of both of us, right?"

Danny shrugged. "Sorry, can't. It's, uh, guys only stuff."

Jazz rolled her eyes but stood, smiling down at Gohan. "Ah well. We were just about finished anyway. Have fun, you two!"

Gohan said his farewell and Jazz left the room. Gohan turned back to me still wearing the ghost of his goofy smile. "What did you want to talk about?"

Danny crossed his arms and let his eyes fade to green for the hell of it. "What do you want with my sister?"

Gohan blinked. "Huh?"

"What are you trying to do?"

"I'm just teaching her to use her Ki." At Danny's unimpressed stare, Gohan continued, "That's all I swear."

"So you aren't trying to take over her body or something?"

"What?! No way! I just want to help is all, I swear!"

Danny glared hard at Gohan, trying to search for any signs of deceit. Admittedly, he wasn't the best judge at that kind of thing, but he couldn't see anything other than a well-meaning, if slightly awkward, teen. "If you say so," Danny muttered, "but if you hurt her, I'll have to kick your butt!"

Gohan blinked and laughed a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "Understood!"

Danny finally put his glare away for a slight wince. "Do you think you could help me?"

"What? I'm not sure I understand?"

Danny gestured weakly, searching for the words to use. "Y'know, we both can do things with our energy. Maybe there're some pointers that you could give me?"

Gohan beamed. "Sure, sure! I can do that."

"Gohan?"

Gohan looked past Danny as his eyes widened with recognition. "Commander Ferris, sir? Is Max-?"

Danny turned as well. Forge looked like he'd seen better days with his haggard appearance and fairly messy hair. "Yes, he's fine. I figured that you'd want to talk to him once he finally came to."

"Yes, please! Thank you, sir!"

Forge gave him a nod of acknowledgement before turning on his heel, striding out of the room. "Follow me."

Gohan started, briskly after him while Danny watched on. "Wait!" Danny said. "What happened to Max?"

Gohan glanced back at him and then glanced back to Forge, who shrugged. "Come on, Danny. We can talk on the way."

"And Sam and Tuck? They can come too, right?"

Forge nodded patiently. "Yes. Let's not keep Max waiting."

Gohan was getting a little antsy as time went on. Describing the situation to Danny and his friends made time pass a little faster but not by much. Try as he might, he just couldn't get Max's unconscious face out of his mind. It was like he was taunting him for letting someone else die.

"So that's what the light show was about."

"Hm?" Gohan asked as he returned to the conversation.

Forge glanced at Danny strangely. "You didn't decide to investigate?"

Danny winced before finding interest in the walls. "I was a little, uh, preoccupied."

Gohan sensed Max up ahead before he saw him. He was sitting with his face still behind his mask. His posture bespoke someone who was tired and rattled, which made sense for all he'd been through.

There was a distance of maybe ten or so feet between them and a wall of glass, but it may as well have been an ocean.

"Hey," Max muttered, a far cry from his usual cheer.

"Hey," Gohan replied, stepping closer. "How're you feeling?"

"Stronger."

Max's answer was gruff and abrupt. There wasn't any wonder or fear; there was just a blunt statement of what was. Gohan had to swallow the lump that had gotten caught in his throat.

"I guess the device works," Danny added. "That's good. Glad to have you back."

"Smooth," Sam drawled.

"What Danny said," Tucker chimed before Danny could retort. "We're glad you're doing good, man."

Max just nodded. "How long will I be in here?"

Forge smiled sympathetically. "It'll only be a day or two. We need to run some tests to make sure everything's alright."

Gohan frowned at the Commander. "Tests?"

"To make sure his T.U.R.B.O energy won't wildly fluctuate. If we don't check, the results could be catastrophic."

Gohan could see Max wince in the corners of his eyes. "Commander Forge, sir? Can I talk to Max alone for a second?"

Forge frowned before nodding. "Sure. Come with me, guys."

Danny looked from Gohan to Max to Forge before shrugging and following the Commander. "See you later, man!" Danny said over his shoulder.

Max gave a half-hearted wave back before he turned to Gohan. Gohan wished that he could see his face better, but he couldn't get much visibility past the glass and mask. "Why did you want to talk to me?" Max asked.

"You're a mess, and it's all because of me. I made these portals open-"

"Gohan."

"I caused Cell to come here-"

"Gohan just-!"

"-and now the planet, no, the multiverse is in danger because of me!"

"Hey! Listen! Why do you think that this is your fault? This is just a freak accident."

Gohan cast his gaze to the ground. He could still feel Max's gaze on him. "Right?"

"The portals were formed because of me. I was training with Vegeta in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and it caused a bunch of rifts to open in the multiverse. If I hadn't done that then none of this would be happening."

Gohan's jaw snapped shut as he stared at Max, hardly noting his own shallow breathing. Max sighed and walked closer to the glass, resting his arm on it. "You didn't know what would happen. You didn't want any of this."

"You almost died, Max!" Gohan felt his eyes starting to glisten despite his best efforts. "If they hadn't been able to stabilize you, you would've died."

Max jerked back at this, looking at a complete loss for words. Gohan felt horrible for making him have to come to grips with that harsh reality, but he knew it had to be done. After a moment, Max finally sighed. "Gohan, look at me."

He slowly raised his head, against his instincts. He gaped at the sight of chestnut brown hair, mirthful, blue eyes, and a blinding smile. As strange as it felt talking to a man behind a mask, it was even stranger seeing him without one. "It was an accident and accidents happen. Don't worry about it."

"But you almost-"

"But I didn't," Max interrupted courtly. "And even if I did. . . I wouldn't blame you. I wouldn't blame anybody. I make my own choices, and we're gonna need every possible advantage for dealing with Cell."

Gohan took a deep, shuddering breath and laughed, mirthlessly. He couldn't imagine the amount of courage it took for Max to say that after staring death in the face. In a world with no Dragon Balls, no less. "You all are true heroes."

Max just smiled. "We do what we have to."

Gohan nodded and felt a little of that mountainous weight roll off of him. Just a bit.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Max asked.

"Ah, no. I just remembered. What had you hung up before? Whenever we first came in here?"

Max's eyes widened before he chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just something stupid. Don't worry about it."

"It didn't seem like nothing. What is it?"

Max opened his mouth as if to argue before he shook his head. He laughed and let his arms swing lazily at his sides. "I should be happy to see my friends again at school, but I just keep getting this pit in my chest every time I think about it."

"Why?"

"I-I dunno. I just feel like a freak, I guess."

Gohan smiled. "You're not a freak. You're Max Steel and a hero and a good friend. I think your friends will see that too."

Max got a really big grin, one it seemed he was trying to fight down but couldn't. "Thank you, Gohan."

"No problem. I'm gonna get going."

"Alright, man."

Gohan turned and started heading out. He'd almost left when he heard Max's voice call out to him.

"My last name is McGrath, by the way."

Gohan smiled and nodded, stepping out of the room. The metallic doors shut behind him with a click and a hiss.

A/N: Hey, I'd like to thank y'all for reading. It means the world to me. Feel free to review on things I could improve on, favorite, or follow. Have a good one!

Uploaded: April 22nd, 2021