Josh sat down on the sofa across from the chair that Laura was in. "Um, Laura. I need to talk to you. I kind of have a confession to make." Josh stuttered and paused many times during this beginning. Everyone knew what was coming except for poor Laura. "What's wrong Josh, you look pale?" "Uh, well…I uh, what I mean to say is…" " Are you okay?" Josh nodded, but still couldn't speak.
"What Josh is trying to say is that, well, you know how you told me that you always felt that Josh was hiding something? Well, he is, but not because he wants to, it's because he had to. But it's safe for you to know the truth now." Laura was completely puzzled at this point. "Josh, what's going on, is everything ok?"
"Well, uh, Crystal is right. I was hiding something from you, but I never wanted to lie. I need to tell you something, but I'm afraid that it'll scare you." "Scare me? Josh, what is going on?" Laura was nearly yelling at this point, worried that something was wrong.
"Laura, you know that I work for my dad, and that I work with Kat, Crystal, Berto, and Rachel. But what you don't know is what we all do." "Of course I know what you guys do Josh; I've seen some of the gear that N'Tek makes. You are the one that showed me that stuff, remember?" Josh felt bad for having to tell her that everything that she knew about him was a sham. "No Laura, I showed you gear from N'Tek's cover operation. N'Tek does a lot more than just sports gear. We are secret agents." Laura gave everyone a weird look. "Oh yeah, and I'm Pamela Anderson. Come on Josh, I don't need to be lied to again."
"Uh, he's telling the truth Laura. I'm an agent too." Kat said, trying to prove that, for once, she wasn't' being lied to. "Ok, if that was true, Pete would be surprised too, unless he knew before…" She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked at Pete. He looked as if he felt bad for something that he had no control over. "Ok, either you're lying, or I'm going to kill you. You have to be joking with me, right?"
"Laura, that's not all of it." Crystal said, in hopes of bracing her for the worst. Laura looked around the room thinking that there was no way that any news could be worse than hearing that her ex-boyfriend was a secret agent, and that he had been putting his life in danger everyday without telling her.
"Uh, Laura." Josh said as he reached out his hand and held her hand tight. "Do you remember when Berto first came out here? Well, he came here because there was a technical accident at N'Tek. You see Laura, one day when I went to visit my Dad at N'Tek, I found someone in the building that was considered an enemy. When I tried to stop him, he attacked me, and I got hurt pretty bad. It's hard to explain, but I ended up with these things called nano-probes infused with my vital organs. They gave me certain powers that I didn't have before."
"WHAT???" Laura paled at this news. "Power's, like what?" "Well, you know that guy, Max Steel?" She nodded as everyone else in the room tensed. "Yeah, what does he have to do with anything?" "Well, you see, I don't work at N'Tek exactly. He does. But it's not that simple. Laura, I am Max Steel. That's one thing that the accident did to me. I have the ability to change myself into Max. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true." Josh showed her the extra buttons on his watch face, and watched her as she nearly collapsed. "Ok, that's some kind of a prop isn't it? Berto, you made that didn't you?" Josh spoke before Berto could respond. "Laura, it's not a joke. This isn't a prop. I can prove it, but I don't want to freak you out any more." Laura couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Freak me out more. I don't think that's humanly possible. Josh, you just told me that you are two people, and you're worried about freaking me out. Come on blondie, prove it."
Josh hesitated before pushing the button on his arm. He began to glow that bright green color that everyone else had become so used to. Laura screamed as loud as she could, and jumped over the back of her chair. She ran up the stairs and into the room where she had been staying. Josh tried to run after her, but stopped, realizing that he might make things worse.
"Oh yeah, tell her Josh, she needs to know." He said in a mocking tone toward the rest of the group. "Great fucking idea. Why don't you guys just kill me and get it over with?" Josh sat down again and asked what he should do now. "I'll go talk to her. I think she just need to realize that it's not all bad. She'll be happier when if finally hits her that you weren't lying just to be secretive. Gimme a few minutes, ok?" Josh nodded and everyone except for Josh followed Crystal upstairs. "Laura, come on, let me in." Crystal heard no response. "Come on, I don't have Josh with me, I promise." Again no response followed.
Crystal walked into her room and grabbed the key to the spare room from her nightstand. She walked back to Laura's room and unlocked the door. "I could've sworn that I had locked that door." Laura said as she saw everyone enter the room. "You did, but it's my house. I have keys." Laura smiled a bit and turned away. Kat was the first to see her face, and could see tears running down both cheeks. "How could he lie to me like that? How could everyone know but me? How could I be so oblivious to what was going on around me? You know the worst part? It makes perfect sense. I mean, every time Max saved my life, I couldn't find Josh, but as soon as Max was gone, Josh would show up. I should have known. How could I be so stupid?"
Crystal tried to calm her by sitting down on the bed next to her, and placing her hand on Laura's shoulder. "You weren't stupid, and the only reason that everyone but you knew is because everyone here except for Pete works for N'Tek. And the only reason that Pete knows is because he found out. I'm sorry that we all had to lie, but it was Josh's secret to tell and he didn't know how to say it."
Laura spent nearly 20 minutes being consoled by her friends before Josh walked upstairs. Knock-Knock. Josh tapped on the open door. "Can I come in Laura?" Rather than answer, she turned away from him. "Come on in Josh, we'll leave you two alone." Crystal said as she left the room. Kat and Berto followed, but Kat stopped after getting only part way out. She noticed Pete still standing in the room, not moving at all. She walked back toward him and reached up toward his face. She grabbed his ear and dug her nails into the back. "Ow Ow Ow, come on Kat, that hurts." "Let's go Pete, leave them alone." Kat pulled him toward the door, but not without hearing him whine. "Damn, Kat is a good name for you. Come on, those claws hurt. Let go." Kat refused, and dragged him out of the room, and downstairs.
"Laura" Josh said quietly as he knelt down in front of her. "I think we should talk about this. I know you are mad at me, but I never wanted to lie to you. I had to, for your own safety." She wiped away some of her tears and began to talk to him. "So why is it okay to tell me now?" "Well, technically it's not, N'Tek rules are still very set against this, but you need to know. Besides that, there was one thing that I hadn't thought about. Someone pointed out that some of my enemies already know who I am, so you could be in danger whether you know about me or not. It might actually be safer for you if you do know, so that you can be ready to defend yourself," Laura looked at his eyes and knew that he was telling the truth.
"So, what now Josh? I mean, why would you tell me now, rather than when we were dating, and your honesty was more important?" Josh's heart sank realizing just how badly he had screwed up. "Well, I know that it's not likely, but I was hoping that maybe you would be willing to give me another shot. I mean, I know that I don't deserve it, but I still…" Josh cleared his throat and took both of her hands. "I still love you Laura. Now that I have no need to be secretive, I think things could really work out between us. I know that it's asking a lot, but what do you say? Just one date, Please."
Laura jumped off of the bed, and stopped only inches from Josh's face. She screamed at the top of her lungs, and began to hit him. "How could you lie to me like this? I trusted you, all that time that we were together. I can't believe that you were – you didn't even feel guilty, did you?" Tears streamed down her face as she sat down, not on the bed that was only a few feet away from her, but on the floor directly below her feet. She felt as if her legs had turned to Jell-o from all of the yelling.
After a second, Josh responded. "Of course I feel guilty, I always have. But I didn't have a choice. Dad wouldn't let me tell you, and besides, what was I supposed to say? 'Hey Laura, you know that Max Steel guy you think is so cute, guess what?' Yeah, that would have gone over real well. Look, I'm sorry, but there was no other choice. But I'm telling you now, I know it's late, but you know the old saying 'better late than never'. I'm not asking you to take me back immediately, just one date. I just want one last chance to prove myself to you. Especially know that I don't have any secrets anymore. Please Laura, one last shot. I love you Laura." Josh wiped the tears from Laura's face, and tried to put his arms around her waist. She slapped his hands, and then put her arms around his neck. "I really hate you sometimes, you know that right?" She said with a smile.
"I love you too Josh. I guess one date couldn't hurt?" Josh felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. He picked her up and twirled her around the room. The two knew that reconciliation wouldn't be that simple, but decided that it was worth it.
They walked back downstairs to find Crystal chasing Berto around her kitchen. Josh asked Pete what was going on and found out that Berto had brought a computer with him, and Crystal was trying to take it away to make him relax a bit. What no one knew what that she had a hidden agenda.
"Gimme that Berto, you're not gonna do research while you are here." Eventually, Berto gave her the computer and she ran into the bathroom with it. When asked why, she yelled. "I want to see what he's hiding on here. I'm going to hack into this sucker." Berto threw a massive fit, kicking the door and screaming at her to give it back. "Crystal, that's personal, give it back." When she refused, he threatened to kick the door down. It took Berto roughly five minutes before he realized that he could probably pick the lock since most bathroom locks aren't that complex. He found a small screwdriver and broke the lock open. When he opened the door, he was very confused by what he saw.
Crystal stood in front of the mirror, Berto's computer held in one hand, and a hairbrush in the other. "Huh? What are you doing?" She turned toward him with a smile. "Uh, brushing my hair. Why, what did you expect me to be doing?" "Well, you said that you were hacking my computer. I kinda thought that's what you'd be doing." Berto's eyes dropped down to his computer and he realized that she hadn't even turned it on.
"Oh, you freakin' brat. I'll get you back for that." Again, Crystal smiled, and she handed him back the computer. Berto decided that it was a good idea to hide his computer, and so he took it out to the car.
After everyone calmed down from laughing at them fight over his computer, everyone decided that it was getting late, and began to leave. Laura waited until Josh was the last one, and stood outside with him for a few minutes. She came back inside, not saying a word to Crystal and walked toward her room. "Wait a minute. What happened? Come on, I need to know Laura." "Well," Laura began. "He apologized for a while, and then we got back together. Do you think I'm crazy for taking him back?" Crystal shook her head and said, "No way, you love him. Now, if he was still lying to you, then maybe I'd think you're crazy, but I think he deserves another chance."
Laura smiled, knowing that someone was on her side. "Well, I think I'm going to bed Crystal. See you tomorrow." Crystal waved to her and said goodnight. She had plans for Laura tomorrow, and wanted her to be rested, so she didn't ask her to explain any further.
"What Josh is trying to say is that, well, you know how you told me that you always felt that Josh was hiding something? Well, he is, but not because he wants to, it's because he had to. But it's safe for you to know the truth now." Laura was completely puzzled at this point. "Josh, what's going on, is everything ok?"
"Well, uh, Crystal is right. I was hiding something from you, but I never wanted to lie. I need to tell you something, but I'm afraid that it'll scare you." "Scare me? Josh, what is going on?" Laura was nearly yelling at this point, worried that something was wrong.
"Laura, you know that I work for my dad, and that I work with Kat, Crystal, Berto, and Rachel. But what you don't know is what we all do." "Of course I know what you guys do Josh; I've seen some of the gear that N'Tek makes. You are the one that showed me that stuff, remember?" Josh felt bad for having to tell her that everything that she knew about him was a sham. "No Laura, I showed you gear from N'Tek's cover operation. N'Tek does a lot more than just sports gear. We are secret agents." Laura gave everyone a weird look. "Oh yeah, and I'm Pamela Anderson. Come on Josh, I don't need to be lied to again."
"Uh, he's telling the truth Laura. I'm an agent too." Kat said, trying to prove that, for once, she wasn't' being lied to. "Ok, if that was true, Pete would be surprised too, unless he knew before…" She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked at Pete. He looked as if he felt bad for something that he had no control over. "Ok, either you're lying, or I'm going to kill you. You have to be joking with me, right?"
"Laura, that's not all of it." Crystal said, in hopes of bracing her for the worst. Laura looked around the room thinking that there was no way that any news could be worse than hearing that her ex-boyfriend was a secret agent, and that he had been putting his life in danger everyday without telling her.
"Uh, Laura." Josh said as he reached out his hand and held her hand tight. "Do you remember when Berto first came out here? Well, he came here because there was a technical accident at N'Tek. You see Laura, one day when I went to visit my Dad at N'Tek, I found someone in the building that was considered an enemy. When I tried to stop him, he attacked me, and I got hurt pretty bad. It's hard to explain, but I ended up with these things called nano-probes infused with my vital organs. They gave me certain powers that I didn't have before."
"WHAT???" Laura paled at this news. "Power's, like what?" "Well, you know that guy, Max Steel?" She nodded as everyone else in the room tensed. "Yeah, what does he have to do with anything?" "Well, you see, I don't work at N'Tek exactly. He does. But it's not that simple. Laura, I am Max Steel. That's one thing that the accident did to me. I have the ability to change myself into Max. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true." Josh showed her the extra buttons on his watch face, and watched her as she nearly collapsed. "Ok, that's some kind of a prop isn't it? Berto, you made that didn't you?" Josh spoke before Berto could respond. "Laura, it's not a joke. This isn't a prop. I can prove it, but I don't want to freak you out any more." Laura couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Freak me out more. I don't think that's humanly possible. Josh, you just told me that you are two people, and you're worried about freaking me out. Come on blondie, prove it."
Josh hesitated before pushing the button on his arm. He began to glow that bright green color that everyone else had become so used to. Laura screamed as loud as she could, and jumped over the back of her chair. She ran up the stairs and into the room where she had been staying. Josh tried to run after her, but stopped, realizing that he might make things worse.
"Oh yeah, tell her Josh, she needs to know." He said in a mocking tone toward the rest of the group. "Great fucking idea. Why don't you guys just kill me and get it over with?" Josh sat down again and asked what he should do now. "I'll go talk to her. I think she just need to realize that it's not all bad. She'll be happier when if finally hits her that you weren't lying just to be secretive. Gimme a few minutes, ok?" Josh nodded and everyone except for Josh followed Crystal upstairs. "Laura, come on, let me in." Crystal heard no response. "Come on, I don't have Josh with me, I promise." Again no response followed.
Crystal walked into her room and grabbed the key to the spare room from her nightstand. She walked back to Laura's room and unlocked the door. "I could've sworn that I had locked that door." Laura said as she saw everyone enter the room. "You did, but it's my house. I have keys." Laura smiled a bit and turned away. Kat was the first to see her face, and could see tears running down both cheeks. "How could he lie to me like that? How could everyone know but me? How could I be so oblivious to what was going on around me? You know the worst part? It makes perfect sense. I mean, every time Max saved my life, I couldn't find Josh, but as soon as Max was gone, Josh would show up. I should have known. How could I be so stupid?"
Crystal tried to calm her by sitting down on the bed next to her, and placing her hand on Laura's shoulder. "You weren't stupid, and the only reason that everyone but you knew is because everyone here except for Pete works for N'Tek. And the only reason that Pete knows is because he found out. I'm sorry that we all had to lie, but it was Josh's secret to tell and he didn't know how to say it."
Laura spent nearly 20 minutes being consoled by her friends before Josh walked upstairs. Knock-Knock. Josh tapped on the open door. "Can I come in Laura?" Rather than answer, she turned away from him. "Come on in Josh, we'll leave you two alone." Crystal said as she left the room. Kat and Berto followed, but Kat stopped after getting only part way out. She noticed Pete still standing in the room, not moving at all. She walked back toward him and reached up toward his face. She grabbed his ear and dug her nails into the back. "Ow Ow Ow, come on Kat, that hurts." "Let's go Pete, leave them alone." Kat pulled him toward the door, but not without hearing him whine. "Damn, Kat is a good name for you. Come on, those claws hurt. Let go." Kat refused, and dragged him out of the room, and downstairs.
"Laura" Josh said quietly as he knelt down in front of her. "I think we should talk about this. I know you are mad at me, but I never wanted to lie to you. I had to, for your own safety." She wiped away some of her tears and began to talk to him. "So why is it okay to tell me now?" "Well, technically it's not, N'Tek rules are still very set against this, but you need to know. Besides that, there was one thing that I hadn't thought about. Someone pointed out that some of my enemies already know who I am, so you could be in danger whether you know about me or not. It might actually be safer for you if you do know, so that you can be ready to defend yourself," Laura looked at his eyes and knew that he was telling the truth.
"So, what now Josh? I mean, why would you tell me now, rather than when we were dating, and your honesty was more important?" Josh's heart sank realizing just how badly he had screwed up. "Well, I know that it's not likely, but I was hoping that maybe you would be willing to give me another shot. I mean, I know that I don't deserve it, but I still…" Josh cleared his throat and took both of her hands. "I still love you Laura. Now that I have no need to be secretive, I think things could really work out between us. I know that it's asking a lot, but what do you say? Just one date, Please."
Laura jumped off of the bed, and stopped only inches from Josh's face. She screamed at the top of her lungs, and began to hit him. "How could you lie to me like this? I trusted you, all that time that we were together. I can't believe that you were – you didn't even feel guilty, did you?" Tears streamed down her face as she sat down, not on the bed that was only a few feet away from her, but on the floor directly below her feet. She felt as if her legs had turned to Jell-o from all of the yelling.
After a second, Josh responded. "Of course I feel guilty, I always have. But I didn't have a choice. Dad wouldn't let me tell you, and besides, what was I supposed to say? 'Hey Laura, you know that Max Steel guy you think is so cute, guess what?' Yeah, that would have gone over real well. Look, I'm sorry, but there was no other choice. But I'm telling you now, I know it's late, but you know the old saying 'better late than never'. I'm not asking you to take me back immediately, just one date. I just want one last chance to prove myself to you. Especially know that I don't have any secrets anymore. Please Laura, one last shot. I love you Laura." Josh wiped the tears from Laura's face, and tried to put his arms around her waist. She slapped his hands, and then put her arms around his neck. "I really hate you sometimes, you know that right?" She said with a smile.
"I love you too Josh. I guess one date couldn't hurt?" Josh felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. He picked her up and twirled her around the room. The two knew that reconciliation wouldn't be that simple, but decided that it was worth it.
They walked back downstairs to find Crystal chasing Berto around her kitchen. Josh asked Pete what was going on and found out that Berto had brought a computer with him, and Crystal was trying to take it away to make him relax a bit. What no one knew what that she had a hidden agenda.
"Gimme that Berto, you're not gonna do research while you are here." Eventually, Berto gave her the computer and she ran into the bathroom with it. When asked why, she yelled. "I want to see what he's hiding on here. I'm going to hack into this sucker." Berto threw a massive fit, kicking the door and screaming at her to give it back. "Crystal, that's personal, give it back." When she refused, he threatened to kick the door down. It took Berto roughly five minutes before he realized that he could probably pick the lock since most bathroom locks aren't that complex. He found a small screwdriver and broke the lock open. When he opened the door, he was very confused by what he saw.
Crystal stood in front of the mirror, Berto's computer held in one hand, and a hairbrush in the other. "Huh? What are you doing?" She turned toward him with a smile. "Uh, brushing my hair. Why, what did you expect me to be doing?" "Well, you said that you were hacking my computer. I kinda thought that's what you'd be doing." Berto's eyes dropped down to his computer and he realized that she hadn't even turned it on.
"Oh, you freakin' brat. I'll get you back for that." Again, Crystal smiled, and she handed him back the computer. Berto decided that it was a good idea to hide his computer, and so he took it out to the car.
After everyone calmed down from laughing at them fight over his computer, everyone decided that it was getting late, and began to leave. Laura waited until Josh was the last one, and stood outside with him for a few minutes. She came back inside, not saying a word to Crystal and walked toward her room. "Wait a minute. What happened? Come on, I need to know Laura." "Well," Laura began. "He apologized for a while, and then we got back together. Do you think I'm crazy for taking him back?" Crystal shook her head and said, "No way, you love him. Now, if he was still lying to you, then maybe I'd think you're crazy, but I think he deserves another chance."
Laura smiled, knowing that someone was on her side. "Well, I think I'm going to bed Crystal. See you tomorrow." Crystal waved to her and said goodnight. She had plans for Laura tomorrow, and wanted her to be rested, so she didn't ask her to explain any further.