After weeks and weeks of nothing, I finally was able to sit down and just write. Such a relaxing feeling! :D Sorry for the lack of, well pretty much anything this summer. If you want to know why I've been so absent or want to know how my writing will be the coming weeks you should read the "AFTER SUMMER EXPLANATION/UPDATE AUTHOR'S NOTE" on my profile; it's all explained there.
But now, onto the story! ENJOY the angst everybody!
They save everyone.
That is their goal, their "golden rule", their motto. No matter who or what you are, they will save you. A lazy janitor, a cute dog, or an evil mastermind who just tried to kill them? It doesn't matter. They save everyone. Or... at least they try. But it's a tough life with even tougher missions. And sometimes things just go wrong. Sometimes they fail. Sometimes people die, sometimes they barely make it out alive themselves.
They save everyone, but sometimes they fail. And that is that. It's their burden. There's no guarantees. They never know if they will make it to the person in time, or if the bomb won't actually go off earlier... It's part of the job, part of being heroes. Sometimes you fail; sometimes not even they are strong, fast or smart enough to save everyone.
That part is the one Adam will always hate. That's the part that will actually make him wish he wasn't bionic, even how cool it makes his life. Though it's just on certain days he feels like that, when life isn't logical or fair. If he now is stronger than anyone else, and Bree's faster and Chase's smarter, why can't they save everyone? It just doesn't make sense... Then again, a lot of things don't make sense.
But despite that it never really gets easier, despite that each failure feels worse than the last, they deal with it. It never takes away the feeling after a bad mission, but they've learnt how to cope. They've found ways to distract themselves and move forward; they've... adapted. They've gotten prepared that failure is a possibility and work against that.
But then comes the one thing they aren't prepared for, the one thing they probably never can get prepared for. Because it isn't a fire, or bomb, or natural disaster, not even a physical enemy... It's a disease; an untouchable villain that no matter how strong or fast they are, is slowly taking their little brother away from them...
They rarely get sick. Adam can't remember a single time he has been fortunate enough to get to be home from school -except that time when he was glitching. But that was different, he hadn't been sick, just... malfunctioning. But now, now Chase suddenly is sick. And Mr. Davenport can't just fix it like he'd done when Adam glitched. Chase is sick with an actual sickness. A real sickness that isn't just a cold or the flu or whatever, he's dying... Even when the doctors found out what was wrong, it didn't help. There is no "fix" for it. Chase gets operated, and he gets drugged with all kinds of medication that Adam can't even pronounce the names of, and he gets put through every known treatment and then some more, but... the doctors are barely even able to slow down the progress. Instead they just tell them to make the most of the time they had left.
What's that even supposed to mean?
Adam has actually asked that aloud. But no one answered him. He isn't even sure anyone knew. So instead all eyes just turned towards the at the time sleeping boy, an awful feeling creeping through all of them as they realized what was supposed to be years together had now been turned to months...
That isn't supposed to happen! Even Adam knows that. That. Is. Not. Supposed. To. Happen. Chase is supposed to outlive them all; isn't that what his brother has always told him? Chase isn't supposed to die. Not this soon, not like this.
Though soon months turns to weeks turns to days. And soon they have to stare the hardest challenge they've ever had right in its ugly face as time breaths down their neck. They have to say goodbye... But how are they supposed to do that? How can you just say goodbye to someone? Someone who isn't just part of your family, but a part of you? Chase isn't just Adam's little brother, he isn't just his mission leader, he is... He is Chase! How is Adam supposed to just say goodbye?
It's impossible…
What is he supposed to even say? "It was nice knowing you"? "I'm sorry I was such a douchey big brother"? "I love-
He has never said "I love you"...
How is he supposed to say goodbye to his baby brother when he hasn't even told him he loves him? Sure he said that when they were kids. He threw that sentence around a lot back then. He even told Mr. Davenport that just because he gave him a sandwich, and then again to the sandwich before he ate it. But later, after he got old enough to really understand what it meant, he hasn't said it that much. And he has never said it to Chase when older. Never. Now is probably the best time, and perhaps his only chance, to actually say it. But... it doesn't feel enough. After all he has done to Chase, after all he has put him through, "I love you" doesn't feel enough. Would Chase really understand what he feels if he tells him he loves him when he's about to die? Adam needs him to understand.
What is he supposed to say? He has no clue. And time doesn't seem to care about that...
Because the time just keeps ticking. The days turns to hours turns to minutes. And suddenly Adam is terrified...
He has never really been afraid of death, not really. It's a part of life; things and people live, and then they die. Then again, he has never really put that much thought to it either. Thinking about things that at the time doesn't feel that important, or things he can't control, has never been his thing to do. It is Chase's; Chase is the thinker.
But now... Now Adam thinks about it, a lot. And when he does he realizes that perhaps death has always been an important thing, especially in his life. You can die anytime, and he and his siblings have risked their lives several times. But he has never feared death. He has always known he will die someday, maybe sooner than he first thought he would, but that has never actually scared him. He dies when he dies; it happens how it happens. He has always been more scared of not having done what he wants when it actually happens. Like playing fetch with a dog on Mars, or swim in popcorn and bacon. He just wants to make sure he lives his life before he dies his death. But then... Then he really understands what "everyone dies" means. Everyone dies. Everyone. Including his family, including his brother.
All of a sudden he's terrified of death. Because everyone dies. And now Chase is slowly dying, minute for minute, breath for breath, right before his eyes. And that is something he can't process, something he can't understand. And while there is a lot of things Adam doesn't understand, this is really the prize winner... Because why? Why would death take Chase? Why not Adam? Adam is the one who has never told his baby brother he loves him. Adam is the one who always throws his brother across the room and laughs when his small body can't fight Adam's strength. Sure Chase can be mean at times too, but isn't everyone some time? Chase doesn't deserve to die...
Adam has never been afraid to die, but he is terrified of losing his baby brother. Which will soon be his new reality, because eventually the minutes turns to seconds turns to nothing... He's gone.
And suddenly words seems useless. What is you supposed to say when someone you thought would always be there suddenly isn't anymore? What can you say when he's all of a sudden just gone... forever? The answer is simple: nothing. There is nothing Adam can say. Nothing that will mean anything, not anymore. Because he's gone. Chase, his baby brother... just gone.
The End.
Well, I'm just a ray of sunshine, am I not? Well, I hope you liked it! Reviews are always appreciated! :D
Funny thing, I actually came up with the title before the story. Has that ever happened to you? You all of a sudden comes to think of a story title that's just so awesome you have to write a story to it?
Did you know? A part of my brain keeps telling me I should stop killing and/or torturing Chase. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you feel about those stories, I don't listen to that part. XD
Until next time! /Libra