Chapter Three. It's a little long but there was a lot in there. btw, instead of telling you what is and isn't my idea, i have simply tucked in footnotes at the end of each chapter. there is a number next to each line which is linked with the footnote. just thought this would be easier.

Disclaimer: I do not own Cyberchase. Max is mine.

Chapter Three
Fatherhood

Despite Mathias' previous apprehensions about being the father, Max was a relatively easy kid to take care of. She was obedient, willing to learn new skills, and rather polite and friendly. She was a happy baby, too. Mathias could go to bed at night, looking forward to waking up in the morning and finding Max's smiling face peering over the edge of his bed.

"Good morning, Daddy." she would say, giggling.

"Good morning, Max." he would say in return, reaching over and ruffling her short, untidy brown hair. "Do you require breakfast?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Let's go get some, then."

After breakfast, the two of them would run routine checks on Motherboard's systems. Then, the rest of the day was spent between the two of them.

Much to Mathias' relief, Max got along with everyone she met. The first of which was Motherboard who was quick to accept Max is presence in Control Central as Mathias' little girl. Ada Mae was next and Max took to her immediately. Even going as far as to think of Ada Mae as her mother.

Motherboard encouraged Mathias to take Max to cyber-wide meetings so they could meet his daughter. The heads of the different Cybersites more equally as willing to accept Max as Mathias' daughter and found her to be a joy to behold.

But, while Max was happy to fill load role as Mathias' daughter and heir, a new interest caught her attention as soon as she caught sight of the head of Shangri-La. Max stood at her father's chair and tugged at the sleeve of his zip-up jacket.

"Daddy? Who is that?" she asked, pointing to the levitating borg.

He smiled as he scooped her up into his lap. "Erasmus, would you like to introduce yourself to my daughter?"

The borg worked his way around the table and inclined his head, politely, to the inquisitive youngster. "My name is Master Erasmus Pi." he said. "I am the ruler of Cybersite Shangri-La, a Site known for its Warriors, dragons, and its way of peace."

Max liked his low, docile tones. She liked how he spoke to her as an equal and not as a child. And, she became interested in learning more.

Back at Control Central, Max asked Motherboard and Mathias if they could tell her more about Shangri-La. For several nights afterward, Motherboard rocked Max to sleep with stories about the Shield-Maidens1 and Sword-Thanes2 of Shangri-La. While Max knew that her purpose in life was to be a daughter to her father, she couldn't help but think that maybe - just maybe -she was meant for something greater.

At the age of two, Max approached Motherboard and Mathias.

"Motherboard, Dad, can I talk to you?" she asked. She had grown out of the use of titles babies had been known to use and, instead, used more grown-up titles. Though, since Motherboard was not her mother, she refrained from calling her as such.

"Of course, Max. What is it?" Motherboard asked.

She took a breath. "I want to become a Shield-Maiden of Shangri-La." Max said, bluntly.

Mathias dropped his torch inside Motherboard at this sudden news. "What?" he asked, turning to face his little girl.

"I want to be a Shield-Maiden of Shangri-La." Max repeated. She eyed her father, pleadingly. "Please, Dad? I never ask for anything more than what you can give! In fact, I almost never ask you for anything! Please, won't you let me do this one thing?"

Mathias was silent for a moment, contemplating the wisdom of letting a young borg who was not programmed for war to be trained as a Shield-Maiden. He made a great show of looking for the torch - he knew precisely where the torch was by the needed time to think of his answer - imputing it back into in his toolbox, then wiping grease off his hands before answering.

"Max, I don't know if that kind of life would suit you." he said.

"Why not?" she asked. She didn't look upset with his answer, just unhappy.

"Max, the way of a Shield-Maiden is long and full of dangers. It takes a special kind of borg to do the things they do. A specially programmed borg. One that has the right kind of features for that kind of life. You will be consistently called away to do things for other people. You will forever have to answer to Master Pi. Your life will be bound to that Site and its people. That's not what Dr. Marbles programmed you for." Motherboard said, kindly.

Max look up into her leader's face. "But I want to do it."

"It's not an easy life either, Max." Mathias pointed out. He knelt and put his hands on Max's shoulders.

"But I don't want the easy life, Dad! That's what I'm trying to tell you! I want to challenge! I want to live my life have I choose, I want to help Cyberspace in more than just being a technician. That's what I really want to do." Max said. She took a step back so she could better see her father's face.

"Max, I didn't build you to be a Warrior!" Mathias said.

"I know! You built me to carry on Great-great-grandad Siren's legacy! I promise to do that, Dad, but that's in the future! This is something I wanted to do now!"

"Why, Max?" Mathias asked. "What makes you think you want to do this?"

"I feel like it's calling me, Dad. That's all I can tell you. I just feel like it's my calling." Max told him.

Mathias was silent. His golden-brown eyes met Max's dark-brown ones. He could see the stubbornness lingering there and realized Max was a lot like him in many respects. He reached out and touched Max's untidy, brown hair.

"Mathias." Motherboard said on the silence had dragged on for far too long. "Mathias, I've really think Max would benefit from something like this."

Mathias' jaw set. "Okay, Max. I'll let you go to Shangri-La and learn how to be a Shield-Maiden. I just ask that you wait one year - just one year - before making any decisions. If you still believe that this is your calling, I will personally call Master Pi and have him take you in. Agreed?" he asked.

"Okay, Dad." Max said.

0

The year had passed slowly. During that time, Max had reflected greatly on the idea of being a Shield-Maiden, but she never brought it up with her father again since their conversation. Max's silence on the subject lead Mathias to believe that Max had simply just decided against going to Shangri-La. At least, he hoped she had decided against it.

Mathias had nothing against Shangri-La, Master Pi, or any of the Warriors that lived there. In fact, he was rather good friends with the kindly master and he also respected the Red Warrior - who was, himself, a Sword-Thane - and of the Warriors under him. But Mathias couldn't see Max is one of those stiff, silent Warriors. He didn't know if he could sleep at night knowing Max was out there defending Cyberspace against borgs who intended evil against the rest of society. To him, Max joining the Warriors of Shangri-La was going against her original programming.

During the year, other things distracted Max and Mathias from their thoughts of Max joining the Warriors. Among them was a surprise video call from Mathias' brother, Cooper. Mathias was very happy to hear from Coop, but he couldn't help but wonder why Coop even took the time to call him it anyway.

"Hey, bro." Coop said, cheerfully.

"Cooper! It's wonderful to hear from you!" Mathias said.

"Yeah, I'd been meaning to call you lately. I just haven't gotten around to it. I've been pretty busy." Coop said.

"Oh? Mechanics business booming?" Mathias asked.

Coop nodded, his smile widening. "Yes. That's not all. I have some great news, brother. I'm a father, now. Can you believe it? A father!" His face was the same as Mathias' when Max came online.

"That's wonderful news, Cooper. I have some news for you, too." Mathias said.

"Oh?" Cooper asked.

Mathias turned away from the screen and motioned to Max who had been seated on the floor behind him, assembling a computer terminal. Max put the parts aside, got up, and went to lean against her father's shoulder. Her eyes met those of the uncle she never met before, and she wasn't smiling. She was, instead, trying to find a family resemblance in the older borg's face. She saw none. Coop had a cat-like nose, blocky eyes, and a firm jaw. He was dressed in a one-piece, greece-stained jumpsuit, and a black, wool hat.

"This is my daughter, Max." Mathias said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Say hi to uncle Cooper, Max." he told her.

"Nice to meet you, Max." Coop said. "Boy, she looks an awful lot like you, Mathias. Except you didn't give her blue hair. What's up with that?" Coop was joking, of course. He had a mop of untidy, brown hair on his head, too, and he used to T's his older brother about his short, blue hair beneath a massive light bulb.

"Brown looked better on her." Mathias said.

"That it does." Coop agreed. He turned away from his screen and motioned to someone behind him. Seconds later, a young boy bearing the uncanny resemblance of Coop stepped into view. Coop pulled the boy close to him with a chuckle. "Bro, Max, this is Slider. Slider, these two are my brother, Mathias, and his daughter, Max."

Both kids eyed each other, uncertain of what to say.

"Hey." Slider said.

"Hi." Max said.

"That's interesting." Mathias said, eyeing Max. "Usually I can't get her to be quite."

Cooper laughed. "Same here. I suppose it's because they're meeting someone new."

Mathias nodded, but he didn't think that was the case. Max met plenty of new people -the cyber-council being the biggest bunch of new people he introduced her to - she wasn't silent during that either.

"Listen, bro, I'd been thinking lately -" Cooper began.

"Never a good sign.3" Mathias told him with a smile.

"Funny." Coop said. "Anyway, I was thinking . . . we've been apart for far too long, brother. I say we reconcile our differences and make up. I know we should've done this long time ago -way before Max and Slider came into our lives -but I think it would be good for kids to grow up together."

"Really? What brought about this change of heart, Cooper? Last thing I recall, you ran out on me and call me a selfish . . . well, you know what word you used."

"Look, Mathias, and regret leaving you to take care of Motherboard on your own. I never should've said the things I did. But, I sent them and I'm sorry."

Mathias released Max and she went back to finish her project. He leaned forward; fingers together, elbows on the keyboard deck.

"Our father expected us to stick together, Cooper. In fact, if I recall correctly, he begged us to stick together. That was why he made both of us so neither one of us would have to shoulder the weight of maintaining Motherboard on our own. But you still ran out on me. It's going to take more than an apology to get me too except you back into my life - and my daughter's life - again."

"I understand, bro." Cooper said. "But, I do want Slider and Max to at least know each other. If not to do it for the sake of our father, then at least do it for the sake of your daughter and my son."

Mathias considered this, also. He wanted Max to experience life outside Control Central. And, getting to know his brother's son would be beneficial to himself, too.

"Very well. However, I would like the two of us to do things together, too."

"You got it." Cooper said, logging off.

1

Max wasn't exactly sure if she actually wanted to visit Radopolis. The site really wasn't high on the list of places she wanted to visit.

Radopolis was one, big, thrill sports arena. The borgs there were specifically designed for sports: cycling, blading, and boarding. Competitions were commonplace here. Borgs all across this site aiming to prove they were the best at what they did.

Because of the kind in competitive nature of the site's inhabitants, Radopolis was actually listed second in "Most Visitable Sites", falling square behind R-Fair-City, which was actually one, giant, theme park.

Max had been to R-Fair-City a couple of times with her dad and it she could understand the appeal. R-Fair-City was full of games, carnival shows, and rides. The carnies were all assigned as clowns to make the site more likable - and none of the clowns were evil. The games for based purely on a 50/50 chance. The rides were thrilling. The carnival shows were entertaining. The carnies were friendly. And everyone always came back for more.

But Max had never been to Radopolis. She didn't really want to go to Radopolis. Spending her days on a ramp or watching a petty competition wasn't exactly something that thrilled her. Max wasn't exactly the kind of person to do nothing, but participating in sports wasn't really her thing either.

As much as Max didn't want to go to Radopolis, she knew her dad wanted her to go and stay with her uncle and cousin for a week. So Max packed a week's worth of clothes, toiletries, in a few games in a duffel bag in slung the lot onto her shoulder. One after checking her reflection in the mir and flow thing about her short here, she headed down to the cargo bay only to find her father beginning the launch sequence on his new two-seater cybercoop.

"Ready to go, Max?" he asked, cheerfully.

"Yeah." Max said. She tossed her bag into the trunk and hopped into the other seat. She tried to share Mathias' enthusiasm but couldn't bring to smile to her eyes.

Mathias' face stock and he reached over to touch her shoulder. "I know you don't really want to be there, Max, but it used only for a week. After that, Slider can stay with us for a while. Okay?"

"But Dad, what if they don't like me? What if I don't like them? You said so yourself that Uncle Cooper ran out on you and left a Motherboard's care completely up to you! What if he runs out on me?"

"He's not going to run out on you, Max. Besides, that was a long time ago. We were kids at that time and Net had just passed on. He was a rough time for both of us. Cooper just wasn't ready for the responsibilities are father of us." Mathias told her.

"But if he's still not ready for the responsibilities Grandpa Net left you? What if he's not ready to be a father?" Max asked.

Mathias stared at Max. Obviously she had put a lot of thought into this. "You really don't want to be there, do you?"

"No." Max said that, believed she no longer have to keep up the pretenses of excitement.

"It'll be fine, Max. Here." He opened the console between them and pulled out a strange-looking device. It resembles a walkie talkie and calculator with an oversized screen. He placed the device in Max's hand and she stared at it. "This is my newest invention. I call it a SQWAK Pad. It's a communicator and drawing board all rolled into one. If there's a problem between you and my brother, call me. I'll have Motherboard send you a portal and you can leave right away."

Max studied the SQWAK Pad. "Okay. Thanks, Dad."

"My number has already been programmed into that one. I was going to give it to you when you turned three but now it seems as good a time as any since Cooper has come back into our lives." Mathias said.

"Thanks, Dad." Max repeated. "Can we go now so I can get this week over with?"

He smiled. Impatient as always, he mused. "Okay, Max. Let's go."

0

Needless to say, Max's week at Radopolis wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. In fact, she kind of enjoyed it. The Radsters made Max visit quite the pleasant experience and she didn't mind staying there. At the end of the week, Max was a little sad to go.

As it turned out, Slider was only a few months younger than Max. He was a tall, lanky lad, my only programmed with a Radster personality. His brown hair was medium length and untidy, and he seemed to favor cargo pants, tennis shoes, hooded sweatshirts, and skateboards. Coop was a much older, and much bigger version of Slider. However, even though their height and age were enough to distinguish one from the other, Coop had also decked himself out with pants, turtlenecks, work boots, and a knit cap. He also favored a skateboard, only this one hovered, only this one hovered.

Coop and Slider made Max feel welcome in their small home, which was really the back portion of their garage where repairs were done on cybercoops. During the day, the garage bustled with orders from cyber-citizens everywhere asking for routine maintenance on their coops. Max assisted with many of the repairs and took two mechanics like a fish to water. Coop couldn't help but laugh when Max volunteered to help.

"Just like your dad, huh?" he said that, clapping her on the back.

Max didn't particularly care for back clapping, but she found she didn't mind when Coop was the one doing it. Coop was a jolly man. Nothing like the brother her father used to tell her about. It seemed Coop had changed from a pigheaded, young borg to a levelheaded, responsible father and auto mechanic. Max found new respect for her uncle.

When the day's tasks were done, Max and Slider were allowed a few hours of play time out on the site. Slider took her to the day's competitions. Max suspiciously believed Slider only wanted to show his cousin off, which could very well have been the case. But Max did not feel the least bit threatened by these two borgs. In fact, she felt so comfortable with them, she felt no need to call her father up at all.

When the week had come to an end, Coop started up his new two-seater cybercoop - with Max and Slider jammed together on the same seat - and headed off to Control Central. He dropped his niece and a son off, said goodbye to Slider and told him to have a good week, before taking off by himself back to Radopolis.

Slider's week had been less eventful at Control Central than Max's week at Radopolis. Mathias kept the two busy by having them assist with routine maintenance on Motherboard. Then, after all that was done, Mathias would come up with a project for the two of them to work on, pleased that Slider had also inherited Coop's knack of making and fixing things.

By the time Slider's week was over, so was Max's one year limit. And Mathias had to keep his promise to a Max and call Master Pi.

1Shield-Maiden – Elite Female Warrior

2Sword-Thane – Elite Male Warrior

3"I've been thinking lately -"; "Never a good sign." - Legend of Zorro