Chapter Four – Part I: The Arrival

Author's Note: This chapter is so long that I have decided to divide it into to individual parts.

Disclaimer 1: I do not own teen titans or the teen titan's characters – though I do wish I did.

Disclaimer 2: I do though own Max Steeler. She is a character of my original thought and design. Steal and die.

With trembling hands she placed the pen on the cold steel table. She carefully folded the paper and safely tucked it into her cargo pants, patting the pocket for reassurance. The door burst open without notice, revealing both Slade and the teenage girl beside him.

Time seemed to stop as both girls saw each other for the very first time. Slade shoved the blonde forward and closed the door, undoubtedly locking it behind him. The girls continued staring at one another for the longest time, not knowing what to think or how to react to each other's presence.

Max sighed and looked down at the table, breaking the spell. Two wires lay beneath her hands. She reached for them and was soon twisting the ends together. Her eyes flashed blue as the wires fused together, the metals melting into one another.

"Hey," the girl said suddenly.

Max's eyes melted from blue to grey as she looked up at the girl. She remained silent.

"Well this is certainly different," the girl continued, "I mean the titan's welcome seemed a lot friendlier. My name's Terra by the way."

"Why'd you leave?" Max muttered relentlessly, "If everything was just so great, why throw it away?"

"I guess I'm just so used to running, that I can't stop," she passed, "When the slightest thing goes wrong I run. I guess," she paused again, "I guess I'm just scared."

"You don't know what fear is," Max commented gruffly.

Terra stood, stunned to silence, while Max continued.

"True fear is when there's no solution to your problem, no escape from your situation, or answers to your questions. That's not the case here, because you're here. You've managed to find an escape. But you'll know, trust me, you'll know. When real fear creeps upon you, and you've go nowhere left to run." Max shook her head. "So what are you looking for? A solution, an answer, an escape? What do you want so badly that you would go to the titan's arch enemy to find it?"

"Control," she replied softly.

Max almost snickered despite herself. She stood and walked over till they both stood, five feet apart, face to face.

"And I guess that's where I come in," Max shrugged, "but how do I know you're not just gonna run again? I mean learning to control your powers isn't an easy task. There's going to be challenges, difficulties. How do I know you're not going to sell out at the first wrong turn?"

Terra locked eyes with Max, giving her a serious look.

"I'm through running," she stated firmly, "and that I can guarantee."

"This is probably the only time you should be running." Max shrugged, "But no matter. Let's get started."

"Now?"

"Why not? Not like you've got anything better to do."

A puzzled look washed over Terra's face.

"Did I miss something here?" Terra exclaimed, "What did I do to make you hate me so much?"

Max looked to the ground, releasing a sigh of irritation. Raising her head, Max stepped closer to Terra, "Look," she said brusquely, eyes flashing blue, "just because you're Slade's new apprentice doesn't mean I have to like you. Yeah, I'm going to train you, but only because I have to. Not like I have a choice."

Terra neither smiled nor frowned in reply but simply nodded, "I guess I understand." Her voice was filled with slight confusion.

Max turned and started walking away, motioning for Terra to follow. Max paused momentarily at her work desk, uncovering her metal disc. She quickly tucked it beneath her left arm and proceeded to the back wall. A key pad lay embedded inside the rock. Max's fingers glided across the keys as she punched in the access cod; a hidden door slid open in reply.

The door itself was crafted from a metal of Max's own design. It was a combination of steel, iron and other metalloids, heated to extreme temperatures, creating a metal that had both a weightless appearance and strength above all others.

The door opened to a massive and perfectly burrowed tunnel. It traveled for what appeared to be miles, fading into utter darkness. Terra stepped in, bewildered.

"Mechanical worms," Max explained, "almost completely indestructible, and can burrow tunnels, like this one, in mere seconds. In fact, they're part of the plan to return you to the tower."

"What did you mean?" Terra asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Back there. You called me Slade's apprentice. What did you mean by that?"

She doesn't even know, Max thought to herself, She probably doesn't even want to be his apprentice. Does she.

"Nothing," Max smiled. "I meant nothing by it. I was just…upset."

Max tossed her disc towards the ground and leapt on top of it. The round disc remained hovering above the ground.

"Hop on," said Max.

"Can that thing hold two people?"

"Wasn't built for it, but it can," Max remarked defensively.

Terra cautiously stepped on behind Max, holding onto her shoulders for balance. They shot off, soaring through the tunnel at surprising speed. Max's eyes seemed to glow in the pitch black that engulfed them, barely illuminating the darkness before them.

Silence. Max felt strangely comforted. She could feel the tension in Terra's grip, though she didn't understand it. What was it about this that troubled her? The darkness? The silence? They were everyday things. She shrugged the thought, concentrating on the task ahead.

The tunnel curved upward, leading to a small opening, almost invisible to an untrained eye. The girls gradually came to a stop directly beneath the tunnel's roof. Max groped through the darkness, searching for some unknown thing. Grasping metal, Max turned the handle downward and pushed upward. Rusted latches yielded to the sudden pressure, releasing the cover they held. Sunlight trickled in producing a steady beam or light that pierced the darkness. Max shielded her eyes as they slipped through the opening and onto the surface.

A vast prairie greeted them. It was void of anything spectacular, the only exception being a mountain-like cliff. The rocks formed a natural crevasse, leading deeper into a hidden tavern.

Max guided the disc through the air and stopped beside the chasm. The pair bounded off the disc and onto the rock ledge. Max tossed the disc through the narrow passage, both girls followed in pursuit.

"This is our home for the next few weeks so you better get used to it," Max pronounced, heading back out. "We better get a few hours of training in, before this light runs out. Come on."

"Alright!" Terra laughed, "I'm coming."

There it was again. That laugh. That smile. What was it that made her so happy? Jealousy swept over her as they stepped into the sunlight. Max turned to Terra.

"We're going to start with a game," Max said subtly, "A game called 'Save Yourself'."

"What?"

"You know," Max replied mischievously, "save yourself!"

With that Max shoved Terra abruptly sending her flying over the ledge. Terra's eyes bulged with fear and she went sailing toward the jagged rocks below.

"Max!" she cried tears filling her eyes, but it was no use. Max had disappeared.

As I said chapter four's long. I will have Part II of Chapter Four to ya'll as soon as I write it. Funny how that works huh? Review or Larry shall haunt your every thought. Just kidding, but please review.