What's up y'all? How are you? Well, I'm great! Because . . . oh my gosh . . . ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! *faints* Okay, I'm good. Nope. *faints again* You guys are so wonderful! Thanks to amichele for being so sweet and supportive and for being reviewer number 100! Woo-hoo! *applause* And thanks to everyone else who contributed to those reviews! You guys are great!
Now, MOST of you have had some sweet things to say. But do any of you know KickandBelli? If you have read AllAmericanSlurp's story, "Marcus: Broken Android" (HIGHLY recommended, by the way!), then you know what's been going on. KickandBelli has been quite rude to Slurp lately, and I got fed up and ranted a little at her. Well, apparently her poor little pride got hurt and she took it out on my story. I've got a full response to her review at the very end, so KickandBelli, if you're reading this, stick around!
But regardless, I have some good news! The score is officially: daphrose: 1. Writer's block: 0. Yup! I'm back in full swing and quite proud of this chapter! I think some of you might be surprised at Bree's initial reaction. Her first emotion upon seeing her brother is not, in fact, joy. Just read it! I was very happy with how I pulled it off! (Although congrats to Criminal Minds Love for being the closest guesser to Bree's reaction! You almost hit it spot-on!)
I don't own Lab Rats, just King Kayoke and Laytuk Isle.
* * * Chapter 8: Sister * * *
Chase felt a smile take over his face as he watched the sleeping form of his sister. Her back was to him, but he still could see how much she had changed. She had grown so much! She was no longer a young girl, but rather a young woman. Her curly brown hair fell just below her shoulders. She wore a dull grey shirt with matching pants. The clothes looked much too baggy for her. Then Chase realized how thin she looked. His chest constricted and he set his jaw, determined to get her out.
The metal bars bent easily with his super-strength. Chase climbed through the window and dropped silently to the ground about ten feet below. He winced a little as his foot hit the ground at an awkward angle, but he quickly shook it off. Chase walked up to his sister's sleeping form and whispered, "Bree?"
Before his brain could register what was going on, Chase found his face buried in the cot Bree had been sleeping on just moments before. Someone had a firm grip on the back of his neck and was shoving his right wrist between his shoulder blades.
"Who are you?" a female voice hissed. "What are you doing in my room?"
"You mean you don't recognize me?" Chase's question came out muffled, due to the fact that his face was currently buried in a mattress.
The unseen figure lifted Chase by the back of his collar and spun him around to face her. As she got a good look at his face, Bree let out a gasp. "N-no!" she whispered hoarsely. She let go of her brother's collar and backed up, bumping into the wall.
"Bree, it's me!" Chase insisted, advancing towards her. Bree shook her head and covered her ears.
"Not again!" she moaned. "P-please, not again!" Tears began to stream down her face and it took all of Chase's strength not to start crying with her.
"Bree," he said, clasping her hand in both of his own. "I promise; this isn't a dream."
"That's what you always say," Bree said with a gulp. "Then I wake up. Oh, Chase, I just know I'm about to wake up!"
"If you wake up, then I'll wake up too," Chase said. He placed his hands on Bree's shoulders. "If you're dreaming, then we both are. Bree, I'm here. I'm really here."
"Oh, Chase!" Bree gasped. She collapsed into her brother's arm, sobbing. The two of them crumpled onto the floor, crying into each other's shoulders. Chase let out everything he had been holding back. All the pain of not seeing his sister rose to the surface, and he let it go.
"Chase, Chase, oh Chase!" Bree said his name over and over again, as if it was the magic spell that would keep him from leaving her. The two of them sat like that for several minutes. All the pain of the past seven years washed away as they embraced each other. But Chase still couldn't help but feel an emptiness in his heart, knowing that one more person was supposed to be there with them.
"Do you believe it's really me now?" Chase asked as they pulled back.
Bree nodded and wiped away the tears.
"Great," Chase said with a smile. "Then why the heck did you attack me? I think you broke my nose!" Chase rubbed his nose to make a point.
Bree chuckled. "Sorry about that," she whispered. "You'd be surprised how many people have tried to abduct me."
"Seriously?" Chase gasped, horrified.
"Yeah," Bree replied mournfully. "They never got away with it. I can hold my own for a while, and if I scream the guards come running."
"Okay . . ." Chase said. "Um, so, besides these 'abduction attempts,' how's your life been?"
"I've got a lot to explain."
"That's for sure. Start at the beginning."
"I was bought by King Kayoke. He's an evil multi-millionaire who owns this island. He bought me to use as security and . . . entertainment."
"Entertainment?" Chase asked. "What do you mean by entertainment?"
Bree's eyes developed a haunted look. "I dance," she said with a gulp.
"Dance?" Chase repeated. He didn't understand what was so horrible about that.
"In the worst outfits," Bree continued. "I hesitate to even call them clothing, Chase! It's hideous. Sometimes he makes me dance from dawn 'til dusk, literally! Most days I come back in here and collapse. Sometimes it happens while I'm dancing, and then I get 'punished.' Plus he trains me as a soldier. When it's not training, it's dancing. When it's not dancing, it's training. I don't think I could've kept it up except for the hope that I might see you and Adam again someday."
"Well you don't have to do either ever again, because we're getting out of here." Chase stood up determinedly, reaching a hand down towards his sister. To his surprise, Bree just stared at it.
"Come on, Bree," Chase tried again, beckoning to her. "We can get out of here."
"Chase, the Triton App," was all Bree said. "Even if I got out, Kayoke will just use the Triton App to get me back here. It will never work."
"Oh, right!" Chase said. He couldn't believe he forgot. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a device.
"What's that?" Bree asked.
"Just a little something I threw together. Hold still; this might hurt a little." Chase placed the device against Bree's neck. He pressed the button and she yelped.
"Hey!" she exclaimed. "That . . . wait, Triton App removed? Seriously?"
"Yup. It took years, but I figured out how to remove it. It's gone forever."
Bree squealed in delight. She hopped up and embraced her brother. "Thank you Chase!" she said jubilantly.
"No problem," he said, pushing her away. "Now, why don't we get of here?"
"Sounds good!" Bree replied.
The two of them raced up the wall and out the window. Chase and his sister sped at equal speeds to the front gate. Somewhere over the rushing wind, Chase thought he heard Bree say, "Chase, no, don't go that way!"
Chase froze, but it was too late. Alarms began to blare around them and guards came rushing up from all sides. Next to him, Bree shot her brother a glare. Chase heard someone clapping. A few of the guards parted, allowing a dark-skinned man dressed in much finery to approach them.
"Kayoke," Bree muttered under her breath.
"Uh, uh, uh!" the man said, wiggling his finger. "I've told you a thousand times, B. It's King Kayoke." B? Chase thought.
The man began to play with a watch that looked exactly like Douglas's Triton Control watch. Chase resisted the urge to laugh at the expression that flew over Kayoke's face when it didn't work.
"I removed the Triton App from her bionics," Chase explained triumphantly. "You can't do anything to her anymore." Bree mimicked her brother's smug grin.
"Who are you anyway?" King Kayoke asked. "Oh, wait a second! I remember you from the auction! You were just a young boy then. You're C, aren't you?"
"The name is Chase," the bionic teen growled.
"Whatever," Kayoke said with a wave of his hand. "Well, C, you really think I didn't add any more safeguards to her system?"
Suddenly Bree cried out. Chase turned his head in surprise. Bree arched her back and began to shake. Her eyes, which stared straight up at the sky, held a look of pure pain. After a few seconds she crumpled to the ground. Chase turned with a horrified look to King Kayoke. "What did you do to her?" he demanded.
"Oh, don't worry, just a little electric shock. She'll be alright in a few hours. As for you . . ." King Kayoke raised his hand and Chase soon found various weapons pointed at him from all sides.
"You know how powerful I am, right?" Chase said, folding his arms across his chest. "You don't have the same failsafe on me. And it wouldn't be that hard for me to take out all these guards. You can't hurt me."
"I can't hurt you?" King Kayoke said in a surprised tone. "No, no, no, C!" Chase bit his lip. He was really starting to hate that nickname. "That would be where you're wrong."
Something sharp and painful brushed against Chase's arm. He turned around in surprise to see a guard with his arm extended. Chase turned back to see a spear in the ground a few feet away. It took him a minute to register what had happened. He looked down to see a line of blood on his forearm.
"Ha, you think that'll stalp . . ." Chase paused. Why was his voice so slurred? And why couldn't he think straight? He had the most advanced mind on the planet, and yet he suddenly couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on. Where was he again?
"Oh, yes, indeed it will," King Kayoke said. Chase looked down to see green ooze on his cut. One word entered his mind; the only intelligible word: poison. Chase felt himself fall to the ground, but it felt like landing on a pillow. In the distance he heard voices. The only think he could think before the darkness carried him away was: I'm sorry, Bree.
"Bionic brother toss time!" a seven year old Adam screamed.
"No!" Chase squealed. He started running across the lab in a futile attempt to get away from his brother. But if Chase wasn't using his super-speed – which he wasn't – the older boy was much faster. Chase felt Adam grab onto the back of his shirt.
"Bree!" Adam called to their sister. "Think I can hit that wall over there?" Adam motioned to a wall that was a good twenty feet away.
"Most definitely!" Bree said. She came and stood over next to her brothers.
Adam started rocking Chase back and forth. "One!" he called out.
"Adam, n-no!" the six year old boy whimpered.
"Two!"
"P-please!"
"Three!"
"AHHH!" The room flew past Chase in a blur. His back slammed into the wall and he fell to the ground with a groan. In the distance he heard his siblings high-five each other.
"Nice one, Adam!" Bree said.
Oh, come on! Chase thought. Why am I the one always getting hurt? Why do they have to toss me around? Then an idea entered Chase's head. He wasn't sure if it would work, but he decided to try it anyway. Maybe it would help Adam and Bree learn their lesson.
Still lying face-down on his stomach, Chase did his best to lie very still. He slowed his breathing as best he could and didn't lift his head up. He closed his eyes. "Why isn't he getting up?" he heard Bree ask. It was working!
"Oh, relax Bree, he's fine," Adam said. No! Chase thought.
To his relief, Chase felt a breeze rush over him. He heard Bree crouch down beside him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and began to shake her brother. "Chase?" she asked, her tone slightly worried. Chase stifled a giggle.
He heard Adam run up beside him and say, "Hey, Chasey, you okay?" Chase cringed on the inside when Adam used his nickname. He hated that!
Bree rolled Chase over and he let his body go limp. His sister began to shake him harder. "Chase, please don't do this!" she cried. Chase wanted so much to smile and laugh, but he restrained himself.
"Chasey, I'm sorry!" Adam sobbed. Chase felt his older brother place a hand on his shoulder too. "Please wake up!"
"Boo!" Chase exclaimed, darting up suddenly. His siblings screamed. Chase doubled over, finally releasing the laughter.
"Why did you do that?" Bree yelled furiously.
"To teach you a lesson!" Chase replied.
"Well, I'm going to teach you a lesson now," Adam said. "It's called 'what happens when you scare the heck out of your big brother!'" Adam began to chase his younger brother around the room. Chase squealed and starting running. Bree rolled her eyes and joined in the ruckus.
The three of them chased each other around, yelling and screaming and laughing. Chase was immensely happy that Douglas was away. They never got to have this kind of fun when their father was home.
Out of the corner of his eye, Chase saw something move in the doorway. He turned his head just as Marcus walked off. Chase bit his lip. To be honest, sometimes he felt bad for the android. But Chase pushed the thoughts of his robotic brother out of his mind and continued to romp around with his flesh-and-blood siblings.
Ta-da! As I said, I was quite proud of that chapter! Wow, so many emotions! First Bree doesn't believe it's Chase, then they're all happy and emotional, then they get out, then they both get hurt and captured, and to top it all off I ended with a humorous flashback. What did you guys think? Did you enjoy it? Pretty please type your thoughts in the review box! Just keep it friendly.
Hey, audience participation time! So it turns out that I'm starting to run out of ideas for flashbacks. So if you have a good idea for something you think might've happened in Chase's childhood, tell in a review or a PM. If I like your idea I'll write it and use it in my story (I'll credit you for the idea, of course). So help me great creative, people!
Now I'm going to address KickandBelli. If you don't want to read my little rant, then feel free to skip it. It's pretty long. But I really needed to say all this.
Let me quote the oh-so-famous KickandBelli for just a moment:
"Hey look daphwhateveryourname is, this story is not good either. no wonder ur sticking up for that slurpy author. BOTH of ur stories stink. and what u said 2 me was NOT OKAY. if u knew who i was you'd be speechless. wanna hint as 2 who i am? 2 bad. u've been so rude in your review on marcus broken android to me that i won't tell u. so chill. u aren't passionate; ur rude. ok? so get over it. ur stories stink. that's a fact. so live with it. :-X"
*clears throat* Let me say one thing first: I'm sorry. Yup, you heard me. I'm sorry. I probably could've worded my review a little better, so I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. But my point still stands: we all want you to get out.
Now, secondly, I have two things to say about your "fame." a) I don't really believe you. Why, you ask? Let me put it this way: I could tell you right now that I'm Taylor Swift. I'd be lying, but technically you can't prove me wrong. One more reason: you're doing something I like to call "proof by silence." What is that, exactly? Well, don't worry, rookie mistake. Quite common, actually. Put simply it's this: you won't tell me who you are. You continually refuse. Thus, that leads me to think that you are in fact NOT famous, because you won't tell me. Now, you can keep that up if you like. But just realize that unless you tell me who you are, I won't believe you (and even then, I might not). b) Let's suppose for a second that you are famous. You think I care? Today's your unlucky day. You could not have found someone who cares less about "celebrities" than me. And if you happened to be one of the few celebrities I actually liked, my respect for you would drop immensely. I don't care if you're the President of the United States; you're still a jerk and it's NOT okay.
Now, final point: I happen to think that my stories are, in fact, pretty good. I've got over a hundred reviews on this story. If you think I could fix part of the plot or work on some aspect of grammar, please, I'd love to hear it! But we all know you don't have a problem with my story. You have a problem with me because I asked you to leave AllAmericanSlurp alone. You think I'll stop writing or sticking up for my friend because you said some mean words? You can leave a hundred mean reviews on every single one of my stories, but that won't change a thing.
I know your game. You just want attention. Don't even try to deny it; I've met enough attention-loving jerks to know one when I see them. So here's how this will go, KickandBelli: Unless you are ready to apologize, I will delete every single one of your mean reviews. I will not tolerate your flaming. You're not helping anyone, and you're only mad at me because I asked you (more politely than most people would) to leave us all alone. This is the last time I'm addressing you in an author's note, or anyplace else for that matter. So you can apologize to me if you want. But unless you do, your reviews will be deleted and we'll all move on as if you never existed in the first place. Okay? Okay! Thanks for the chat.
Sorry about that, everybody. But it needed to be said. Hey, why don't you all do me a favor and go check out AllAmericanSlurp's story, "Marcus: Broken Android." It is absolutely STUNNING! One of my favorite stories of all time (I'm not even kidding!)! Thanks to y'all, and don't forget to post your thoughts in the review box (because then I just might update faster!). Goodbye!
