Hey, y'all! Guess who's back with another story!? The summary pretty much says it all, and plus, I kinda wanna tone down the "long, chatty" A/Ns so you authors/reviewers can read the story. (This was inspired by MoonlitShadowsoftheHumanSoul's story "The Way Life Is.") There's so much I want to say that it could be a chapter all on its own... but that's for another time.

I've been wanting to post this for a long time, and since there's a dry spell on chapters with Clandestine Covers and Marcus: Broken Android, I figured while I'm still typing out an LR one-shot I'd give y'all this story. However, the chapter wait will be relatively long... as in, once every three months. Anyway, without further ado, the first chapter of Heart of Stone!

Disclaimer: I do not own Lab Rats.

Heartless: (pronunciation) – härtlis; definition: displaying a complete lack of feeling or consideration. Adjective; Adverb: heartlessly; Noun: heartlessness

Chase Davenport was a misunderstood child. He was the youngest, yes, he was the most powerful, yes, he was the most power-hungry, yes, he was the most teased, yes, he was the smartest, yes, but, most of all, he was misunderstood. Youngest? An easy target for older siblings who feel insecure; so insecure, that they most pick on the little one to make themselves feel better. Most powerful? He had the most abilities and bionics, he had the powers relating and/or linked to the mind—the most underestimated, for, given the chance, they could kill the largest army. Most teased? Kids at school found any excuse to tease him—his haircut, his obsessive love of learning, his smarts, and his dorkiness that was almost cute. Almost. Smartest? Of course, the smartest human on the earth, who had a vast database, all in his mind, that could tell him anything, anywhere, and at any time given. He knew everything, and anything he didn't know, wasn't worth knowing. Misunderstood? Quite.

He could always be counted on for his nerdy skills, and his crazy ideas of "being a bad-boy," or his perfection of following rules and being a goody-two-shoes. He could always be counted on for simply being predictable. He could always be counted on for simply always being there. Where else could he be? But he was so badly misunderstood. Did anyone, for example, know that he was starting to warm up to Douglas? Did they know that he was thinking about talking to Douglas? Douglas, the enemy? Douglas, the evil father? Douglas, the killer and murderer? Douglas, the man who tore their family apart? Douglas, the destroyer and creator of Marcus, who almost killed Leo, twice?

Yes. Douglas the father.

Did they know that Chase was power-hungry? Did they know that he was a powerhouse, brimming with abilities that had yet to be unlocked? Did they know that, in one glare, or in one tap to the temple, or in one fluid hand motion, one could be knocked out or even killed? Without Chase even touching the man? The thought that he was so powerful touched Chase to the core. His siblings had no idea what he could do. And that's why they mocked him. Because if they knew how much havoc he could unleash on the world; if they knew the score he wanted to settle with the world; if they knew what he desired for—

They wouldn't be there to find out.

Chase had thought so severely about the offer that Douglas had presented him in Antarctica after he had risked his own life in an avalanche and flown ten thousand miles across the earth, and took care of him, and fed him, and kept him warm, and sometimes, every now and then, after being teased, he would think, What would have happened if I'd joined Douglas? Would I be happy? Would I still be who I really am? Or have I changed since then; have I grown in such a way that I'm no longer that compassionate…?

Because Chase had changed, certainly not for the better, but not for the worse… at least, not by long shot.

Chase had stayed with his family, the family that cared for him, the family that comforted him, the cozy family he'd grown up with, the family that let him in, the family that didn't include him, the family that considered him the odd man out, the family that never appreciated him, the family that never gave him credit, the family that mocked him and teased him and deserted him, the family that was still his beautiful, painful, wholehearted family.

Chase wasn't heartless. He wasn't cold and calculating.

But Chase was different. He wasn't caring, he wasn't empathetic, and he spent more and more time on his own, out of contact with the outside world, out of touch with his family members, out of touch with his own self. Chase had changed, most definitely. And in a way that haunted his family for the longest time to come. Had he matured? Yes. Had he begun to understand the way life worked? The way life was certainly wasn't pleasant, and after all this time, he still knew that he had some flame, some spark, some hunger in his deep soul.

But this didn't happen overnight. It happened gradually, building up inside of him until he couldn't keep it in. He had to let it out somewhere. And on whom did he unleash his coldness that he'd penned in? His poor, broken family.

Chase's eyes were something entirely different from the rest of his family. They were a beautiful hazel color that shone at night, letting him see in the darkness as well as a cat. A muddy mixture of emerald green and chocolate brown, they pierced the eyes of any enemy, forcing him to look back. Even the most powerful warlords or barons had to flinch, just for a split second.

His eyes held most of his super-smarts abilities—the database, the GPS, the everyday scans, and such and such. But his eyes didn't hold just the bionic part of him. They held his true feelings, his soul, his emotion in them as well.

Bree had looked into Chase's eyes only a few days ago at dinner, and she'd noticed something different. Just… different. He looked the same, but he was different at the same time as well. "Stop staring at me, Bree," he'd said, in his usual voice, still warm and empathetic. "You're giving me the creeps."

He'd given her a piercing gaze with this hazel eyes of his, and she'd recoiled, almost in fear, but then her little brave and feisty ego whispered, What? Are you afraid of your little brother's eyes? Why? You coward. And she looked straight into them.

They stared back, both of them curiosity playing her like ocean waves. Something flickered in them, a love, a hunger, and a desire. But a love for whom? A hunger for what? A desire to do…? All those questions remained unanswered; Chase's eyes were as unreadable as paper ruined and wet, running with ink. And yet, they beckoned her at the same time. This boy has secrets so deep that it could cause huge rivets between the family. Would you like to see? All you've got to do is look deeper.

"Bree?" Chase had remarked nervously. "Your stare is really freaking me out now."

But his eyes said something else. It was like they were almost daring her to explore deeper. And that was what scared her—and she'd quickly looked away, missing Chase's look of confusion. And fear. While Bree was afraid of Chase's eyes, Chase was afraid she'd almost read his mind and discovered his lust for power. It wasn't huge, like Douglas', but it was certainly strong, and growing bigger and bigger and bigger…

And that was really the beginning of his change, where he delved deeper into the unknown evils of the world, the dark side, the unexplored side that was so twisted, so complicated, so deep. Chase knew the good side was very understandable: you save the day, you get rewarded, and you're pure and wholehearted. But the dark side was interesting. It had always fascinated him from a young age. What was it like, to be on the bad side, to have the feeling you got whenever you did something bad? Did it feel good? Chase knew now. And to be honest with his complicated mind, he liked that feeling.

First his eyes. But there were many more subtle differences to come.

Leo had been about to ask Chase if he wanted to go see the new Pig Zombies movie with him, carrying a tray of cookies and milk.

"Hey, Chase… do you want to go to the movies with me?" he'd asked, confident Chase would say yes. Because even if Chase was the boy genius and wonder of the world, he was still a teenager. And that meant being immature and times and seeing movies that parents never approved of.

Chase had been doing algebra work problems for fun but when he'd looked up, he seemed different. Like he was colder, more menacing. His voice was flat, calm, and emotionless. "No," he'd answered. "I want to finish this workbook."

"Aw, come on, Chase! Please?" Leo begged with his big, dark brown eyes like a puppy's.

Chase looked up. Something about his eyes and simply that way the looked at Leo, piercing him on a kebab skewer, creeped Leo out. He was positive that Chase wasn't under the Triton App, but… his eyes… and his voice! His voice had used to be empathetic and soft and kind. Now—it was harder, and calmer, and flatter, and lacking all emotion or sympathy. It was gravelly, and it almost seemed to remind him of—

Marcus.

No! Leo thought. Chase isn't Marcus, never will be, never has been. Chase is a good guy, he's a good brother, he's always there for his family. Chase is not Marcus. Chase is not Marcus. Chase is not Marcus. They're so different. Chase couldn't ever act like Marcus and Marcus could never act like Chase. Never.

But a little nagging voice in the back of Leo's head said else-wise.

Chase's voice was even calmer, in fact, eerily calm, when he said, "Marcus is not me." And he got up, closed the workbook, and went down to the lab.

And Leo, being Leo, ran up to his room, screamed like a little girl, and began muttering, "How did Chase do that? How did he read my thoughts?"

Chase had gradually become separated from his family, little by little. He seemed even more powerful; he had a commanding air around him that almost chilled cheerful demeanors. In fact, it seemed like he never talked anymore, and when he did, it was succinct, short, and unnerving—it seemed he'd read minds and scare the victim.

Chase was down in the lab, sitting cross-legged in a desk chair, playing around with his bionics. He slowly moved his hands in a circular motion in his lap, and created a very small, four-inch plasma force field orb, and just held it in his palm, looking at it like it was a crystal ball. Look at you, the good side of him thought. You have a perfectly fine family and you're scaring and ignoring them all. So what if they never give you credit? You know very well that they do care about you.

Sure, said his darker side. But if you became the most powerful and reserved, maybe they'd respect you more. Maybe you'd be known for what you could do. Maybe Adam would stop teasing you for being so weak. Do you remember the comment he made, back then, before Krane had geo-leaped into the locked lab? Chase searched his bionic memory database and recalled it.

"Great news!" said Donald.

"We're kicking Chase off the team?" Adam asked eagerly… maybe a little too eagerly.

Chase was brought back into reality when Bree sped into the lab. "Chase, what's wrong with you?" she asked abruptly.

Chase, startled, looked up from the orb he'd been unconsciously turning around and around in his hands. "What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine." But his voice sounded different. Indifferent.

"You've been acting like you… don't care about us. You've changed, Chase!" Bree exclaimed, her voice cracking a little bit. "For worse."

"So what if I have?" he asked, abruptly. Bree couldn't have known his thoughts, but if she had, she would have never said what she said next.

"Chase, I hate to say this, but this way you've been acting—I'm afraid of you. The way you behave now... it's like I don't know whether you'll hurt me or not if I say something you don't agree with. You scare me."

Chase stumbled back, if that was even possible, since he was still sitting in the desk chair, and since he was surprised, and hurt, and several other emotions that he couldn't identify, the orb flew out of his hand and smacked Bree in the face. Bree went flying backwards several yards, and Chase thought immediately, She's hurt! He ran over to her, helped her get up, and then apologized, "I didn't know! Honestly!"

But Bree had a different idea about what had happened. She held her palm up and replied, "I don't want to hear it, Chase. I know you did that on purpose. Just another reason to avoid you." She stalked off to the kitchen, where she would supposedly gossip with the rest of the family.

Bree didn't know why she had said that so coldly. She knew Chase hadn't done it on purpose, but she also knew that at the same time, he was keeping something. Something gargantuan. One writhing, squirming mass of—what? Hatred? Loathing? Disrespect? But Chase was confident, Chase was cocky, Chase was smart. And yet, at the same time, he was becoming distant. Speaking less. Being sharper than normal. Biting tone. It all made her scared, although she really was ashamed to admit that she was afraid of him. Because she had just witnessed something that could be very powerful.

She could sense something in the air; something heavy. If I don't figure out what it is, she thought, we all could be in real danger. And with that terrifying thought in mind, she raced out of the elevator and found Mr. Davenport at the counter. "Mr. Davenport! No time to explain. Get Leo, Adam, and Tasha. I need to talk." And not waiting for his spluttering, she raced around the house, grabbing them all.

Chase was never scared, and if he was, he never showed it. He was always a fearless mission leader whom Adam and Bree relied on. And he'd never admit it now, but he was frightened. Frightened of himself.

He had learned through his database about psychological fears, and he'd always scoffed at the emotional "I'm-scared-of-myself-and-what-I-can-do" fantasy movies, he now understood the feeling. Knowing that he could hurt his family, just like he had Bree, and not being able to control it.

He'd always loved having his bionic abilities. Molecular-kinesis was so much fun, although it had never really caused harm. And even if he did harm Adam sometimes with his plasma balls, Adam always glossed over the fact that he was hurt like water off a duck's back. He always bounced back up, cheerfully.

But now, Chase thought his powers were a blessing and a curse.

With that thought, he walked up to the lab, ready to apologize to Bree.

And walked into what looked like a family meeting. Without him. What could they be talking about that was so important that they couldn't use him?

They were talking about him. Oh. So Bree is scared of me. They all are.

"Hey," he said. "What're you talking about?" He went for the casual approach, after all, what could possibly go wrong? Apparently, everything.

"Oh," Bree jumped. "Nothing."

Chase held back, even though he knew she knew that he knew that they were talking about him. "Well, you're certainly talking about something." Innocent remark. Big mistake.

Bree was quiet, and then suddenly she burst out, "Chase—you're different. Colder. Crueler. You just don't seem—like family any more! You've changed."

Chase averted his gaze and let the effect of Bree's words sting and settle on his skin. Am I really that way? I'm no different than I was earlier.

Oh, Chase, but you are! His dark side of him whispered enticingly. Isn't it wonderful? You've stopped being so sensitive and soft. You've become darker, shadier. You've become a person no one can trust or predict what you're going to do. Are you evil? No, but you are the black soul of the family.

You're heartless.

No, no, no! Chase whispered back to the dark voice. I'm not heartless! I've got a conscience. I know what it's like to love.

Oh, do you, really, now? His demonic side mocked. And just what do you love, Chase Davenport?

I love my family, Chase stubbornly retorted. I love them and I will always.

And do they love you back? It whispered. Even though you love Adam and would do anything for him, he'd just toss you around and say that you're weak and useless. What happened when you saved his stupid baby doll assignment? He ran off and didn't even thank you properly.

I would have done the same thing, Chase argued with himself.

And when you saved Douglas from Krane with your force field! What did Adam say?

Chase couldn't let himself be swayed. He had to stay strong and not let his dark side lead him down the wrong path. He had to be strong for his family…

What did Adam say to you? It urged, almost grinning with glee and anticipation with what Chase's bionic memory bank would produce.

Congratulations! You finally did something!

Well… his good side thought reluctantly, teetering over the edge and about to fall on the brink of heartlessness.

And remember exactly who saved you when you were caught in the avalanche? Was it your oh-so-loving brother Adam or your wonderfully caring sister Bree? Or your uncle/adoptive father who couldn't have cared more for you? Or was it misunderstood, evil, Douglas?

And I'm not suggesting you join Douglas… but you know that you're bitter. Angry. Why don't you release it? You'll feel better.

"You can't… what?" Bree said slowly.

Chase met her in the eye. "I can't ever please you, can I?"

"I can't…" was all Chase said out loud, before he realized that his family was staring at him like he was crazy.

Bree's mouth dropped. "Chase, what are you talking about?" She slowly started to back away, hoping Chase wouldn't notice.

Chase said angrily, "You know very well what I'm talking about! I never get credit. Yes!" He yelled as Donald opened his mouth to say something. "You were going to say that we've been through this before and that you guys do appreciate me! Weren't you?" He glared at Donald. "But you don't."

Chase gave one more defiant glance, and then walked out of the room silently, stewing, as his family members looked after him, shocked.

So there you go! Did you like it, hate it, or feel like it was "blah?" I had fun making Chase feel insecure. Oh, dear. So sorry if it seems like Chase is OOC, but remember, this is slightly AU, so deal with it! Please review! I love to see your feedback and plus they make me giddy. I'll see you all around for the next chapter not-too-soon!

(I apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors.)