Susz: You asked for it here it is! Enjoy!
BrazKaziver: Thank you once again for your help!
EmeraldTulip: Thank you, I'm glad you like it! And I completely agree, they're friendship is the best. You will find out why he is dying. He really does die a lot though. XD Here's what's next! I hope you enjoy!
Dirtkid123: Your questions will be answered in this chapter and/or future chapters. Thank you and here's more! Enjoy!
The situation finally dawned on the two bionic teens. All androids' appearances have to be based on someone real and it never fully registered to them that what the android Marcus looked like was an actual human being. It completely flew over their heads because it was easy to just copy someone's appearance especially with all the cameras everywhere.
Chase shook his head, "So what you're telling us is that Marcus is a real human being who android Marcus was based on and the human Marcus that android Marcus is based on is dying?" Donald nodded solemnly.
"So a brother we never met is dying?" Bree simplified for herself and the rest of the team as Donald nodded. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I didn't know about human Marcus until this morning." Donald defended weakly. He couldn't believe he just told them about Marcus. "Douglas let it slip this morning and we've been fighting about it ever since." Donald sighed and growled lowly, "If Douglas had only told me he was using my money for something like this, then I would've given it to him!"
"Whoa whoa whoa, what?" Chase waved his hands and furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" Donald opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, so he decided to stay silent. Chase's eyes widened, "You mean to tell me that Marcus has been in the hospital this whole time and that you've been keeping him alive with your money?" Donald reluctantly nodded as Chase yelled, "Why did you stop paying?!"
"I didn't know I was paying to keep him alive! Every month, Douglas comes to me and asks for thousands of dollars because he's working on a project, but he never once told me what that project was and what it was for! You expect me to keep paying for possibly the end of the world?" Donald argued back.
"Yes!" Chase shouted as if it was the obvious answer. "You basically killed our brother!"
"I DIDN'T KNOW!" Donald yelled at the top of his lungs which everyone except for Chase flinched. He sighed before lowering his voice to a whisper and stared at the floor in disbelief, "I didn't know." He really had just killed one of his nephews. But it was on accident, so it wasn't necessarily his fault. He was just trying to protect everyone, but it seemed that every time he tried to protect people he always screwed up and his whole family has to pay the consequences. Angered, Donald stomped to the hydrolift and went to Mission Command to think in private, leaving the five stunned teens alone in the penthouse.
"I can't believe it." Bree said quietly. "A brother I never met is just going to be…gone. Why do I feel like crying? I don't even know him." Bree looked down at her hands as a few teardrops landed on her hands. She wiped her tears away, but they kept on falling. "Why am I crying? I shouldn't be crying." She tried wiping away her tears again, but it was futile because she couldn't stop crying. She felt Chase silently grab her and gently pull her into a tight hug as she was stunned for a few moments before she sunk into the embrace and cried into his shoulder.
Chase assured her quietly, "It's going to be okay. Everything is fine." He closed his eyes and hugged her tighter when she tried to pull away as the three other teens quickly moved to comfort their friend by either hugging her or placing a comforting hand on one of her shoulders. Chase opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, "It's going to be okay." He said, barely audible to mostly reassure himself that everything really was going to be fine, but he couldn't make a promise he couldn't keep. So the five teens stayed there for what felt like hours before Donald found them curled up on the various chairs or the couch sleeping soundly. He smiled warmly at the small family before quickly getting blankets to keep them warm until the morning.
"I can't believe it! After a month of not living with Bree and Chase, we're finally going to-well-live with Bree and Chase again!" Leo cheered happily and threw his bags into the hydro loop as Adam and Daniel walked over with a smile.
"Yeah, it's awesome! I get to see my brother and sister again!" Daniel said happily and smiled innocently up at Adam and Leo who each raised a brow at the younger.
"I thought we were your favorite!" Adam and Leo asked simultaneously.
Daniel smiled reassuringly, "You are, but I miss Bree and Chase."
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Leo replied as the three of them threw their remaining luggage into the hydro loop. "I'm still wondering what their secret mission is, especially since they haven't even called us at all in the past week. Maybe they're busy." Leo shrugged and turned to his brothers.
Adam put a hand on Daniel's shoulder and suggested, "Maybe they're actually stuck in some warehouse where a crazed maniac will kill them if they're not already dead and they're waiting for someone to rescue them." Adam smiled and stared at the ceiling in wonder as Daniel and Leo stared at him in disbelief. Suddenly, Adam gasped at this realization and his eyes widened, "Let's go, they might be in trouble!" Adam pushed the two towards the hydro loop, but a voice stopped them.
"Calm down!" Douglas said and walked over to them. "They're fine, they've just been having a rough time lately. With Roman and Riker on the loose, it's putting them on the edge."
"We'll boost the morale then!" Daniel replied and went to run into the hydro loop, but Douglas placed a firm hand on his shoulder and forced Daniel to face him.
Douglas shook his head, "This isn't something you can fix with a sly joke or a clever prank. Give them time and they'll be fine. Also, don't ask them about it, you'll be making a mistake if you do. Promise me none of you will ask them about it." The three of them nodded in understanding and he smiled briefly before it faded quickly, "Now go, I'll see you guys later."
Douglas turned to leave, but Leo spoke, "Wait, who's Roman and Riker?"
"Oh, I said too much. You'll find out when you get there. They'll tell you later and explain everything. Now go." Douglas pushed them into the hydro loop and the doors slid closed before any of them could argue. He watched the light fade away before his smile quickly fell and he placed his hands on his hips. After a few moments, he angrily kicked a nearby cyber desk and huffed, "Why did you tell them, Donnie?" He punched the same cyber desk. "Why? Why? Why?! Why?! WHY?!" He punched the cyber desk repeatedly as it sparked, but he didn't care. He knew he broke the cyber desk, but he didn't care. Marcus was his responsibility, not Donald's. He was supposed to tell the kids, not Donald. He was supposed to take care of Marcus, but he failed. He was the reason Marcus was dying. He had failed. He hit the cyber desk one last time before storming out of the room. "I'm going to fix this. I'm going to fix my son."
Knocking on the door, Leo nearly screamed excitedly when the door opened and tackled his stepbrother as they fell to the ground. "Good to see you too, Leo." Chase said and looked up at Leo, "Would you please get off me?" Leo got up and looked around the penthouse as Chase got up and dusted himself off. Chase greeted his brothers and smiled earnestly at them, but Adam could quickly tell that there was something wrong with that smile.
"Wow, this place looks amazing." Leo said, amazed at the sheer detail and thought that was put into the place. "How come Big D never had this much thought put into his house? I mean, look at this place!" He outstretched his arms to emphasize his point and turned back to his family, quickly noticing the other three teens in the room. "When did you guys get there?" Leo asked, pointing at them.
"Just now." Skylar answered and crossed her arms over her chest. "Would someone mind explaining why there's more people in this penthouse."
Daniel stepped up to answer, "Well, since we really missed each other, Adam, Leo, and I decided to surprise Bree and Chase with our presence."
The three brothers struck a pose and yelled simultaneously, "Surprise!"
"What's with all the yelling?" Bree asked angrily as she walked down the stairs, looking absolutely terrible. Her hair was so tangled and messy that a hurricane must've hit her at some point. Her clothes were wrinkled like she hasn't even bothered to change in days. Her face was full of worry and dread that the three brothers immediately regretted yelling so loudly. Her eyes were puffy and red like she had been crying. Her appearance confirmed Adam's suspicions; there was something extremely wrong.
Chase walked over to her and whispered in her ear to calm her, "Just go back to your room, I'll handle this. And don't come out until I come get you."
"But what are they doing here?" Bree asked quietly, gesturing towards them.
Looking behind him, Chase eyed his siblings precariously and clenched his jaw. He turned back to Bree, "They're here to stay for a while. I don't know how long, but they can't know about… You know." He said, even going to the lengths to lowering his voice more so that they couldn't hear. "Just please go back to your room. You're going to worry everyone." Chase said as Bree nodded and slowly trudged her way silently back to her room.
"What's up with her?" Leo asked worriedly.
"Another person dumped her." Chase lied easily and placed his hands on his hips as two of the three brothers completely bought his lie. Adam pursed his lips into a thin line, but quickly decided against questioning Chase right now. "So, after only a week of not talking to each other, you all decide to crash our party."
"Woah, wait, you're having a party?!" Adam asked, gasping and quickly looking around for any other party guests. "Aw, where is everyone? Oh wait, that's right." Adam walked over to Chase and placed a hand on the younger's shoulder. "You have no friends."
Chase opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it as he looked at his older brother with his infamous 'really?' face. Chase shrugged off his hand as Adam smiled innocently and Oliver asked, "What are we, chopped liver?"
Kaz spoke up, "Yeah, uh, I don't think you want to be Chase's friend." Chase turned to him with an incredulous look as Kaz raised his hands and backed away slightly. "I was only joking."
"Of course you were." Chase replied sarcastically. "You guys came at a really bad time, Roman and Riker could attack you guys at any moment."
"Yeah, one quick question." Leo walked over to Chase with a smile before yelling. "Who's Roman and Riker?!"
Annoyed, Chase glared at Leo for a few moments before Kaz pulled Leo aside, "Do not anger the tiny child." Chase rolled his eyes and groaned in disbelief. "What?" Kaz asked innocently as Oliver raised an eyebrow at him and Skylar crossed her arms over her chest expectantly. Kaz sighed, "Ugh, fine! Let's go!" Kaz motioned for them to follow him and he lead them towards the hydrolift.
"Where are we going?" Daniel asked curiously and cautiously approached the hydrolift. "And what is this?"
"It's an elevator that'll take us below the Earth's crust." Kaz answered simply.
"We're on like the one hundredth floor of this building. It's going to take hours to get down there!" Daniel whined.
"Do you want to know who Roman and Riker are?" Kaz asked, keeping a surprisingly straight face.
"Y'know… I'm not that desperate to know who they are." Leo said, pointing at the hydrolift like it was going to eat him if he got too close.
"Just get on." Skylar said as she and Chase pushed them onto the hydrolift with Kaz and stepped away from the hydrolift.
Kaz smirked at the three brothers as Skylar, Oliver, and Chase watched them with amusement. Adam, Daniel, and Leo immediately knew that something was up and it almost scared them. Almost. "Please keep your hands and legs in the elevator at all times." Kaz said with his amused smirk and added for dramatic affect. "And please put on your seatbelt, it'll be a bumpy ride." On cue, the hydrolift activated and sent them to Mission Command as everyone in the lift except for Kaz screamed at the top of their lungs, terrified beyond belief. Once they reached Mission Command, Kaz walked out unscathed with his smirk still plastered onto his face and turned to the other three who were in shock. "Welcome to Mission Command!" Kaz said with his arms outstretched as Leo and Daniel stared at him in horror. They quickly stumbled out of the hydrolift as Adam walked out curiously.
"Cool! Can I go again?" Adam asked and walked back into the hydrolift to activate it again before Kaz could stop him.
Douglas walked through the clean white walls of the hospital that housed his second youngest son and gripped the white roses splashed with dark purple tightly. Making his way expertly through the halls like he's done so many times before. Douglas suddenly stopped a few feet away from the room his son was in and hesitated slightly. Taking a deep breath, Douglas rounded the corner and forced a smile when he saw his son was sitting up and wide awake. The frail boy looked over and smiled smally at his father as Douglas walked over to the bed after placing the flowers at a nearby table.
"Hey sport, how ya doin'?" Douglas asked and sat down in a nearby chair.
"Better, now that you're here." Marcus smiled innocently and coughed several times before breathing deeply. Marcus looked behind Douglas and smiled at the white and purple roses that his father brought, "You know that you don't always have to bring me my favorite flowers every time you come here, right?"
The older of the two turned to stare at the flowers sadly before turning back to his son. "I know." Douglas said quietly. "I just want you to know that I will always love you."
"Dad, I already know that." Marcus assured as Douglas sniffed and gently grasped his son's hand, staring at the white sheets because he couldn't stand to watch his son in so much pain. "Dad…" Marcus said quietly before weakly squeezing the other's hand. "Dad, I'm going to be okay. I know I'm going to be okay." Douglas didn't answer and Marcus sighed, "Dad, please don't cry. Please." He almost pleaded as Douglas couldn't help, but snivel quietly. Marcus quietly watched his father cry onto the bed sheet and hold onto his hand for dear life. Douglas felt that if he let go, Marcus would be lost forever. His own son would die because of him.
"I'm so sorry, Marcus." He choked out weakly as his whole body shook. "I'm so sorry that I've failed you."
"You didn't fail me." His son replied immediately. "You never failed me and will never fail me. You're still here and you still love me. You still care for me in any way possible. Dad, you're doing the best you can."
Douglas suddenly lifted his head and looked at Marcus with watery eyes, "But it's not enough, Marcus!" He said. "It was never enough."
"It's always enough." Marcus said quietly as Douglas continued to quietly cry into the sheets and Marcus comforted him with his presence. The younger looked down at his father in sadness. It was because of him that his father was like this. His stupid body couldn't fight the illness that he was infected with. Marcus hated himself to the core because Douglas has to suffer all this pain alone. It was all his fault that Douglas has no one to go to for comfort, not even his older brother. I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry for all the pain I've inflicted onto you. I'll fix this, I promise… Marcus thought solemnly and closed his eyes, the sound of quiet sobs slowly fading away into a distant memory.