Chapter Eleven: Awakening

Briefing Room N'Tek Headquarters, Ten Minutes Later

Max Steel didn't pay that much attention to the debriefing session for the currently expanded Team Steel after Jefferson and Berto's departure in response to a summons from Dr Yevshenko.  Though they hadn't said what the problem was to the others – Jeff had just said they were needed in the infirmary – Max knew.  His nanotech-enhanced hearing had picked up what his father had said into Berto's ear about the max probes becoming one with Pete.  He didn't really know what to think about that.

Ever since that time when Dread had kidnapped Pete, when Pete had learned the truth about Max and Josh being one in the same he had been both very curious and very envious of the superpowers that Max/Josh had.  Though he'd never said anything Max knew full well that Pete had often wondered what it would be like to possess such abilities himself.  Well now he was going to find out.  And Max didn't know how he felt about that.  He didn't know whether to feel happy that he wasn't going to be the only nanotech-enhanced Human around anymore, or whether to feel sad for Pete for the same reason.  From now on he knew full well that Pete's life would be dictated by two big things, one the need to keep their powers hidden from the general public, and two by the dependence on transphasic energy to live.  Even after two and a half years Max couldn't help but sometimes feel disgusted by that dependence – by having to rely on some outside source for life like the worlds worst drug addict, though he didn't feel that way nearly as often now as he had for the first few months after his infusion.  He didn't know how Pete would cope with that and with all the trauma that he had already been through.

Becoming Max Steel had been traumatic enough for him – it had been the cause of nightmares for months afterwards – and he hadn't been through anything like what Pete had been through in the last month.  In the last month Pete had been through an experience that could only be described as pure hell.  As he thought about it Max felt his anger at Joseph Karland and Ivan Vostok for what they'd done to Pete rise again.  Max clamped down on his anger almost immediately – raging about Dreadnought would gain him nothing.

The question that was really bothering him was how would Pete cope with it.  He knew that Pete would be very deeply scarred by the experience – anyone would be.  Add to that the stress that having to adapt to suddenly being superhuman caused – Pete was going to be in for a very rough time in the next couple of months.  One thing was clear to Max/Josh though, and that he was going to have to a friend/brother to Pete like never before in months to come.  Not that he minded at all.

The sight of everyone standing up and leaving the room suddenly jolted him out of his thoughts.  Max blinked in surprise – he must have gotten more distracted than he'd realised.  Out of the corner of his eyes he caught Rachel giving him a concerned look – but then she too stood up and left the room.  A moment later he felt Laura's hand on his shoulder.

"Okay what's the matter," Laura asked.  He gave his girlfriend a half-hearted look that said that there was nothing wrong and that he was just tired, knowing full well that she would most likely see through it.  Over the last year Laura had perfected the skill of seeing what he was really feeling whether he was Max or Josh.  Sure enough she saw through his look. 

"Don't give me that look," Laura continued.  "You should know by now that you cannot fool me that way anymore.  So what's the matter?"  Laura moved into the seat next to him even as he sighed.

"It's Pete," he admitted.  He held up a hand to stop Laura from speaking.  "I heard what dad said to Berto after Yevshenko called."  Laura smiled knowingly.

"So what's going on," she asked.  Then it dawned upon her.  There could only be one reason why Yevshenko would want both Jefferson and Berto down in the infirmary so quickly.  It had to be the max probes – they had to be doing to Pete what they'd done to Josh two years ago when they'd transformed him the superhuman secret agent sitting across from her.  "It's the nanoprobes isn't it?  They're doing to Pete what they did to you."

"Yes," Max replied finally his tone quiet and thoughtful, something that wasn't often associated with either Max Steel or Josh McGrath.  Laura frowned.

"I didn't think they were supposed to do that," she answered.

"They weren't.  They were just programmed to destroy the Dreadnought technology inside Pete and repair the cell damage it caused, nothing more.  If they were integrating in response to the cell damage they would have done so ages ago."

"So why are they doing it now," Laura wondered.  Max shrugged his broad shoulders.

"I don't know.  There might have been somekind of malfunction in one or more of the probes.  I don't know I'm no expert on nanotech.  I just know how to use it," Max replied.  "What's worrying me is how is Pete going to cope with it."

"You managed," Laura reminded him.

"Yes but I hadn't been through what Pete's recently been through.  Pete's been through a living hell this last month.  He's doesn't need the additional stress of having to learn how to control nanotech powers.  True learning to control them will be a lot easier for Pete than it was for me because I'll be there to help him.  But he doesn't need this."

"You're right," Laura agreed.  "But we're just going to have to accept it as the price of Pete's freedom.  All we can hope to do now Josh," she used his real name on purpose, "is be there for him.  He's going to need us as he's never needed us before in the next few weeks and months."  Max had to nod in agreement.  Then he sighed and stood up.

"We should go back down to the infirmary," he said.  "Pete will almost certainly wake up soon.  We should be there when he does."  Laura nodded in agreement.  Then they both left the room heading for the infirmary.

******

Infirmary

Berto Martinez kept his eyes locked on Pete's bioreadings waiting for the inevitable drop off in nanoprobe activity that would indicate a critically low level of transphasic power.  The level of nanoprobe integration with Pete was already close on ninety-seven percent.  When he'd first got here from the briefing room he'd been surprised by how quickly the nanoprobes were integrating with Pete's systems.  They were going a hell of a lot quicker than the ones in Josh had; the marked difference had confused him. 

Until he'd realised that the reason for the difference was numbers.  There were already enough nanoprobes inside Pete's body to integrate with all his systems and still leave some behind in his bloodstream to boost his immune system; the probes had no need to make more of themselves.  With Josh it had been different.  When Josh had been exposed there hadn't been enough nanoprobes to integrate with him completely – the probes had needed to make more of themselves which had slowed down their growth rate significantly, they'd also had to contend with Josh's immune system which had been attacking the nanoprobes like it would any invading organism.  With Pete the probes had no immune response to deal with as Karlands technology had disabled Pete's immune system and it had only just started to recover when the nanoprobes began to integrate and had therefore been no barrier to them.

The sound of approaching footsteps abruptly caught his attention and he looked back towards the door just as Max came through accompanied by Laura.  The debriefing for the rest of Team Steel had to have finished.  Jefferson, Yevshenko, Amanda and Jacob looked over as well as Max and Laura approached the side of the bed.

"How is he?" Laura asked softly just beating Max to the punch.

Before anyone could answer there attention was abruptly grabbed by a soft groan from the bed.  Everyone immediately turned their attention to the bed.  Too see that Pete was finally beginning to stir from his sleep.

"He's regaining consciousness," she said just as Pete's eyes slowly flickered open.