Head Rush

When Max returned to NTEC after a fight with Extroyer, he was ready to do some serious boarding with Berto. It had been a while since they'd had any bro-time. Three days to be exact, which was obviously much too long. "Think you're up for trying to skate again, Steel?" he asked as he wiped his face with a sweat towel.

"I was born ready!" Steel shouted excitedly. They were both surprised to find Berto sitting at a lab table across from Jim McGrath. Blueprints and diagrams were strewn all over, and Berto typed simulations into his programs feverishly.

"Uh, I'd ask what was going on," Max began, picking up an insanely complicated blueprint. "-but I don't think I'd understand it." The Ultralink scanned a few of the diagrams on the table before pointing at Jim accusingly. "I thought you told me you had it under control," Steel huffed indignantly. "I did, at the time. It wasn't a permanent fix, though," Jim replied sheepishly. Max's brow furrowed, "A fix for what?"

Jim's gaze dropped to his hands, which were folded on the table. "I've been having trouble regulating my T.U.R.B.O. energy." Max's eyes widened, "What? Why? Is it because you need Steel too? Maybe we could find a friendly Ultralink-" Jim waved him off, "No, I controlled it just fine before I met Steel."

"Then what's the problem, Dad?" the teenager inquired. "It's because of my time on the Alphalink." Berto nodded solemnly, "After so many years having massive amounts of energy removed involuntarily, containing it within his own body is pretty difficult."

The young scientist pointed to a chart, which showed energy overflowing from a humanoid body. "He's producing way more T.U.R.B.O. energy than normal, because he's used to having such a large output. So we need to find a way to let his body know that it's not necessary anymore. Siphoning is counterproductive." A question mark flashed on Steel's optic screen, "Wouldn't his levels drop to normal naturally?"

"Under perfect conditions, yes. Unfortunately, we don't have that kind of time," Jim replied. Max nodded understandingly, "Dredd. He'll track your energy signature." "Yes. Also, the energy bursts tend to be a bit destructive," Berto stated matter-of-factly. Jim's eyes suddenly flickered the tell-tale blue of T.U.R.B.O. energy, and he squeezed them shut in concentration as it began to swirl around him.

Berto instinctively shoved one of the storage canisters toward him, and Max snatched it away. "I thought you said siphoning was counterproductive," he accused. "Yes, in the long run! We have no way of controlling it right now," Berto shouted exasperatedly. The two began to argue over the use of the containers, as Jim's power levels continued to rise exponentially.

"Uh, guys?" Steel said, his voice rising an octave as he tried to call their attention to the matter at hand. Berto and Max began a tug-of-war over the container, and continued arguing so loudly that they didn't notice Steel's shouts. The Ultralink's gaze darted from Jim to Berto and back again. As the T.U.R.B.O. energy pulsed forward, he made a split second decision and slammed himself into Jim's chest to absorb the extra energy output.

The resulting flash of light finally managed to get the arguing teens' attention. Max's mouth fell open as he realized what had just happened. The older McGrath seemed just as surprised as anyone else, and Berto seemed to be utterly speechless.

Steel promptly detached from Jim's chest, and floated haphazardly into the center of the room. "Whoa, headrush!" he exclaimed as he spun precariously.

Max gently steadied him, and pulled him a bit closer, inspecting him for damage. "You okay, Ro-bro?" he asked. Steel's optic disk fritzed, "Just fine, Tur-bro." "Berto, scan him for damage," Jim commanded, finally regaining control of his voice.

The latino teen finally snapped out of his trance, and rushed over to his computer screen. "Diagnostics say there's nothing wrong. He must be reacting to the change in either power source or the amount of power," Berto explained.

Steel wrenched himself from Max's grasp and careened across the room, hitting the wall before falling into a bucket of small parts. White sparks flew up from inside the bucket, adding even more worry to his friends' concern. "Are you okay?" they all called in unison. A beat of stressful silence passed before any answer came from the Ultralink.

"Hehe, you should see your faces!" Steel exclaimed, popping up out of the bucket quickly. "You were all like, 'whoa', and I was like 'whoosh', and you were like, 'oh no'! Haha you guys crack me up!" Steel rambled irrationally. The three men shared a concerned look, and Max stepped forward carefully.

"Okay, Steel. Why don't you lie down and rest a while; you don't really seem like yourself," Max suggested helpfully. "What? Lie down? Lie down! I feel great!" Steel exclaimed, before flying in wild circles around the room. Max tried in vain to catch him in the midst of his orbit. "Steel, you're gonna hurt yourself," the teenager exclaimed.

"You're just jealous cause I can fly," the ultralink accused, continuing his circuit around the room. "What? I'm not- Ugh, just come down here!" Max demanded. Steel cackled maniacally and crossed his arms, screen fritzing once more. "You gonna make me?" Max slapped his hand to his forehead, "Berto, are you sure there's nothing wrong with him?"

The scientist shrugged, "Honestly? I think he's just reacting to the excess energy he absorbed from Jim." "Hey, what are you looking at?" the Ultralink demanded, poking the back of a chair accusingly. He paused for a moment, and then reeled back as if he'd been slapped.

"How dare you say that about my mother?" he demanded, slapping the chair for good measure. Berto and Max shared a confused look, and Steel continued his assault on the furniture.

"Oh, you're asking for it now!" Steel yelled, punching the chair. It tipped forward precariously, and then suddenly fell back, trapping Steel underneath it. "Steel, you don't even have a mother," Max reasoned.

"Exactly!" Steel yelled. After a mighty struggle, he finally managed to extract himself from beneath the chair. "This means WAR!" he bellowed, rushing forward with T.U.R.B.O. guns blazing.

The three men ducked as Steel haphazardly fired blue blasts all over the room; most of them missed the target, but the chair still ended up decorated with multiple scorch marks.

As the rising smoke curled up from the piece of furniture, Berto peeked up from under the table with wide eyes. "Is it over?" he asked cautiously. "I sure showed him," Steel announced, dusting his "hands" off. "Uh, you sure did," Max stated as he stepped out from behind the newly destroyed CYTRO robot he'd been using as cover.

The Ultralink cackled wildly and continued flying around the room. "When is this going to wear off?" Jim asked, raising his eyebrow skeptically. Berto shrugged, "Probably until he burns off enough of the excess energy." "Great," Max grumbled.

"Is this how you feel when you eat too much sugar, Max?" Steel exclaimed deliriously as his screen continued to jitter. The teenager frowned, "I sure hope not. That'd mean I'm as dopey as you sometimes."

Steel suddenly glared at him, his jittery screen finally calming, "How about all the time, Max McJunk-food?" Max grinned and crushed the Ultralink in a hug, "Good to see you're okay, buddy!"

Steel suddenly linked to Max involuntarily, and the teenager flinched as extra T.U.R.B.O. energy raced through his body before simmering down. "Well, that was weird," Max and Steel stated in unison. Berto hung his head in defeat, "I'm gonna go run some more tests. Find out what the heck just happened."

Jim looked from Max to Steel and shrugged dismissively, "You two wanna go for a walk?" Max and Steel both nodded enthusiastically, and Jim guided them outside. "Technically I don't walk," Steel stated matter-of-factly. Max and Jim both laughed heartily as the doors slid shut behind him.


A/N: So, as I told Dimensional Girl, I don't officially take requests. That being said, I will take your ideas into consideration! Since this is a One-Shot collection, anything is possible!

~Rose