I guess this took me a while to update. Is anyone still reading? I've been waiting for some great spark of inspiration to hit me but it didn't quite happen, so this chapter's not too great. Still trying to find my muse.
Ch. 6
Disclaimer: I don't own Max Steel or affiliated characters. I'm just writing the story.
***Max***
"Hey!"
He interrupted my shout with a foot to my face. My head started swimming, blending the whirring noise of the plane engine with the thick pain in my skull. If I could have been able to talk I would have told him, "I'll cut off your foot this time."
Psycho gloated over me, and balled up his newly replaced metal hand into a hard fist. "Steel, are you going to give me the Crystalline Power Core? Or are you going to give me an excuse to muss up that pretty boy face of yours?"
Grabbing me by my uniform collar, he lifted me clean off the floor in one motion. "I won't ask again Steel. Where's the power core? I know it's on this plane somewhere."
"Berto," I yelled and prayed that he would hear me over the Bio-link.
Then a black leather clad hand touched my face from behind and a laugh tumbled into the air. Realization of Dragonelle's presence alarmed me.
"Don't bother calling for Dr. Martinez," she stepped around to make sure that I would see her gloat. "We have already apprehended him and Mr. Marshak from the cockpit. The Behemoth crew has fallen, and the plane is ours."
"Out of hope and out of transphasik energy," Psycho raised me closer to his face and growled with I didn't answer. "Fine then."
He hauled me over to one of the side hatch doors. With one kick he dislodged the door and we faced the endless blue of the sky outside. At that moment it felt like everything in the room was being sucked out that tiny door. Objects that I didn't even have time to identify flew past me and floated out into freefall. Psycho, his hand still fisted in my uniform collar, thrust me outside and dangled me in mid-air.
I thought the only thing I could think at that moment, "What would Batman do? What would Batman do? What would..."
Psycho released his grip.
Batman can't fly. So I fell.
***Kat***
Working for N-Tek means a lot of high adrenaline, high stress, high risk, high stakes missions. And that's the way I liked things. This particular trip, however, was supposed to be none of the above. Perhaps that was why we were so ill prepared and how they caught us completely off guard.
It was a simple run to D.C. to drop off the power core. But halfway through the flight, a jolt went through the giant jet, and the alarms registered intruders on the Behemoth.
Then the adrenaline kicked in and my instincts took over.
I remember zipping the power core into my backpack. I remember running through the corridors of the plane. I remember seeing Max dangle out of the plane from Psycho's clutch.
I remember him falling.
I don't remember running, shoving past Dragonelle and Psycho. I don't remember diving out of the plane after Max. I don't remember grabbing him in mid air and in free fall. I don't remember shooting off a grappling hook from my wrist crossbow. I don't remember the grappling hook lodging itself onto the underbelly of the Behemoth to anchor us from the fall.
By the time I fully regained my senses, Max was hanging onto me, I was hanging on to the grappling hook cable, and the cable was affixed onto the soaring jet above.
The words, "Now what?" occurred to me. But I could barely hear my own thoughts over the dull roar of the jet engine and sharp whir of the stinging winds.
The Behemoth runs on 4 engines during flight. Each engine is capable of 5,000 pounds of propulsion. At peak performance the plane can go up to 600 miles per hour. And trust me, when you're being dragged behind it by a thin little cable wire you feel every pound of propulsion, every mile per hour then some.
Suddenly the flash of a laser blast whizzed by my head.
"Shooting. Behind us," Max yelled through the ambient noise of the screaming winds.
I crane my neck around for an uncomfortable glance back. There was a small fighter plane behind us alright, and it was still firing. I squinted at the pilot in the cockpit.
"Vitriol? Oh no, that's Vitriol!"
Another volley of laser blasts came our way as we tried to climb up the cable.
Need to go faster... faster... before...
Finally one of the laser strikes severed the dangling cable. In one silent rip, our lifeline to the plane snapped.
For whatever reason I was still hanging onto to the detached piece of rope for dear life. We were falling and I was still hanging on to it.
We fell...
But suddenly we hit something.
My body jarred against a metal surface, and my mind reeled in surprise at hitting solid matter sooner than I expected.
I clawed out my hands to hang onto the small jet's surface. And when I looked down at the exterior of the plane I saw a welcomed sight. This was a different one.
I saw the N-Tek painted logo. It was one of our own.
I leaned closer to peer at the face in the cockpit. Then I couldn't help but smile.
***Rachel***
Right place at the right time.
One in a thousand chance that I could have uncovered Vitriol's trail two days ago. One in a thousand chance that the weather conditions in California could have forced him into the city where we were searching. One in a thousand chance that Ivan could have spotted Vitriol's stealth plane that never registered on radar.
It all works out to some infinitesimally small probability that I could have been able to chase Vitriol to the Behemoth. So I didn't expect to meet up with Team Steel that day, much less save Max and Kat when they fell.
I've never liked to attribute success to mere luck, but today I feel like I've cheated the universe and come out on top. As I look at my two ex-teammates clinging to the bill of the jet outside, I shudder to think what would have happened if I had missed that run-in with Lady Luck.
Kat waved as she recognized me. I gave her a thumbs-up in response. As for Max, he looked pale and meager. Whatever happened in the Behemoth must have caused him to use up all his Transphasik energy. He still gave his boyish smile. From the look in his eyes I could see he was glad, but he was also afraid. Not of the danger. Not of the mind-boggling height. Not of how close he was to death.
The prospect of death has never scared him.
I scare him. Not knowing how to handle me scares him.
Then Kat got my attention by tapping on the cockpit panel. She pointed upwards at the Behemoth. I nodded to indicate that I understood.
Going up. And going to retake the Behemoth.
***Kat***
There's something about Rachel that's pretty amazing. I realized it finally. Maybe it's her courage. Maybe it's her determination. Whatever it is, I realized that I missed her when she left for Russia.
I'm not one for sentimental garbage so I'll sum it by saying this. No matter where she chooses to go she is still linked with Team Steel in some way or form. And sometimes the universe will orchestrate events like those of today to bring her back to us.
It's good to know she's always there for us. Even at the most unexpected of unexpected times. She's there to catch us against all odds.
What would we ever do without you, Rach?
Ch. 6
Disclaimer: I don't own Max Steel or affiliated characters. I'm just writing the story.
***Max***
"Hey!"
He interrupted my shout with a foot to my face. My head started swimming, blending the whirring noise of the plane engine with the thick pain in my skull. If I could have been able to talk I would have told him, "I'll cut off your foot this time."
Psycho gloated over me, and balled up his newly replaced metal hand into a hard fist. "Steel, are you going to give me the Crystalline Power Core? Or are you going to give me an excuse to muss up that pretty boy face of yours?"
Grabbing me by my uniform collar, he lifted me clean off the floor in one motion. "I won't ask again Steel. Where's the power core? I know it's on this plane somewhere."
"Berto," I yelled and prayed that he would hear me over the Bio-link.
Then a black leather clad hand touched my face from behind and a laugh tumbled into the air. Realization of Dragonelle's presence alarmed me.
"Don't bother calling for Dr. Martinez," she stepped around to make sure that I would see her gloat. "We have already apprehended him and Mr. Marshak from the cockpit. The Behemoth crew has fallen, and the plane is ours."
"Out of hope and out of transphasik energy," Psycho raised me closer to his face and growled with I didn't answer. "Fine then."
He hauled me over to one of the side hatch doors. With one kick he dislodged the door and we faced the endless blue of the sky outside. At that moment it felt like everything in the room was being sucked out that tiny door. Objects that I didn't even have time to identify flew past me and floated out into freefall. Psycho, his hand still fisted in my uniform collar, thrust me outside and dangled me in mid-air.
I thought the only thing I could think at that moment, "What would Batman do? What would Batman do? What would..."
Psycho released his grip.
Batman can't fly. So I fell.
***Kat***
Working for N-Tek means a lot of high adrenaline, high stress, high risk, high stakes missions. And that's the way I liked things. This particular trip, however, was supposed to be none of the above. Perhaps that was why we were so ill prepared and how they caught us completely off guard.
It was a simple run to D.C. to drop off the power core. But halfway through the flight, a jolt went through the giant jet, and the alarms registered intruders on the Behemoth.
Then the adrenaline kicked in and my instincts took over.
I remember zipping the power core into my backpack. I remember running through the corridors of the plane. I remember seeing Max dangle out of the plane from Psycho's clutch.
I remember him falling.
I don't remember running, shoving past Dragonelle and Psycho. I don't remember diving out of the plane after Max. I don't remember grabbing him in mid air and in free fall. I don't remember shooting off a grappling hook from my wrist crossbow. I don't remember the grappling hook lodging itself onto the underbelly of the Behemoth to anchor us from the fall.
By the time I fully regained my senses, Max was hanging onto me, I was hanging on to the grappling hook cable, and the cable was affixed onto the soaring jet above.
The words, "Now what?" occurred to me. But I could barely hear my own thoughts over the dull roar of the jet engine and sharp whir of the stinging winds.
The Behemoth runs on 4 engines during flight. Each engine is capable of 5,000 pounds of propulsion. At peak performance the plane can go up to 600 miles per hour. And trust me, when you're being dragged behind it by a thin little cable wire you feel every pound of propulsion, every mile per hour then some.
Suddenly the flash of a laser blast whizzed by my head.
"Shooting. Behind us," Max yelled through the ambient noise of the screaming winds.
I crane my neck around for an uncomfortable glance back. There was a small fighter plane behind us alright, and it was still firing. I squinted at the pilot in the cockpit.
"Vitriol? Oh no, that's Vitriol!"
Another volley of laser blasts came our way as we tried to climb up the cable.
Need to go faster... faster... before...
Finally one of the laser strikes severed the dangling cable. In one silent rip, our lifeline to the plane snapped.
For whatever reason I was still hanging onto to the detached piece of rope for dear life. We were falling and I was still hanging on to it.
We fell...
But suddenly we hit something.
My body jarred against a metal surface, and my mind reeled in surprise at hitting solid matter sooner than I expected.
I clawed out my hands to hang onto the small jet's surface. And when I looked down at the exterior of the plane I saw a welcomed sight. This was a different one.
I saw the N-Tek painted logo. It was one of our own.
I leaned closer to peer at the face in the cockpit. Then I couldn't help but smile.
***Rachel***
Right place at the right time.
One in a thousand chance that I could have uncovered Vitriol's trail two days ago. One in a thousand chance that the weather conditions in California could have forced him into the city where we were searching. One in a thousand chance that Ivan could have spotted Vitriol's stealth plane that never registered on radar.
It all works out to some infinitesimally small probability that I could have been able to chase Vitriol to the Behemoth. So I didn't expect to meet up with Team Steel that day, much less save Max and Kat when they fell.
I've never liked to attribute success to mere luck, but today I feel like I've cheated the universe and come out on top. As I look at my two ex-teammates clinging to the bill of the jet outside, I shudder to think what would have happened if I had missed that run-in with Lady Luck.
Kat waved as she recognized me. I gave her a thumbs-up in response. As for Max, he looked pale and meager. Whatever happened in the Behemoth must have caused him to use up all his Transphasik energy. He still gave his boyish smile. From the look in his eyes I could see he was glad, but he was also afraid. Not of the danger. Not of the mind-boggling height. Not of how close he was to death.
The prospect of death has never scared him.
I scare him. Not knowing how to handle me scares him.
Then Kat got my attention by tapping on the cockpit panel. She pointed upwards at the Behemoth. I nodded to indicate that I understood.
Going up. And going to retake the Behemoth.
***Kat***
There's something about Rachel that's pretty amazing. I realized it finally. Maybe it's her courage. Maybe it's her determination. Whatever it is, I realized that I missed her when she left for Russia.
I'm not one for sentimental garbage so I'll sum it by saying this. No matter where she chooses to go she is still linked with Team Steel in some way or form. And sometimes the universe will orchestrate events like those of today to bring her back to us.
It's good to know she's always there for us. Even at the most unexpected of unexpected times. She's there to catch us against all odds.
What would we ever do without you, Rach?