Hello again everyone! I'm back already! I finished chapter 9 of this story the other night and have already started chapter 10, so I thought I'd post chapter 2. Does that make any sense? All you need to know is that you're getting a new chapter!

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad that you guys are liking the story. I had hoped you would. I haven't been this excited about a story since I posted the prologue of I'm a Weapon! It's going to be great.

Congrats to: PrincessSparkleKitty, PurpleNicole531, tennisgirl77, daphrose fan, and RissA15 for correctly guessing our 'mystery man.' Every single person who guessed got Aspen's middle name right. XD Kinda obvious, huh?

I forgot to do this last chapter, but it seriously needs to be done. Special thanks to some of my creative consultants on this story: Tie Dye Pencils, for listening to me ramble on for hours and hours and hours . . . honestly, folks, she's just the greatest. :3 Also, my dad, who does not have a fanfiction account (yet!). He's the one who suggested the name 'Defiance' and helped me create the future technology (since I suck at that stuff). Applause for them both!

Chapter two soundtrack: "Who We Are" by Switchfoot. Maybe I could've picked a better one, but I thought it went well. Don't forget: a link to the song will be posted on my profile beneath my 'future ideas' section. Be sure to check it out!

What are we waiting around for? Let's jump to 2037 and see what the future Davenports are up to! I don't own Lab Rats. Enjoy!

* * * Chapter 2: Base Sweet Base * * *

"That's Defiant Base 15672, Adam," my mom corrected the man.

"Whoops, my bad," he said with a goofy grin. "Hey, I was only one number off!"

Adam was my mom's older brother and that, of course, made him my uncle. He was goofy and fun and loud. Sometimes he was awfully immature for a middle-aged man, but that was part of his charm. He wasn't quite the brightest, but he was still great to be around.

"How are you ladies on this fine day?" Uncle Adam asked us. "Whoa, Aspen, have you grown since I last saw you?"

"You saw me last week," I pointed out. "I haven't grown an inch since then."

"So, half an inch?"

I chuckled, not quite sure whether he was being funny or if he was actually serious about his question. It was hard to tell with him sometimes.

"How are things going down here, Adam?" my mom asked him.

"Great, actually," Uncle Adam said. "We've had a couple of new recruits come in. Everyone's been training hard. We just sent out a team to Creekside. Things have been running like a well-oiled machine."

"Good to hear it."

"But, um, I do have a few things to discuss with you. In private?" My uncle sent a pointed look at me.

"Aw, come on, I'm old enough to handle it!" I protested.

"I'm sure you are, kiddo," Adam said, rubbing the top of my head. "But this is top-secret information for your mother and I only." He leaned over, pressed a hand to the side of his mouth, and whispered into my ear, "Spy-like stuff, you understand."

"Why don't you wander around for a bit, Aspen?" my mom suggested. "But don't get in anyone's way."

"Mo-om!" I whined.

"Aspen," she said harshly, sending me a glare over her shoulder.

Uncle Adam must have noticed the tension, because he said, "Leo's wandering around here somewhere. Mr. Davenport is down in his workshop. I know you like hanging out in there, Aspen. I think he'll let you watch him."

"Great," I mumbled. "Well, see you, then."

"We'll come find you when we're done," Uncle Adam assured me. "I can burn holes into glass with my heat vision for ya!"

"Sure!" I said with faux enthusiasm. That trick hadn't impressed me since I was five.

I wandered down the tunnel in one direction while my mom and uncle went another. I observed all the people training and felt a familiar desire well up within me. Ever since I was little, I had wanted to join the Defiance – the rebellion my mom and uncle led – and fight against The Sovereign. I hated him with everything inside me, and I grew up in this environment of rebellion. I couldn't wait to join them.

A large metal door soon came up on my right. I knocked on it a couple of times. "Come in!" a voice from the inside called. I turned the handle and pushed the door open.

"Hi Grandpa," I said as I walked in.

The figure on the other side of the room turned to look at me. He had a large metal mask covering his face. He tilted it up and grinned at me.

"Hey sugar," he said.

Grandpa Donald's hair was grey, but it was tinted black due to futile attempts to dye it. My mother claimed that it took a long time before 'he finally accepted his age.' Looking at him, I still didn't think he had completely.

"How was school?" Grandpa asked as he bustled around the lab. A hundred different scientific devices lay around and he seemed to take great pleasure in playing with them.

"Same as always," I said. I started to sit down on an object that looked like a chair, but my grandfather stopped me.

"Don't sit there!" he shouted suddenly, startling me.

"What? Why not?" I screamed as I shot up like a rocket.

"That was supposed to be a heat controlled couch," Grandpa said as he ran over and shooed me away from it. "Unfortunately I haven't gotten it to work right yet. That thing will boil you like a pot of spaghetti if you sit on it."

"Good to know," I said. "So, do you have anything that I could sit on that won't make me burst into flames?"

"Um . . ." Grandpa Donald said as he looked around his lab. "No." He shrugged sheepishly.

"Fine, I'll just stand."

Grandpa walked over to whatever he had been working on before. "So what were you saying about school?"

"Oh, just that nothing is changed. I have to pledge my life to a tyrant I hate. Same old, same old."

"Sorry about that. Well, you only have, what, a few weeks left?"

"One. One more week and I'm fifteen. Then I can finally join the Defiance!"

"So you won't be going to high school?"

"No. I don't want to go and be indoctrinated into their stupid system any more than I already have been. And I want to join you guys!"

Grandpa looked up and me and said quietly, "With your super-smarts, you could do really well. You could get a really good job; good enough to make a lot of money. Money that the Defiance could use. You could help us in that way."

"I know," I mumbled. "But I think I could also do well fighting here! I've considered all my options and . . . and I'm sure this is what I want to do."

"All right, if you're sure," he said with a shrug. "But as long as we're on the subject of your bionics . . ."

"Oh boy," I mumbled. Here we go again!

"How has your, ahem, 'sixth sense' been working for you?"

"It's working just fine."

"Let's test it," Grandpa said. "Close your eyes."

I obeyed. It was the least I could do for him.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

My bionics picked up the subtle motions of everything around me. I took deep breaths in concentration. I could 'see' everything going on around me, even without 'seeing.' My bionics gave me a 'picture' in my brain. The things that moved (in other words, my grandfather) were much clearer than the objects that remained still.

"Four," I said. "But it looks like there are three bottles on that shelf." I pointed across the room to a shelf I knew had eight bottles on it. "So that's not working quite as well. Still objects are blurry to me."

"Hmm, we'll have to work on that," Grandpa Donald said. "You can open your eyes."

I opened my eyes to see him jotting something down on an old tablet. I chuckled quietly to myself. Grandpa sure did keep himself busy.

"Aspen, sweetie," he said, glancing up at me. "You know I love you, and I appreciate your work in here, but . . ."

"You need to be alone?"

"I have some projects that require my undivided attention," he told me.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand," I mumbled. "No one seems to want me around."

"Leo's around here somewhere," Grandpa said absentmindedly. "Maybe he'll have some errands for you."

"Yes, because Uncle Leo's errands are so fun."

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm going."

I sighed as I walked out of the room. Everyone always carted me off to someone else. They saw me as a pest and a nuisance. I couldn't wait to officially join the Defiance and prove them wrong.

The halls were by no means empty. The Defiance didn't have a staggering amount of recruits, but it was a decent size. This was only one of the bases. Most of the other ones had been destroyed. There were several small outposts in other cities. But here in the small town of Brooks, a suburb of Restwater, was our largest base.

Uncle Adam and Mom were the leaders of the Defiance. Uncle Leo was one of our top generals. Grandpa Donald was our resident scientist who developed our technology. That was how we rolled.

I stopped to watch the training in one of the rooms. They were doing intense martial arts. A lot of them were sparring with each other. A few instructors walked around, telling the students what they were and weren't doing correctly.

None of the rest of the recruits were bionic. The only bionic ones were me, my mom, and my mom's brothers. Well, us and the bionic army The Sovereign was in control of, of course.

Some people thought The Sovereign himself was bionic. But no one really knew. There were lots of theories and legends surrounding our 'glorious leader,' but they were all unsubstantiated. He was a mystery, even to his own people.

I passed another one of the rooms and glanced in to see a bunch of people running laps around a small track. Others were sitting on the side and watching them. Two of those figures were ones that I knew well.

"Hey Uncle Leo!" I called cheerily as I ran over. My uncle turned to face me and flashed a weary grin. The young boy beside him turned as well.

"Hey little cuz," he said.

"Don't call me that, Tanner!" I spat. Tanner was Uncle Leo's son, and, by definition, my cousin, but in all honestly he was more like a brother to me. We teased and poked each other all the time, but we actually did love one another.

"How have you been, Aspen?" Uncle Leo asked, keeping one eye on me and the other on the trainees.

"Pretty good," I said. "My birthday's in one week."

"Aw, my little cousin is really growing up!" Tanner said, putting a hand on his chest. "Have you reached double digits yet?"

"I'm turning fifteen and you know it," I said through gritted teeth.

"You'll always be a baby to me."

"This coming from the seventeen year old who can't even grow a mustache."

"Hey, I chose to have clean-shaven lips."

"Uh-huh," I said, rolling my eyes.

Uncle Leo cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Five minute water break, everyone!"

The recruits sighed and hurried over to the benches along the walls. They proceeded to chat with each other and guzzle their water.

My uncle turned to his son and said, "Tanner, can you go tell Marissa that we're not running a marathon here? She needs to stop wearing herself out so quickly."

"Sure thing, Dad," Tanner replied. "Be right back." He jogged over to the young girl who looked to be about my age.

"Marissa's new, and she's still learning all the rules," Uncle Leo explained. "But how have you been?"

"Okay." I shrugged. "I can't wait to join the Defiance!"

"I can't wait for that either. You'll be a tough, resilient fighter, just like your mom." He patted my shoulder and winked.

"For now, though, I have to deal with the fact that I don't really belong," I sighed. "Everyone keeps sending me off to other places. They don't seem to think that I can really do anything."

"I know the feeling," Uncle Leo said sadly. "You've just got to show them how wrong they are. Do something that blows them away. Trust me, they'll accept you. People are too quick to judge. Be patient, Aspen. Patience will always be the key."

"Thanks, Uncle Leo."

"Now, I really hate to do this, but we need to get back to our training," Uncle Leo said. "You can stay and watch if you want . . ."

"No, it's fine."

"Your grandma is in the kitchen, if you want to go visit her."

I started to smile. "Did she make cookies today?"

"No," my uncle told me. My face fell. "But I did hear something about freshly baked bread."

My smile returned. Grandma Tasha's bread was amazing. "Okay, I'll go see her. Bye, Uncle Leo!"

"Bye, Aspen!"

I sighed as I walked out the door. Shipped off again. But hey, at least Uncle Leo knew what it was like. He was technically my mom's step-brother, and so it had taken a little bit of time before they became quite as close. He would tell me stories of their childhood where – according to him – he was woefully misunderstood.

At least I knew that Grandma Tasha would never send me away. I found myself following my nose to the Defiance base's kitchen.

Ta-da! Chapter two is done. And it is so much better than the first draft. When I first wrote the chapter, that part with Leo was much smaller, and Tanner wasn't in it at all. It took major editing before I got what you just read.

Aspen's 'sixth sense' is a bit like the Force from Star Wars. Yes, that's where I got it from. Hopefully I explained it well enough, but if there are any questions, just ask.

I imagine the Defiance base like Lake Laogai from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Look up a picture of it, if you want. Except I imagine the Defiance base to be a bit more well-lit, and the walls are made out of metal (mostly), not earth-bent rock. Does that make sense?

ungerlover: Thank you! Interesting guess. You'll find out what happened to Chase in chapter three, but I'm not giving anything away just yet. ;) Your random list of side characters made me laugh! Nah, just plain old Adam! Oh, that's funny! I had a friend named Alison growing up, and I always thought it was a pretty name. And your 'lame' joke made me laugh! Thank you so much!

amichele: I'm glad I posted it now too! And aw, thank you! Your reviews always make me smile. I appreciate the support!

Tie Dye Pencils: *sits in the corner and laughs with you* And thanks! :3

RandomGirl: I know, right? I don't think either of us could've stood the wait! XD Haha, your Marcus guess made me laugh. Hooray for not thinking! According to one of the wikis, yes, her middle name is Justice. But it also says that her birthday is in February, which can't be right 'cause she's a Sagittarius (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21). I'm glad you like Allison. I thought it was nice. We should start a club. The WCH (Whipped Cream Haters). YEAH! :D Thanks for the review!

PrincessSparkleKitty: Thanks for the review! Yup, it was Adam. :P Nice job!

PurpleNicole531: Going with Adam would be correct. Great job! And thanks for reviewing!

MoonlitShadowsoftheHumanSoul: Thank you very much. *bows*

Tennisgirl77: Indeed it is. Nice job being the only one to guess it with one try! (Others got it, but they guessed multiple characters.) And I'm glad you like it!

AllAmericanSlurp: Thanks for the review, even it was short! Mangos and coconut (hairy fruit) trees! Thanks for not saying anything. I appreciate it. ;)

daphrose fan: Yes, it is Adam. :) Thanks for reviewing!

TheMichiganWriter: Well then that worked out, huh? And it's totally fine. I've taken longer to review your stories! If you want, you can PM me who you think The Sovereign is. He may or may not be someone you know. And I probably won't be able to tell you if you're correct or not. Thank you so much!

Lab Rats Lover: Yes it did!

Guest: Thanks for reviewing. Yes, it's from Chase, but this is not a Brase story. (I said last chapter that it was Bree x OC.) Also, by that logic, Tasha and Leo aren't related, because they were related in the parallel universe. I think Adam, Bree, and Chase are siblings, so I don't write Brase. Sorry. But I'm glad you like it!

RissA15: Wow, you're right, it is! I had to look up Fridays in the year 2037. I felt so weird searching for 'September 2037' (then going to October) online. Eh, I've done weirder. Adam – No one. Chase – You'll see. Douglas – You'll see. Perry – She's not in this story. Sorry. XD Like I said to TheMichiganWriter, you may or may not know who The Sovereign is. Haha, you're really desperate for some evil Chase, aren't you? I've been planning a few stories with him, so be on the lookout for those. :3 And thanks for reviewing!

I'm so glad you're reading this story! (If you're still reading it.) I appreciate y'all. I hope you like this chapter, even if it wasn't my best. Reviews are always appreciated, and, no matter how long it takes or how tedious it gets, I will be replying to them this story! Which makes for really long author's notes, but who cares? You get a special look inside the mind of daphrose. :3 It's dangerous, and few ever return . . .

In short, thanks for reading! See you on Chapter 3: Heavy Losses. Bye!