Adam was dressed in black pants and a white shirt. The outfit was simple and straightforward - just like the one who wore it. His dark, dark hair, though it had been combed, still looked slightly out of hand, as it always had. His hands were empty, but they were so strong looking that they didn't need a prop.
Bree wore purple. A knee-length, floaty dress in a shade of dark plum, accented with a pearl necklace, bracelet, and stud earrings. Her brown curls were neatly brushed and carefully arranged over her shoulders, the wave by her face held back with a pearl barrette. A spray of baby's breath lay under her folded hands. Perhaps it was a bit understated for the bionic girl's taste, but she looked beautiful.
Chase was in dark blue and brown. The brown slacks were neatly creased, and the matching jacket left open to show the cerulean shirt he sported beneath. The whole ensemble set off the chocolate color of his hair. His hands, like Adam's, were empty, but his interlaced fingers rested on his chest. A faint smile could almost be detected on his lips.
Tasha, Leo, and Donald wore black, as did everyone else present.
Leo went forward first, carefully placing the folded up mission suits at the feet of the three heroes. He reached out as if to touch Chase's hand, but stopped, turned, and walked back to what was left of his family. His jaw was clenched, his eyes, determinedly dry.
Donald went next. He had nothing to give but his love. The billionaire-inventor-ego-maniac gently rubbed his oldest nephew's arm, kissed Bree's forehead, and brushed Chase's hair out of his eyes. He had no qualms about letting all the assembled people see his tears, and they fell in profusion, glistening like liquid diamonds on the sleeves of his black suit. After longer than was strictly necessary, he returned to his family, resting his hand on the shoulder of the only son he had left.
Three mahogany lids were lowered and latched, and Tasha, scarcely able to walk for trembling, went up and lovingly placed a rose on top of each coffin: Red for Adam, pink for Bree, and white for Chase. Pressing her fingers to her mouth to stifle her sobs, she walked back to her husband, who put his arm around her shoulders and held her tightly.
For all the guests the funeral procession seemed to take forever. To the two Davenports and the one Dooley, it seemed like no time at all before they were watching exactly half of their family being carefully lowered into adjacent graves. As Amazing Grace played softly in the background, the minister intoned a few words that fell emptily on three pairs of unhearing ears - and then it was time to say goodbye. For good.
Donald stepped forth and tossed the first handful of dirt onto Adam's coffin. Tasha followed suit with Bree's, and Leo, briefly clenching the soil in a tight fist, dropped it onto Chase's. Then several men stepped forward and began shoveling dirt over the shining wooden boxes.
Leo pressed his lips together and let the tears come, pouring in a silent torrent down his cheeks. Janelle, her own face wet, walked up beside him and gently touched his hand with her fingertips, but he didn't acknowledge her presence, his eyes fixed on the mounds of earth covering his siblings. The understanding girl gave his palm a soft squeeze and went to stand next to Caitlin, who was silently sobbing, the ground around her littered with discarded tissues.
Murmured condolences and heartfelt sympathies were offered and accepted. Tasha did most, if not all, of the necessary talking. Donald and Leo sat in stony silence. The billionaire managed to exchange a few words with his closest friends, but the young Dooley almost seemed to be in a trance, sitting and staring unblinkingly at the last resting place of his best friends and siblings.
A single headstone, longer than standard, was placed at the head of the three graves, the last link holding the bionic team together.
Alone, they were good. Together, they were great.
But they were not invincible.