Kihonne: What's up people? I know you guys are excited for this chapter, so I'm not going to babble on forever. So, straight to shout outs!
Xxx
Mhernandez5: Thanks!
AntriLover5: Thanks, and I'm glad you think so. And you're right – it just wouldn't be fair to leave them behind.
KyoumouDBZmjj8: Thanks, and I love Chase scenes too. He's my fave character. And I wanted to put that kind of suspense on there. I thought it would be more interesting. And you're right: Derek's furious.
Maddian246: Thanks, and I'm always glad to have a reader that likes both my stories. And I'm glad you didn't think the escape was too hard or too easy.
Guest: Okay, time to answer your questions. They all got our relatively the same way (using a deactivator and breaking out of their cells) and Marcus stole the van. Vivyanna is going to be paired with Chase, although Marcus will also have a girlfriend by the end of the story. Yes, Leo and Davenport will be coming in soon, but the device that they used to block their powers inside the cell also blocked their GPS. Adam, Bree and Chase been there about a week and a half. Yes, we will get to see Derek's back story (not necessarily this chapter) and how he got this evil. He will be taken down eventually, although I'm not telling anyone how. I want that to be a surprise. And I'm not giving any spoilers about the weapon's program. It's top secret for the time being). Anyway, thanks for liking the story and characters!
Guest: I understand what you mean. The kids put a lot of thought and work into their plan so that it would work, and as you said, it went as well as well thought out plans are supposed to go. I understand completely what you mean and I don't take any offense. You're not too bad at explaining your thoughts, and don't worry, you're not stepping on anyone's toes. I'm glad you thought it was good. :)
Alamodie: You're right. That is what they're good at. And thanks!
MoonlitShadowsoftheHumanSoul: I'm sorry if you don't like the pairing. It's your opinion. But I've planned on pairing them together since the beginning and I'd have to rewrite numerous parts of the overall plot if I didn't pair them together. But I'm glad she's now considered acceptable. As for your tracker theory, I'm not going to confirm nor deny that. And I'm afraid I'm going to have to take Derek back early. He's got a job to do.
shinxshinx1595: thanks!
TheBritishWannaBe: Thanks!
Guest: Oh, trust me. I have a plan for the raccoons that will make total sense. It sure is going to be funny. And your overall plot idea is very interesting and somewhat close to what I actually have planned. And you gave me an idea for a sequel, so that's pretty cool too. And as for the swearing, there won't be much in here, but there might be the occasional F word. But not very often. And DFTBA too!
AllAmericanSlurp: I'm glad you're excited. And yes, there will be plenty of chapters like that. And I LOVE your name for the bionics. Facility Rats...why didn't I think of that? Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
.life426: You're right; they're happiness and freedom won't last long. And I'm glad that you liked the escape. And you're right - they all are going to take some time to trust their new allies. Some of them are going to hate each other right off the bat while others are going to connect really well. And I'm glad that you're curious about Vivyanna. Before I posted this story, I put hours of work into her character. I worked harder on her character than anyone else's, except maybe Derek. You're going to learn a lot about her, as well as see the effect the lab rats have on her, because it's impossible to let someone into your life without that person changing you, even in the slightest. As for Marcus, he has his reasons for not trusting them as much and you're going to find that out in an upcoming chapter. And I've already written the confrontation; I'm just waiting for the perfect moment. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it!
Xxx
Kihonne: If I missed your review, I am so sorry. My email glitched and I only got half of them sent to me. I went to the review page to do the ones I didn't get emails about, but I'm worried I missed one. Anyway, Roxanna, can yo do the disclaimer for me?
Roxanna: Sure. Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats. She only owns this story, the characters and anything else you don't recognize.
Chase's POV
"God, that's bright." I complained as my eyes opened to see the bright light of the sun shining in through the window. Bree and I had switched seats around three in the morning and I was stuck in the passenger seat.
"Good morning to you too." Vivyanna smirked from beside me. I frowned. Roxanna had been driving when I fell asleep.
"How long have you been up?" I asked.
"Only an hour and a half." She replied with a shrug.
"Want me to take over?" I offered. She shook her head.
"No, I'm good. We're going to be in Stockwood in about fifteen minutes, give or take." She replied. I nodded.
"So, how many towns are really in Alaska anyway?" I asked. "I mean seriously, who'd want to live here? It's too cold!"
As I said this, I shivered in my jacket. We were all freezing – the jackets weren't that protective against the cold. The only one of us who wasn't holding onto their jacket for dear life was Vivyanna. In fact, she wasn't even wearing hers.
"There's a few towns, but I've only ever been to Stockwood." She told me. "I'm guessing you haven't been here before?"
"Actually, I came here once." I admitted. "I was trying to get samples from a Citanium site for my dad."
Vivyanna glanced at me. "Citanium? Why would your dad need that?" She asked, turning back to the empty road.
"He's an inventor." I told her. "He was making a freeze ray."
"And did it work?" Vivyanna asked. I nodded. "Okay, I'll admit it. That sounds totally awesome."
"Yeah." I felt the tug on my heartstrings when I thought of Mr. Davenport and Leo.
"So anyway, Stockwood's one of the biggest towns in Alaska, but that's just comparatively. They're all pretty small." She acted as if she hadn't noticed my change in mood, but I knew she did.
"How big is it? How many people live there?" I asked curiously, trying to distract myself with random facts.
"Um, let's see. There's a couple of restaurants, a clothing store, and a bank." She replied. "There's a library and a school as well, along with a few other small places. I think a few hundred people live there."
I nodded. "So what's the plan?" I asked.
"Not sure. We'll discuss it with the others when they wake up. But we'll need money and a destination. Oh, and food. Definitely food. I'm starved."
"Well then you shouldn't have given away your dinner yesterday." I chided. Vivyanna ignored me.
"Yeah, I know. I wasn't that hungry though. Nerves, I guess. Anyway, we're going to need a destination." She continued.
"Preferably somewhere warmer." I agreed. Vivyanna smirked.
"We're not far from the border, so we'll probably head to Canada first." She said. "And then, who knows?"
"Where would you want to go?" I asked. She shrugged. "No, I want an answer. If you could go anywhere, where would it be?"
"The pyramids." She decided. "I've always wanted to go. Maybe Greece after that. I've always wanted to visit the Pantheon."
I nodded. "The pyramids sound cool, but I'd want to go home honestly. Get my family first." Vivyanna just nodded. "What about you? Where are your parents?"
"It doesn't matter. Roxy and I aren't going home after this." Vivyanna snapped. I frowned. Things had been going so well. What had changed her attitude?
"Alright then." I replied softly. We sat in silence for the next few minutes, then finally, someone else woke up.
"Huh?" Mira sat up suddenly, without a warning.
"Mira, what's wrong?" Alex asked, rubbing his eyes. She'd woken him up when she had sat up. Mira looked around in confusion.
"Where are we?" She asked quietly. Alex quickly explained what had happened as everyone else slowly got up.
Not long after, a small town came into view. Vivyanna was right – it was pretty small. But it had just enough people so that we might not be noticed as strangers right away.
"So, what's the plan?" Rhyder asked, leaning against the back of my chair.
"Money. That's the first thing we'll need after we ditch the truck. And a ride." Marcus decided.
"We could rob the gas station." Roxanna suggested. "Steal all the money and food we can get our hands on, then take the cars that have just been gassed."
Adam, Bree and I looked at her. "Or, we could just go to the bank." Bree told her. Everyone chuckled but us.
"Really? Do you have bank account big enough to support nine people for what could be an extended period of time? That's a lot of money, Bree." Vivyanna commented. Bree glared at her.
"We could borrow some from our dad." Adam suggested. "He's rich."
"That's a good idea." I told them. "He'd send us the money without hesitating. We just need to give him a call."
"You expect us to stop at a payphone so you can call your daddy?" Vivyanna asked, her voice mocking us. I nodded.
"Let's do it. But we're still going to have to take a couple of cars." Roxanna told us. "So, who wants to do what?"
"We'll call Mr. Davenport." Bree said, her hands on both my and Adam's shoulders.
"Okay, but we should split up evenly. Teams of four and five." Marcus suggested. Roxanna nodded.
"Yeah. Those agents are still out there looking for us. You shouldn't go alone." She told us. I nodded.
"Right. Vivy, are you coming with us?" I asked. Both Vivyanna and Bree shot me an outraged look.
"We're not taking her!" "Don't call me Vivy!" They both exclaimed. Vivyanna looked at Bree, slightly offended.
"Don't worry, I don't even want to come with you." She said. "Roxy, you go with them. I'll steal the cars."
Roxanna shrugged. She didn't seem too surprised by her sister's hostility. "Sure. Let's go. Park over there."
Vivyanna did as she asked, parking the van behind a restaurant. Nearby was a payphone. Roxanna looked at me.
"You guys go call your dad. Vivyanna, you're not to even head to the gas station until we leave for the bank. We don't want the town's police looking for a car thief when we're not ready to leave."
"I know!" Vivyanna snapped. "I'm not an idiot."
"No, you're just stubborn." Roxanna shot back.
"Girls, girls, you're both pretty." Rhyder joked, trying to stop the argument before it began. "Anyway, what's the plan after that?"
"Mr. Davenport's got hundreds of warehouses that we can hide out in. And he can help hide us from the agents." Bree suggested. Vivyanna shook her head.
"No." she objected. We all looked at her. "Look, it's one thing to ask for money, but hiding us from the law is a whole other matter."
"He hid us from the law for fifteen years." I told her. She didn't look reassured at all.
"And look how good he was at that." She snapped. "And you're his kids. We're not. He might chicken out. He might hand us right over. I don't want to have to rely on anyone else that I don't know."
"We'll vote on it." Rhyder suggested before Bree could argue with Vivyanna. "All in favour of asking these dudes' dad for help, raise their hand."
The only ones who didn't raise their hands were Marcus and Vivyanna. Vivyanna groaned in annoyance, crossing her arms. Roxanna looked at us. "Go." She told us, gesturing at the payphone. We nodded and got out of the van.
"You do it." Bree told me as we reached the phone. I quickly dialled the familiar number.
"Hello?" I grinned at the voice. Memories of yesterday's holograms were still fresh in my mind and this was just the reassurance I needed.
"Leo!" I exclaimed.
"Chase?" Leo gasped. "You're alright? We thought…well, we weren't sure. We've been trying to find you guys for the past two weeks, but those government goons covered their tracks pretty well. Are Adam and Bree with you?"
"Yeah, they're fine. They say hi." I told them. I heard Leo breathe a sigh of relief. "Listen Leo, as good as it is to hear your voice, we need to talk to Mr. Davenport. Now."
"Right. Here he is." Leo told us. "I'm glad you guys are okay."
"Chase?" That was Mr. Davenport. I smiled.
"I'm here. So are Adam and Bree." I assured him.
"Thank God. Where are you?" He demanded.
"Alaska, near the Canadian border." I told him. "We're in trouble."
"Yeah, I would think." Mr. Davenport replied. "I thought those agents brought you to some secret facility."
"They did. We managed to escape, with some help." I said.
"Help? What help?" Mr. Davenport asked.
"Some of the other prisoners." I told him. "We're going to need somewhere to lie low for a while though. And we're going to need cash."
"Right. Of course." Mr. Davenport agreed. "I'll send three grand to your account, but don't take all of it out at a time. It'll be too suspicious."
"Good idea." I agreed.
"If you and your friends can get home, Leo and I have been working on a new lab. Really big, really remote. You should be safe there. But you'll need to get back here."
"We're on our way." I told him. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. Mr. Davenport should be warned. "Mr. Davenport, wait."
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"One of the prisoners that escaped with us…it's Marcus." I told him. There was a moment of silence.
"I thought Marcus died." Mr. Davenport finally said. I nodded, although he couldn't see it.
"So did we. But he's here and he's alive. He's…different though. He hasn't tried to kill us yet. And he's part of the reason we managed to escape." I replied.
"Chase, you need to ditch him as soon as you can." Mr. Davenport told me. I sighed.
"We can't do that, Mr. Davenport. The girls…we need their help and they won't leave him." I told him.
"Do they know what he's done?" He asked.
"I don't think so. Should we tell them?" I wondered. If Marcus really was different, then that would ruin his chance at a real friendship. And the sisters…they'd hate us for telling them the truth. And even though Vivyanna sort of hated us already, I didn't want to know what it was to feel her full anger.
"Yes." Mr. Davenport told me. "They deserve to know."
"You're right." I saw Roxanna's head poking out of the van's window, looking at me impatiently. "We've got to go."
"Right. We'll try to contact you guys soon. Chase…be careful. All three of you."
"We will." I promised before hanging up the phone. Bree looked at me.
"Well?" she asked, as if she hadn't been eavesdropping on the conversation.
"We're going home." I told her. She and Adam grinned.
"Sweet!" He exclaimed. We jogged back to the van, where Vivyanna and Roxanna were arguing.
"It's a stupid idea. It's far too risky!" Vivyanna was saying. I cleared my throat, getting their attention.
"Oh, you're back." Roxanna said. "How'd it go?"
"Mr. Davenport's sending money to my account, but we're only to take a little out at a time. And he said he's got somewhere for us to stay, but we have to get home first." I informed them. Roxanna nodded.
"Right. Vivyanna, you can steal your cars now. Make sure there's room for nine people between the two of them. Everyone but Adam, Bree, and Chase can go with her." She ordered. They started to leave but Roxanna caught Marcus by the sleeve.
"Keep your head down and your jacket on. People might notice the android parts, no offense." She told him. Marcus nodded. "And if you can, keep my sister out of trouble. You know how she gets when she's upset."
Marcus smirked. "Sure, I'll try. Keep your earpiece in."
"I know!" She called after him as he ran after the others. She nodded at the street. "The bank's only a short walk. Come on."
We walked in pairs, Adam and Bree a few steps behind us. I looked at Roxanna.
"Vivyanna's not happy about the plan." I observed. Roxanna nodded.
"She's worried that we'll get caught again if we're not careful." She told me. "We never found out how they recaptured us last time. She thinks they'll do it again."
"Right." I said, thinking about the possibility. Roxanna elbowed me gently, a smile on her face.
"She's just scared." She informed me. I smirked.
"She is many things, but I don't think scared is one of them." I commented. Roxanna smirked as well.
"Then what is she?" she asked.
"Stubborn, kind of scary, a little…" I trailed off, unable to think of the right word.
"A little rough around the edges?" Roxanna guessed. "Angry, keeps everything to herself? Almost impossible to talk to without hitting a bad subject?"
"Bingo." I replied. I sighed. "She's just so frustrating!"
"Believe me, I know. She's my sister." Roxanna smiled. "But she's actually kind of nice, once you get to know her."
"And how am I supposed to do that? Whenever I say something, I've always said the wrong thing and she gets upset." I complained.
"Give her time." Roxanna suggested. "Trust me, after a while, she'll open up and let you in. She let Marcus and Alex in, after all."
"Yeah, but she likes Marcus." I said without thinking. To my surprised, Roxanna laughed.
"Trust me, they don't like each other. Not in the way you think. She just thinks that robots are cool."
"Seriously?" I asked. Roxanna nodded, trying to cover her laugh with her hand. My smile fell off my face a second later.
"Look, Roxanna. There's something I have to tell you." I told her. She nodded, catching onto my serious mood. "It's about Marcus."
"Don't tell me." She whispered. I frowned.
"But, you need to know this." I said, but she shook her head anyway.
"Is it bad?" She asked. I nodded. "Then don't tell me then."
"But-" I started to object.
"Marcus won't tell me anything about his past except for the fact that he's done some pretty bad things. He won't tell me what though, and if he's really that ashamed of his past, I don't want to know what he did." She said. "Look Chase, I like Marcus. He's a good guy, and what's in the past has passed, so can we just leave it at that?"
She looked at me, blue eyes hopeful. I sighed in defeat. "Fine, I won't say anything."
"Thank you Chase!" Roxanna hugged me. Adam and Bree gave us both strange looks. They hadn't overheard the conversation. I shrugged as if I had no idea what that was about and followed Roxanna into the bank.
We ended up taking out about a thousand dollars. It was a little much, but there were a lot of us and we had no idea when we would be able to take more out. The second we were out, Roxanna pulled out her own ear piece, identical to Vivyanna's.
"Hey, where are you guys?" She asked. Adam looked at her.
"How many of those do you guys have?" he asked.
"Four. Me, my sister, Marcus and Rhyder each have one." She replied before listening to something on the ear piece. She turned towards the street just as two cars pulled up. One was a black Volvo, while the other was a red Ford Compass.
"Two of you in here, two of you in there." Vivyanna said, sticking her hair out of the Volvo. "And two comm sets a vehicle."
"I'll go in the other car. Who's coming with me?" Roxanna asked. Bree pushed Adam towards her.
"He is." She said. "We'll go with Vivyanna."
"Take this then." Roxanna handed Bree the ear piece. "Keep them on at all times."
"Got it." Bree replied as Adam and Roxanna headed back to the Ford. She then climbed into the backseat, next to Alex. I leaned against the open driver side window.
"So, Mr. GPS," Vivyanna looked at me. "Which way?"
I closed my eyes, using my bionics to find a safe and fast route out of the state. "Move over; let me drive."
Vivyanna wasn't pleased by the idea of letting me drive, but slid over into the passenger seat with little grumbling. I glanced back at the other car through the rear-view mirror as I climbed in.
"They'll follow." Vivyanna told me. "Marcus is driving."
"And that's supposed to reassure us? Do you have any idea what he's like?" Bree questioned. I sent her a silencing glare.
"Right now Bree, let's focus on the present. And presently, we're trying to make sure we ALL survive, so let's go."
With that, I hit the gas.
Maybank's POV
"You complete imbecile!" One of my two bosses, widely known as The Scientist, shouted. I took a step back before I reminded myself that it was only a hologram communication and that he wasn't here in person. "I told you to train them, not to let them escape!"
"My apologies, sir." I replied quickly. "We do not know how they managed to get their hands on to those pesky deactivators, but they will all be caught and put back in their cells. Our best men are on it."
"And the prisoner's leader?" The Scientist asked. I sighed and went through the files.
"One of the sisters, sir. We can't be sure, but I personally believe it is the younger one. We've always had a problem with her…disobedience." I told him. He nodded, then looked to something in the background. He turned back to me a moment later.
"Send me their files. They may qualify for our project." He ordered. I frowned at him.
"But sir, the last time we tried that-" I started, but he cut me off.
"I am fully away of the previous results. But only nine of the ten died. And subject 6723 was almost a success. The only issue with him is his inability to lead." The Scientist reminded me. "They, however, seem to have a natural talent for it."
I took a deep breath. "Sir, I doubt their father would want either of them to be part of the project until it was fully tested with successful results."
The Scientist smirked. "He's the one who requested it."
I nodded. "Yes sir." I replied as the hologram disappeared. I took a deep breath, knowing what I would have to do, and left my office. I followed the large maze of hallways until I found myself in the most remote part of the Facility. There was only one room down this hallway. It was the cell belonging to our most dangerous criminal.
I unlocked the door quickly and stepped inside, ignoring the odour. The walls were white, unlike most of the cells. One wall was covered in dark tally marks. They didn't mark how long the prisoner had been here – there weren't nearly enough marks. There was a mark for each fight he'd won.
The wall to my left also had some interesting designs on it. About seven faces, all crudely drawn, were on them. Most of them were crossed off, signifying that whoever they'd been was now dead. Only two remained. One was a boy with spiky hair. The other was a girl with long hair.
Standing across from the faces was the prisoner in question. Derek. He reached for one of the knives lying on his bed, adjusted it in his hand, and threw it at the faces with all his might. It buried itself into the wall, stabbing the spiky haired boy's nose.
"So, are you here to praise me on my knife throwing?" Derek asked, not looking at me as he picked up another knife. This one lodged itself in the girl's mouth.
"You don't like them, I take it?" I asked, gesturing at the abused pictures. Derek narrowed his eyes and picked up two more knives.
"You could say that. He," his knife stabbed the boy in the forehead, "hit me and she," he threw the second knife at the girl's throat, "tried to burn me. Nobody gets to do that without consequences."
I nodded. He picked up another knife, but instead of throwing it, he twirling it around in his hands. He looked at me. "Is there a reason you're here?"
I smirked. "Can't a father visit his son?" I asked innocently. Derek sneered.
"Maybe, but you've never exactly been the world's best dad." He snapped. I nodded, then smirked.
"They left you here, you know. When they escaped, they didn't even try to get you." I told him. He didn't seem surprised. I raised my chin. "Would you like revenge?"
Derek grinned and threw the knife. It buried itself between the boy's eyes. "Do you even have to ask?"
Kihonne: Okay, so, what did you guys think? I know it was mostly talk in this chapter, but I've planned some seriously epic fight scenes coming up soon. And by epic, I mean EPIC.
Oh, any guesses as to who The Scientist really is? And what about his unnamed partner? It's going to be an interesting twist, I can assure you of that.
Anyway, I'm going to try and get you guys an early chapter, but if I can't, expect the next chapter no later than the 17th.
