Blitzkreig50889: well, here's chapter one for Sea Storm Unity.
Max: and as always, please enjoy the fic!
Blitzkreig50889: Dang, Max, you're quick. As Max said, enjoy the fic!
Chapter One
New York City, New York September 2008
Max Tate stretched his legs as he tried to focus on his college work. Writing a paper on the schematics of politics wasn't one of the most interesting ways he'd expected to spend his night, but he didn't have any other choice.
Sighing, he got out of his chair and walked around his dorm room. If he had to stare at another stupid report about politics and then analyze it, he was going to scream. Gee, and to think he'd always thought that in order for someone to be a journalist they just had to have damn good writing skills. So much for that thought.
Cursing under his breath at his writing professor, Max walked back to his computer and saved his report before closing it out. He'd finish it in the morning. In the mean time, he was going to hop onto the internet and reminisce with some of his old friends and clean out his e-mail. For all he knew, he likely had 300 junk e-mails sitting there slowing his internet down each time he logged on.
Surprisingly, Max found his e-mail box to be almost empty, if one could consider fifty e-mails empty. There was about twenty from Tyson asking him to come over for a visit soon and almost as many from Kenny asking for Max to save him from Tyson before the still Beyblade World Champion drove him insane. The remaining e-mails were as follows: two from Kai and Ray each, one from Hilary, one from Robert, five from his mother, and one from Mariam.
The e-mails from Kai and Ray weren't really all that surprising, and as always were rather short and to the point. To Max, it almost seemed as if the older bladers were pulling of an older brother act on him. The one from Hilary was several months old and was wishing him a happy birthday. The five from his mother were asking the typical motherly questions. If Max was honest with himself, he more or less breezed over those e-mails and ignored them. It was only the ones from Robert and Mariam that Max actually paid any attention to since they were the most recent.
As Max read the e-mail from the German blader he felt his pulse speed up. It seemed Robert had found something in Germany that he felt Max would like to take a look at, which, considering this was Robert, was strange. Robert never called in anyone outside of Europe. Never. What shocked Max even more was that Mariam was already in Germany and happened to be working with Robert on whatever the German had found.
Leaning back in his chair, Max smiled to himself. If he could get the necessary clearance, he could head over to Germany and probably have the time of his life. Then there was Mariam to consider. He hadn't seen her in years and rarely got the chance to speak to her whether through mail, phone, e-mail, or instant messaging. He'd enjoy seeing her again.
At that though, Max shook himself. She was a friend, nothing else, and he'd make sure it stayed that way.
Smiling, Max began to pack and prepare himself for the college workload he would get for being gone for so long. He was damn sure he'd get the necessary permission he needed to be away from the college for a little while. Then, before he could get sidetracked, he e-mailed Robert and Mariam back saying he'd get to Germany as soon as he could. Once finished with his e-mails to them, he then e-mailed his mother, brought her up to date, answered her questions and told her where he'd be and hoped she wouldn't kill him. He also hoped she didn't tell his dad. His father was cool and what not, but there were times when Max just needed to be clear of him for awhile.
Pleased, he finished packing only to remember not long afterwards that he'd forgotten to finish something that now couldn't wait until the morning.
"Shit! The politics report!"
(Germany)
Mariam Maerad puffed as she climbed up the steep slope leading to Robert's shocking discovery. She'd been up here once before, but that didn't make the climb any easier. In fact, it seemed more difficult.
"You okay back there?" Robert asked as he waited for her to catch up.
"Yep, just fine," Mariam growled back. "Of course it would just be our luck that we get a sudden heat wave in the middle of freaking September."
Robert almost chuckled. "You've got a point."
Mariam shook her head in disgust. God, the guy was an absolute drag! But then again, Robert had went to college and earned his degree in history. Mariam figured that anyone who earned a degree in history had to like being dull.
Cursing, Mariam finally caught up to Robert. "God, why does it feel like we're walking further this time than we did last time?"
Robert shrugged. "I think it has to do with the heat."
At his words, Mariam fought the urge to strangle him. Damn, did she ever hope Max would show up in Europe soon. Not that she wanted to see him, it was just she was sure he would be better company that Robert was.
"You're lying to yourself. You like Max and you know you missed him," Mariam's bit beast Shark Crash teased.
"Shut it, Shark Crash."
"Why? The truth hurt?"
Mariam muttered a fierce round of curses under her breath. There were times when she wanted to strangle the shark bit beast she always carried with her.
"Maybe, but you love me all the same."
"Get out of my thoughts Shark Crash."
"Fine. Spoilsport."
Mariam let out a sight of relief and got an odd look from Robert in exchange. "Sorry, talking to Shark Crash."
"Oh," Robert said before giving himself a slight shake and turning and walking further up the hill. Mariam liked to think of the hill as more of a mountain than a hill since it was so damn steep.
God, what was up with this guy? Mariam thought to herself.
"Griffolyon says he's just tired and a little annoyed with Johnny."
Mariam blinked. "Okay, do I even want to know why he's annoyed with one of teammates?"
"Oh, so now you're going to talk to me again, are you?" Shark Crash queried.
"You started talking to me!" Mariam protested. "And since you were in my head when you weren't supposed to be and answered a thought question, you can now answer a few more."
"Figures." Shark Crash muttered. "He's annoyed with Johnny because the stupid Scot did something he shouldn't have done to someone Robert was close to."
"Do I want to know what Johnny did wrong?"
"No."
"Then I won't ask for any details. Okay, next question Shark Crash. How in all living hell did you manage to talk to Griffolyon?"
Shark Crash laughed. "Let's see. I'm a bit beast, he's a bit beast, and because we're both bit beasts we can communicate with one another when our minds aren't blocked."
"Stupid question with an obvious answer. Thanks for making me feel like an idiot."
"Aw, c'mon Mariam, that wasn't nice. Oh, and Draciel and Max are in Germany."
Mariam rolled her eyes. "Figures you'd know when they got here."
Shark Crash laughed before her mental touch on Mariam's mind disappeared. Mariam figured Shark Crash had went to great Draciel and bring him up to date on what was going on. He and Max were certainly going to need it.
(Berlin Airport, Berlin, Germany)
Max smiled as he exited the Berlin Airport in Germany. Germany was as beautiful as ever and Max was grateful to be able to come back to the country for a visit. Well, almost grateful. He still had a pile of homework to do thanks to his professors.
Still, even the pile of homework couldn't extinguish Max's good mood. As he usually did, he glanced around the airport to see if Robert had sent anyone over to pick him up. A quick search showed Gustav, Robert's butler, and Johnny nearby.
"Hey, Gustav! Johnny! How's it going?" Max called. Johnny, who'd been staring at the floor in the direction of the door out of the airport, nearly jumped a foot in the air as he whipped his head around to look at Max.
"Max?" Johnny seemed to be surprised and that surprise made Max wonder who the Scot had been looking for.
"Yeah, the one an only," he said after a moment. "How's it going?"
Johnny shrugged before looking back towards the door with nothing more than an, "Okay, you?" for an answer.
"Great! Anyway, do either of you know what would cause Robert to call me out here? It must be pretty important for him to do that since-"
Johnny and Gustav exchanged glances while fighting back the urge to laugh. Robert hadn't been kidding when he had said Max would likely never change.
"Max! Calm down! We don't know why Robert called you out here, only that we were to get you before he decided to kill me," Johnny half-laughed at the American.
"Oh," Max murmured before laughing himself. He had to admit he had been rambling a little. "Sorry about that. And why would Robert want to kill you?"
Johnny winced. "It's kind of personal so let's just leave it at that."
Max just mouthed an "Oh" before nodding his head in understanding. Whatever Johnny had done, it couldn't have been good. Quiet now, Max followed his escorts outside to the waiting limo and nearly grimaced. He never could get used to riding in one of those things.
"Do we really have to go in that?" Max grumbled.
"Unfortunately, yes," Johnny said in a tone that stated he agreed with Max.
"Alright, but it just seems like a waste." With those words Max forced himself into the limo with Johnny not far behind him. About an two hours later, the limo pulled up in front of Robert's castle.
Annoyed at having to sit for so long, both Max and Johnny literally jumped out of the limo and stretched.
Leave it to Robert to live as far out of the city as possible but still be a part of the city, Max thought.
"It's just how he was raised," Draciel reminded him. "And you've got company."
No sooner were the words out of Draciel's mind and into Max's, Max heard a voice behind him. "Hiya, Maxie."
Max turned. "Hi to you too, Mariam."
Blitzkreig50889: well, there's chapter one. Hope you liked it!
Max: and of course, always remember to review!
Blitzkreig50889: couldn't have said it better myself. Oh, and with the releasing of the prologue and first chapter of this fic, here's the big update you've all been waiting for. Enjoy!