Chapter Eleven: Training

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.

"That's the last of them" Cyborg commented as his arm shifted back to normal.

"That was too easy," Robin muttered.

"Yes," Starfire affirmed. "They did appear to lose their will of fighting rather quickly."

"Max was awesome," Terra bragged on her sibling. "Especially when she picked up that bulldozer…"

"That was me," Raven corrected.

"Oh."

"Dudes," Beastboy interjected, "Where is Max?"

Max's eyes flashed open to reveal her surroundings. Everything was masked by darkness. Rope-like white energy bound her to the cold cement table on which she lay. She panicked and started struggling against her bonds. "No, no, no!" She kept repeating the word over and over. Tears speckled her eyes.

"Struggling is futile." At his voice her limbs lost their strength. She realized that any attempt made would prove incompetent. Unless…

"What do you want with me?" She asked venomously, gritting her teeth.

"What do I want with you?" Slade laughed, "My dear girl, you know exactly what I want."

He knows. "What makes you think I would work for you now? After what I've learned about you? Fat chance."

"Gamma nano bytes."

"How did you…"

"You would think a smart girl would change her password after six years," Slade interrupted. "You actually believed me when I called your nanobytes a failure." The super-soldier couldn't help but smile behind his mask. "So you developed new ones. Same with your other machines, I say they're a failure and you throw yourself completely into them, redesigning and reconfiguring them until they're perfect."

Max absorbed this information in silence. Her thoughts remained her own.

"Gamma nano bytes," Slade rolled the words carefully over his tongue. "Contrary to the nano bytes which caused a slow deterioration of the blood cells, these spread throughout the entire body and its systems. By simply pressing a button, high volts of electricity are sent surging through the victim's body, killing them almost instantly. Quite fascinating really."

"I know how they work," Max snapped. " So what are you going to do? Kill me if I don't do what you say? You think I value my life?"

Slade ignored her comments and continued, "The truly wonderful thing is the way it is transferred into the human body. A person can obtain them simply by eating of drinking a substance infected with them."

"Why are you telling me what I already know?" Max yelled, "I designed them didn't I? I should know how they bloody work! If it's service under you or death, then kill me now.

The one time in her life Max was actually brave, was the one time it would have bettered her to keep silent.

"You? My dear girl, who said anything about killing you?" Slade asked mockingly.

"What do you mean who said anything about…" Max ceased, realizing what he meant. "No. You wouldn't!"

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Slade chuckled. "I have already."

"You can't!"

"I can and I will, unless…"

"…I work for you"

"Precisely," he paused. "I'm just giving you what you've always wanted."

"You're giving me what I used to want. Not anymore. Not after I found out who you really are."

"I will repeat myself only once and only once. If you refuse, I will kill her. If you cross me, I will kill her. And if you disobey any order, I will kill her. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Max muttered.

"Oh and Max," Slade added, his finger on the "release" button. "Don't even think about pulling something. The devices on your arm and neck will make sure that."

He pressed the button and watched Max sit up before turning to leave. "Training starts in one hour. Your new attire is resting on the counter beside you."

Max swung herself off the table and landed lightly on the floor. A metal band was fastened around her left arm, close to her shoulder. It was a power neutralizer, and one of her own inventions, pure genius. She lifted up her sleeve for a better look. The metal band possessed an orange hue, go figure. The sleeve fell over her arm.

Her fingers then brushed the back of her neck, a neural inhibitor. The device's sleek metal frame was attached to her neck by strong waves, trailing the spinal column. It would, literally, control the person it was connected to. The person would be able to see what they were doing, but would have no way to stop themselves. Max had built the inhibitor after both Slade and Terra's supposed deaths; a replacement for her own failure.

Picking up the folded pile of clothes, Max began to strip her clothes, trading old for new. Her new outfit consisted of: black cargo pants, with an orange metal wallet chain, a black sleeveless shirt, black and orange skater shoes, and gloves. The gloves were black on the top and grey at the palm; the top was marked with an orange square, branded by Slade's logo directly in the center of the hand. After she had finished dressing, Max climbed back upon he table, lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. Training would begin in one hour.

"She would have just run off!"

"The robots did give up way too easy," Cyborg commented.

"That's because we weren't their target," Robin stated, hurling his bow staff in frustration. "She was."

"Our friend Max?"

"Slade," Robin spat the word out distastefully.

The resounding sound of fist contacting solid matter echoed throughout the room. Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead as she beat the bag mercilessly.

"Strike harder. Now apprentice."

Gritting her teeth at the new title, Max right hooked the bag. Then after a few short jabs she released a kick. She spat in disdain.

"You're holding back," the super soldier accused, his voice brash.

"And what if I am?"

Taking a brief moment to calm himself, Slade glared down at the girl with his penetrating eye. "What did you say?"

Max faltered not, "I said 'and what if I am?' What if I am holding back?"

The super soldier whipped out his Bo staff, bringing it across his young apprentice's jaw, and slid his leg beneath hers. Max released a foul cry as cold metal connected with flesh. She fell to the ground, coughing up blood. Lifting her hand up to her jaw, Max felt it, cringing in pain. The corrosive burning that enveloped her jaw brought bitter tears to her eyes, it was almost unbearable.

"Get up," Slade growled.

Max stood to her feet, spitting out blood in distaste. What was happening to her?

"You could have broken my jaw!"

She wasn't expecting a second blow. The steel plated shoe burrowed into her stomach, knocking the breath out of her, sending her flying into the cave wall. She grunted upon impact and slowly pushed herself back up.

"I'll break more than that if you don't learn your place. Or have you already forgotten the premise of our agreement?"

Max's gaze flickered downward, "I haven't"

"Then don't hold back," he paused between his words, emphasizing every syllable, his breathing heavy, his eye controlling.

Max said nothing, as she slowly made her way back into the light. Her eyes trailed up to his, emotionless eyes.

"I won't."

If the super soldier had not been wearing his infamous black and orange mask, a malicious smile would have been visible.

"Good to hear, because, my dear apprentice, I have a job for you…"

"So what are we going to do?" Beastboy, the curious one of the group, spoke up. They had relocated to the Titan's Tower, and Robin's constant pacing was driving the young changeling out of his mind.

"I'm working on it," Robin muttered bitterly.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Terra exclaimed.

"And we can't do something irrational, can we," Raven muttered.

Terra shot a glare at Raven, "Do you even give damn that Max is in Slade's hands? She's in danger!"

"Not necessarily," replied a still calm Raven. "Perhaps Max isn't the one you should be worrying about."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Terra snapped harshly.

"I think you know what it means."

Terra stood to her feet, her fist glowing in that yellow hue. She could feel her blood rising with each moment, "You witch!"

"TERRA!" Robin yelled, interrupting the potential explosion.

"What?" Terra shouted, turning her attention to the Boy Wonder.

"There's no need for…"

"No need for what?" The geomancer was becoming hysterical. "No need for worry? You know there's no need to even bother trying anymore. I tried to do the right thing, I honestly did. I'm tired of trying to earn your trust. My sister could be dead for all I know! And if I have to be on my own to get her home safely, then fine!"

Terra darted for the door.

"Terra!" Beastboy called after her.

Terra paused at his words, he continued, "Don't do this. Don't run away again."

She turned to face him, tears in her eyes, "I'm not running Beastboy. Not this time. My sister just needs me."

Beastboy felt his heart stop, "We're going to help. We'll figure this out Terra."

"No Beastboy this is something I need to do. It isn't about you."

"Terra…" Beastboy pleaded.

Terra simply shook her head and turned to leave. No one else attempted to stop her.

Ooookay...so I haven't updated this in what? Six months? My bad?

-nervous swallow-