Chapter 7: Secret Identity Crisis
Another day in Copper Canyon. Max and the Ferrus Quintuplets were in class, ready for another lesson. "Students, before we begin today's lesson, I'd like to welcome a new student joining us today." The teacher, an undercover N-Tek agent, Mr. Kiburi, announced. "Please welcome Alejandro Villar." A handsome young Mexican boy around Max's age with black dreadlocks, a scar on his right eyebrow, wearing a black jacket with red and grey details, grey jeans and black shoes. Suddenly, Wandella felt flustered by this new kid's handsomeness. "Hola, everyone. Call me Alex. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you." Alex said before he took a seat. Wandella couldn't keep her eyes of him after he sat down. Max and the other quintuplets looked at each other, knowing what she was thinking.
Meanwhile, in a secret bunker, Jason Naught was tracking through each appearance of Max Steel and the Mana Quints. "Ah, yes. Here, and here, and here, and here, and here. Max Steel and the Mana Quints certainly have been busy. But so have we. Charting all the recent sightings, we reveal one recuring point of origin. Copper Canyon High School. This is where we will find Max Steel and the Mana Quints. This is where we finish what we started." He explained to a containment tube behind him. The tube contained none other than the still recovering…Miles Dread!
(Intro)
Later, Max, Sydney and the quintuplets were exiting class. "Yeah, it's weird. We haven't seen Kirby either." Max said. Apparently, Kirby was missing. "Where could he be?" Xena asked. "I saw him this morning at French, but ever since then…" Sydney said. Just then, one of the lockers started rattling. Max opened it, revealing Kirby locked inside. "What's up, guys?" Kirby greeted. "Kirby?" Everyone asked. "How'd you get in there?" Zad asked. Kirby pointed over to Butch, who was shoving another student into another locker, chuckling without a care. "Butch is at it again." Max said. Wandella was now fuming. "I'll be right back." She said, stomping over Butch, who froze up in fear when he saw her. "Out you get, buddy." She said, letting the other student out. She grabbed Butch and shoved him into the locker. "You'd think he'd ever learn from me kicking his butt every time he sticks to his whole bully routine." She said, dusting off her hands as she rejoined the group. "It's not all bad. Your moms make an awesome PB&J." Kirby said as he got out of the locker, holding up a sandwich. "Nice move back there, sticking it to the bully." Alex said as he walked up. Wandella stuttered her words as she blushed. "Alex, right? Maxwell McGrath. But you can call me Max for short." Max said, offering his hand. "Nice to meet you, amigo." Alex said, shaking Max's hand. "And this is Sydney, Kirby and my quintuplet cousins, Vandana, Wandella, Xena, Yeager and Zad." Max introduced. "Sup." Kirby said. "Nice to meet you." Yeager said. "Pleasure's all mine." Alex said.
Just then, an alarm went off in Max's head. 'What's that?' He asked through his mind. "That would be Ferrus' ringtone. He wants to see us about something. Now." Steel said. 'Really? I wonder why.' Max thought. "Something wrong, Max?" Vandana asked. "Yeah. We need to go." Max said. "Where are you guys going?" Sydney asked. "Our…cat needs some… emergency dental work. We'll see you later." Max said as he and the quintuplets took off. Wandella was still flustered by Alex, so Xena and Yeager had to drag her along. "They can be so peculiar sometimes." Sydney said. "Totally." Kirby said. Alex watched them leave with a peculiar look. As Max and the quintuplets exited the school, they ran into someone, failing to see that it was Naught. "Sorry, Mister." Max apologized as he and his cousins head off. "Don't mention it. Accidents happen." Naught said before entering the school.
Max, Steel and the quintuplets entered the alley and opened the secret entrance to N-Tek HQ. They entered the ride as Steel linked up with the control and entered the base. They walked right up to Forge. "Uncle Ferrus, you wanted to see us?" Max asked. "Wipe that goofball grin off your face!" Forge exclaimed. Max, Steel and the Ferrus Quintuplets were shocked by this sudden outburst. "What took you all so long?" Forge asked. "We left as soon as Steel got your message." Max said. "Oh. So, it's your fault, is it? I've known toasters more reliable than you!" Forge exclaimed. "Oh, is that right?! Name one!" Steel exclaimed. "I've had it with you all. You all need discipline! I order you all to clean Berto's lab, do his laundry and make him a roast beef sandwich, with extra mayo, hold the pickles!" Forge ordered. "That's not fair!" Vandana exclaimed. "Except you, Vandana. You're way too special to partake in such punishments." Forge said, suddenly getting all flirty with his own daughter. Vandana got uncomfortable.
"What is going on here?" A familiar voice asked. Max, Steel and the quintuplets turned around to see…another Forge! The quintuplets were shocked by this. "We don't know, but if we have to start answering to 2 of you, we're out of here." Max said. "Berto!" Forge called. Just then, Berto came running out, laughing. "I'm sorry, guys. But I had to test it out." He said. "What exactly is this thing?" Yeager asked. "It's a holo-bot. I thought it could come in handy for cloak and dagger stuff." Berto explained. "That explains the uncomfortable flirting." Vandana said. "Hehe. Sorry about that." Berto apologized sheepishly. Vandana gave him a forgiving smile. "So, anyway, what do you think? Pretty cool, no?" Berto asked. "It's pretty amazing." Max said in amazement. "Indeed. Extraordinary. So lifelike. A bit too much hair in the ears though." Steel said, examining what he thought what was the holo-bot. "Uh, Steel? That's our real father." Xena said as Berto shut off the holo-bot. Steel chuckled sheepishly as Forge playfully rolled his eyes. "So, did you want to see us or did Berto want to see us?" Max asked. "I did." Forge said.
Forge set down a set of newspaper clippings on Max Steel and the Mana Quints doing superhero work all over Copper Canyon for the last few weeks, including one of them foiling a bank robbery yesterday. "I thought I told you kids to keep a low profile." He said. "We know. But there was a robbery yesterday." Max said. "Yeah. Yesterday, the Dark Blacks thought it would be the time to go on a bank heisting spree." Yeager said. "We knew we could help, Daddy." Xena said. "Man, they really know how to capture our heroic styles." Steel said as he looked at the articles. "Look, I understand your desires to help people. But this is serious. Unwanted attention leads to unwanted trouble." Forge said. "Well, we had the masks on. So, what's the trouble?" Max asked. "Look, people are gonna begin to wonder about Max Steel and the Mana Quints, and eventually come looking for them." Forge said. "And if they do that, they might find out where we live." Yeager said. "Or even come after those we care about." Xena said, worrying for Kirby. Max and Steel thought hard about this. They wondered if the most dangerous forces like the Dark Blacks or even Toxzon would actually come after someone they care about. Like Molly, Amelia or Sydney.
Just then, Kat walked in. "Commander, we've got trouble." She said. She activated a screen and showed Copper Canyon High School on fire! "That's our school!" Wandella exclaimed. "We just received the distress call from the Fujikawa Twins. The whole place went up in flames somehow." Kat said. "Syd. Kirby." Max said with worry. "Alex too." Wandella said with worry. "We gotta make sure everyone's okay!" Zad exclaimed. "I know. But it'll be faster if you kids take the Hopper." Forge said.
Max, Steel and the quintuplets arrived at the school in no time thanks to Forge and the Hopper. Steel hid in the backpack in order to avoid being seen. They landed behind the school, where they were greeted by the Fujikawa Twins. "Shiba, Yuni, what happened?" Max asked. "We're not sure. The fire just started shortly after you left." Shiba said. "We managed to evacuate the school, but we don't know if we got everyone out." Yuni said. "Max, kids, do what you have to do. But no Max Steel or Mana Quints. You kids have been in the public eye too much already, and this…is a little too close to home." Forge said. "Understood." Max said. He and the quintuplets ran up to the school and met up with Kirby and Alex. "Kirby, are you okay?" Xena asked with worry. "Yeah, I'm fine." Kirby said. "Where's Syd?" Max asked. "I don't know. I can't find her. Or Butch either." Kirby said. Max and the quintuplets were horrified as the school blew up a bit inside. "They might be still inside the school." Zad said. "I have to go find her." Max said. "Max, no! Even with the Steel Suit fully operational in Camo Mode, we can't risk a Turbo breakout." Steel said. "But what about Syd?" Max asked. "I'll go." Wandella said. Max and her siblings turned to her in shock. "I can withstand the smoke. I'll find her, Max. I promise." She said. "I'll come with you." Alex said. Wandella turned to him with confusion. "I know you're tough, but you might need some extra muscle." Alex said, flexing his biceps a bit. Wandella blushed a bit, but shook it off. "Alright. Let's get going." She said.
They ran into the burning school and started searching for any signs of Sydney and Butch. "Syd!" Wandella called. Just then, there was a coughing noise. Wandella and Alex headed over to the science lab and found Sydney and Butch passing out from all the smoke. They rushed in and helped them. "Too much smoke. We gotta get them outside." Wandella said as she put Sydney over her shoulders. "I know where there's an exit nearby. Follow me." Alex said as he picked up Butch. The 2 quickly exited the room as the roof gave. Wandella followed Alex towards the exit at the end of the hall and quickly broke it down. As they made it outside, they gently set Sydney and Butch down on the grass. Max, Kirby and the other quintuplets rushed over as Sydney started to recover. "Syd, are you alright?" Max asked, helping Sydney up as she coughed. "I'm fine, thanks to Wandella and Alex." Sydney said. "It was our pleasure." Wandella said. Just then, a crowd ran up. "Look! That quintuplet girl and the new kid pulled those 2 from the fire! You 2 are heroes!" A firefighter praised. As the crowd cheered for Wandella and Alex, Naught, disguised as a firefighter, watched the scene. "Once a hero, always a hero. And I believe that I just found one of Max Steel's sidekicks." He said.
Later, Naught returned to the hidden base and displayed Wandella's image on the computer. "So, this is none other than Wandella Ferrus, one of Forge and Amelia's quintuplet children. Who knew someone so young and so beautiful could help someone with such power? But if she's in cahoots with Max Steel, then maybe her siblings are too. Perhaps another trip to the school is in motion. And then Max Steel will be all mine." He said. Just then, Dread began to struggle anxiously from inside his tube. "I mean…ours." Naught corrected himself. He then activated a squadron of Dreadnaughts. "Now then, go fetch." He ordered.
The next day at school, everyone was praising Wandella and Alex for their heroics during lunch, asking for autographs. "Wow. Hard to believe that Wandella managed to get herself called a hero after saving Syd and Butch." Max said. "And with help from Alex too." Zad added. "At least Max Steel and the Mana Quints are in the clear." Steel said from inside Max's backpack. "Maxwell McGrath and Ferrus Quintuplets, please report to the principal's office immediately." Shiba ordered over the announcer's P.A. system. Wandella managed to pull herself away from her adoring fans and joined her cousin and siblings. "Duty calls?" She asked. "Let's hope so." Max said.
Max and the quintuplets entered Shiba's office and sat before her and Yuni. "You wanted to see us?" Max asked. "We discovered a big problem." Shiba said. "We analyzed the scorches leftover from the fire and we discovered that it was no accident." Yuni said. "You mean someone set it on purpose?" Xena asked. "Yes. Someone with access to high tech, military grade incendiaries." Shiba said. "But where could anyone get some advanced weapons like that?" Zad asked. Suddenly, there was an explosion. "What was that?" Wandella asked. "Explosion in the cafeteria!" Shiba exclaimed. Yuni activated the hidden security cameras and saw what caused it. "Dread's robots!" She exclaimed. "We'll evacuate the school. You kids handle the robots. But remember, low profile." Shiba said. "We're on it." Max said as he and the quintuplets ran out of the office. "Attention, staff and students, please evacuate the school immediately. This is not a drill. Evacuate immediately." Shiba said over the P.A. system.
Max and the quintuplets hurried over to the cafeteria as the students and teachers evacuated. When they saw that there was nobody left, they changed into Max Steel and the Mana Quints and entered the cafeteria. The Dreadnaughts turned their attention to them and started to attack. "Take them down!" Max exclaimed as he gave a powerful punch to the first robot. Zad drew his mana katana and sliced off the second robot's limbs. Wandella punched the third robot with a powerful mana punch, smashing it to pieces. Vandana summoned an amaranth pink mana staff and pierced the fourth robot's optic sensor. Yeager sliced a fifth robot in half with a medallion mana scythe. And Xena blasted the last robot with several cerise mana orbs. "Great work, team. But now we have to get out of here to avoid suspicion." Max said as he switched back to his original clothes. The quintuplets nodded in agreement before changing back into their normal clothes. They hurried out of the school, unaware that one of the Dreadnaughts was still functioning.
Naught watched everything, but didn't see them change back. "Blast Max Steel and the Mana Quints! They must've arrived during the evacuation! The Dreadnaughts didn't stand a chance!" He exclaimed. "Of course, they didn't." Dread said. Naught turned around just as his boss came out of the recovery tube. "I'm sorry, sir!" He whimpered. "Yes, you are. A sorry, pathetic man!" Dread exclaimed, blasting Naught with a beam of Negative Turbo Energy. "And now that I have been reconstituted…" He started to say. "Thanks." Naught said. But Dread blasted him again. "…I will see to taking Max Steel, the Mana Quints and all the Turbo Energy and Mana they possess personally." He finished.
Meanwhile, Shiba and Yuni were sending the students home early to repair the damage caused by the Dreadnaughts. Max and the quintuplets were exiting with Kirby and Alex. "This is so awesome. I love half-days." Kirby said. "Yeah. We should have killer robots attack the cafeteria more often." Alex said. "Maxwell McGrath, Ferrus Quintuplets, can we speak with you a moment?" Shiba asked as she and Yuni exited the school. Max and the quintuplets walked over to them. "What do you think?" Zad asked. "The fire and the Dreadnaughts attacking are connected somehow." Yuni said. "Yeah, we think so too. But who's responsible for it all?" Wandella asked. "We're not sure. All we know is that you 7 need to be careful." Shiba said. "Understood." Max said before walking to the bus with the quintuplets following.
As soon as they got on and took their seats, the driver set off. "You really think someone's out to get us?" Zad asked. "Probably. But who would be after us?" Yeager asked. "I don't know. But as long as we keep moving, I think we'll be safe." Max said. Suddenly, the bridge ahead of the bus just blew up. The driver quickly slammed on the brakes, but the bus nearly went over the edge. But just then, somebody pulled it back. And then, Dread appeared as he tore off the windshield and entered the bus. "Dread?!" Max and the quintuplets exclaimed in shock. "Hello, kiddies." Dread greeted.
Max and the quintuplets couldn't believe what they were seeing. Like they were seeing a ghost. "No way. Dread?" Xena whispered. "But I thought Dread was dead." Vandana whispered. "He looks pretty spry despite." Yeager whispered. "It's over, Max Steel. I know you and your Mana Quints are here. Come quietly and I will spare your classmates." Dread demanded as he walked further into the bus. Wandella stood up from her seat and stood in Dread's way. "Beat it, masked man! Whoever you're looking for, they aren't here!" She exclaimed. But Dread didn't buy it. He just grinned from under his helmet. "I'm afraid they are here somewhere. And I think you can help me find them…Wandella Ferrus." He said. Wandella gasped before Dread grabbed her by the throat. Max and the 4 quintuplets gasped. They wanted to help, but they couldn't blow their cover. "Tell me where I can find Max Steel and the Mana Quints or I snap you in 2." Dread threatened. "Leave her alone!" Alex's voice exclaimed. Dread turned around to see him standing from his seat. "Take a seat, immigrant. It's not you I want." He said, turning away. Alex growled as his eyes suddenly glowed red. He gave an angry shout as a red rhino image appeared from his body and disappeared. Dread turned around as Alex rammed into him hard, forcing him to let go of Wandella and out of the bus. Max, Steel and the quintuplets were shocked by this. "Kirby, back this bus up!" Max exclaimed. Kirby ran to the front of the bus, helped the driver, who fainted from the sight of Dread, out of his seat and sat down. "Hang on, everyone!" He exclaimed, backing the bus up away from the edge. Max brought his quintuplets cousins into a whispering circle. "We gotta get out there and help Alex." He whispered. "But we can't transform with all these people." Xena whispered. "So, what do we do?" Zad whispered. Just then, they all looked at the drop outside the window, getting the same idea. "That's a bad idea." Yeager whispered. "Very bad." Vandana whispered. "And it's the only one we got." Wandella said. "You ready, Steel?" Max whispered. "Always, partner." Steel whispered. Max and the quintuplets leapt out the window. "Guys!" Sydney cried as she noticed this.
Meanwhile, Dread recovered from Alex's bashing. "Impressive. You hold great power. Where did you learn to do that?" He asked. "Wouldn't you like to know." Alex said. His eyes glowed as he shouted and pounded his chest. A red gorilla image appeared from his body and disappeared. "Can it be?" Dread asked in awe as Alex charged towards him. Alex flipped over him and lifted him up with immense strength. "Very impressive. You possess the power the ability of the animal. But it won't be enough!" Dread exclaimed. He blasted Alex with beams of Negative Turbo Energy, knocking him out and making him let go. "Even if I don't get Max Steel and the Mana Quints today, I get something much better to research." He said as he stood over Alex's unconscious body. "Hey, Dread!" Max's voice called. Dread turned as Max Steel, in Turbo Flight Mode, and the Mana Quints flew up from the drop. "Mind if we cut in?" Wandella asked. "By all means." Dread said. "I thought we settled this." Max said. Xena summoned symbolic mana fans in her hands and slashed Dread with them, sending him flying backwards. Wandella delivered a powerful mana uppercut and sent Dread up into the air. "Remember? When I overloaded you with Turbo Energy and you exploded into a zillion pieces?" Max asked as he flew beside Dread. Zad and Yeager leapt up and hit Dread with their mana weapons, sending him plummeting down to the ground. Vandana caught him with a couple of her mana whips and tossed him into the rock wall. "But hey, if you want a repeat performance, you got it." Max said as he flew in for the final blow. But Dread caught him as he got close enough, surprising him and the quints. "There will be no repeating what happened last time." He said as he tossed him into the Mana Quints and into the bus. Sydney and Kirby watched as Dread hovered over to them. "I've made some modifications to my battle suit. Now there's no such thing as too much Turbo Energy." Dread said.
As Max and the quintuplets started to recover, Dread siphoned Max's Turbo Energy and returned his suit to full power. "Yes!" Dread exclaimed as he grabbed Max, flew him up high and threw him into the street. "MAX!" The quintuplets cried. As Dread landed, Wandella shouted angrily and charged towards him with a mana punch ready. But Dread quickly turned around, grabbed her punch and tossed her at the rock wall. Zad slashed at him with his mana katana. But Dread caught him, lifted him up and slammed him into the street. "I can handle all you have and more." Dread said. Vandana tossed several mana cards at him, but Dread blasted them with his Negative Turbo Blasts. She tried to toss another one, but Dread blasted her first, sending her crashing into the bus. As Max begins to recover, Dread grabs Xena and Yeager, and threw them at him, knocking him back down. Dread walked up to Max and started siphoning his Turbo Energy again. "Let them go!" Sydney exclaimed as she and Kirby walked up to Dread. "Hmm. These kiddies have claws." Dread said before blasting Sydney and Kirby, knocking them down. "No!" Max cried, too exhausted to get up. "You're mine now, Max Steel." Dread said, chuckling evilly as he continued siphoning Max's Turbo Energy.
Just then, there was a loud roar. Everyone looked around as the roar echoed through the air. "What's that noise?" Dread asked, a bit surprised by that roar. Just then, a large brown-furred beast with cream belly fur, a long, light gray cloud of smoke running along its back, gray plates on both sides of the cloud and on its chest, black cuffs on its legs, a yellow 3-pointed crest on its forehead, a red faceplate and a gray plate moustache covering its mouth, leapt down from the rock wall and landed in between Max and Dread. Max, Steel and the Mana Quints were surprised by this creature's sudden appearance. "What are you?" Dread asked. The beast just growled at him threateningly. "Doesn't matter. Get out of my way!" Dread exclaimed, firing a Negative Turbo Beam from his chest. The beast fired a powerful stream of fire from its mouth, pushing through the beam and blasting Dread into the rocky wall. Dread quickly recovered, shouted angrily and charged in to punch the beast. But the beast quickly leapt out of the way, formed a giant ball of fire in front of its mouth and fired it at Dread, sending him over the cliff. But he quickly grasped the edge and tried to pull himself back up as his battle suit ran out of Turbo Energy. But then the beast walked up to him, growling with anger just as N-Tek arrived in the Hopper. "It's over, Dread." Max said as he and the Mana Quints recovered and joined their new friend. "It's not over! Don't you realize? I will find out who you are, and then your Turbo Energy will be mine." Dread swore. "Don't move!" Forge exclaimed as he and his N-Tek agents ran up and aimed their weapons at him. But then, Dread let go and fell. Just then, one of his ships appeared and caught him before disappearing.
As Forge grumbled while walking away with Max Steel, the Mana Quints and the beast, Sydney looked over the cliff. "Where're Max and the quintuplets?" She asked with worry. Just then, Max and the quintuplets appeared, climbing up the cliffs. "That was some schlep." Max said. "You said it, cous." Xena said. "Max! I'm so glad you and your cousins are okay. I was worried about you guys." Sydney said. "Well, to be honest, as we were hanging for our lives, we were worried about you too." Max said. "Really? That's…really sweet of you to say, Max." Sydney said as she took Max's hands in hers.
Turns out, it was Berto's holo-bots the whole time. "Thanks for that, Berto. I really was worried that Syd was gonna get hurt." Max said. "Anytime, Max. Anything else you want me to say?" Berto asked. Max and the quintuplets looked between Holo-Max and Sydney's moment and the students cheering for Kirby with the holo-quintuplets. "Nah. I think we have everything settled out." He said. "Alright, Berto. I'll give you credit. These robots do have some practical applications." Forge said. "Thank you, sir." Berto said. "Oh, Berto. Think you can…" Max whispered a request into Berto's ear. "Oh, of course." Berto said. He pushed a button on the controller and Holo-Max started doing a little dance for Sydney. "So peculiar." Sydney chuckled. Forge put a comforting hand on Max's shoulder. "I still can't believe that Dread is back." Max said. "Yeah. Just when you think you get rid of a major bad guy, they always spring back out." Zad said. "Don't worry, kids. We'll find him. He won't get away with this." Forge assured. "And after today, we understand what you meant, Daddy. Someone came looking for us and they came after our friends." Wandella said. "Yeah. Being a real hero means staying out of the headlines sometimes." Yeager said. "Heh. You kids really are learning." Forge said. "Well, I guess that means no more front-page photos for a while." Steel said. "Would you settle for private group selfies as a substitute?" Vandana asked. "Deal." Steel said.
As Steel and Vandana talked, Max turned his attention to the beast, who was still there. "Thanks for your help. If you hadn't just appeared, Dread would've drained every bit of Turbo Energy out of me." He said, thanking the beast. Just then, the beast bowed respectfully to Max before leaping off into the distance. Max just stood there with confusion. 'What was that beast? Why did it bow to me like that? And…why do I feel like I know that beast?' He thought. Even though he didn't know the beast, he figured he might see it again.
Meanwhile, Dread's ship returned him back to his hidden bunker. "Well, we didn't find out for sure how Wandella Ferrus is connected to Max Steel and the Mana Quints. But then again, there are not many Ferrus names in the phonebook." Naught said. But then Dread blasted the computer as he entered the bunker. "Never mind who the man or woman behind the masks are! To take Steel, it's going to take strength. Not subterfuge." He said, tossing a crate aside. "This isn't over. It's just the beginning."
Meanwhile, Max, Steel and the quintuplets returned to N-Tek HQ with Forge and Berto. "You know, after everything that's happened today, I could sure use a good workout in the training room." Wandella said. "Great. Because I want to see what you're made of." A familiar voice said. Max, Steel and the quintuplets turned to see Alex, much to their surprise. "Alex?!" They exclaimed in surprise. "What're you doing here, Alex?" Wandella asked. "You don't know? My parents and I are part of N-Tek too. I just started today before school actually." Alex said. "Oh, well, that's…great." Wandella said, blushing hard again. Forge noticed this and groaned, knowing that another one of his daughters has had her heart captured by a boy. Max, Steel and the other quintuplets smiled at the scene, knowing that things at N-Tek are gonna get even more interesting now.
Wow! How was that for a change-up? Max Steel and the Mana Quints came into a middle of a crisis when Dread's forces attack their high school. To make matters worse, Dread revealed himself to still be alive. But then, as he got the upper hand on Max Steel and the Mana Quints, some kind of Guardian saves them. But Dread managed to escape. And Alex from Team Turbo makes his first appearance right off the bat. But what was that strange power he used to save Wandella from Dread? What other surprises will Max and his cousins encounter? Leave a review if you'd like. And before you ask, this Guardian, not what you think it is.
Special thanks to FoxyKhai0209 for the Guardian and Alex's first appearance.
