Final chapter - I hope you all have enjoyed the fic!
Donald Davenport lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. It had been a good day, a successful day. The house was quiet, the security system was extra secure and everyone was asleep. Everyone except him.
He threw his arm over his eyes with his elbow pointed at the ceiling and tried to keep his sighing to a minimum to avoid waking Tasha. Even though he knew that forcing himself to lie there in bed was not going to make his body go back to sleep he still gave it the ol' college try.
Lying prone on a bed didn't stop Donald's thoughts from racing. But instead of his mind being filled with ideas for new technology, all he could think about was Douglas and the damage he had caused. The physical destruction in the lab was annoying, but machines and furniture were easy enough to replace. The physical damage to the kids was worse; though the bruises were fading, Donald didn't think he'd ever be able to shake the mental pictures of Bree and Chase that kept popping into his head. But the worst was the expression on Chase's face right before he stepped back into his capsule for the first time. Douglas had stolen something from them – a trust, peace of mind, confidence – and Donald wasn't sure they'd ever get it back.
This just wasn't going to work. Donald put his arm down and kicked the blankets off of his legs. It didn't matter that no alarms were going off and that his brain knew that all the kids were sleeping, safe and sound; he had to get up and check. He needed to see them for himself, and then maybe he would be able to get some sleep. Donald tried to get out of bed without waking Tasha; although his loud breathing didn't rouse her, she knew when he was getting up.
Gently she reached over to touch his arm, not to keep him from going, but to let him know she understood. Her eyes were bright in the dark bedroom and he was overwhelmed with gratitude to have a partner in all of this. He leaned in for a swift kiss, and already his heart was lighter as he began his trek.
Leo was first, just a few doors down. Donald knew that noise was unlikely to wake Leo, so he pushed the door wide enough to be able to peek in. At first all he could see was a mess, but as his eyes adjusted he could make out one foot poking out from under the pile of blankets on the bed. It was a miracle the kid didn't suffocate himself every night, but that was not a battle Donald was willing to take on.
One kid all tucked in and no danger in sight – three more to go.
Donald softly padded downstairs, through the kitchen and to the elevator. Moments later the elevator doors silently opened onto the small office area, and Donald strode through the grey, double doors emblazoned with the Davenport Industries logo into the lab.
The muted lights of the lab served as a backdrop for the capsules. Donald smiled as his gaze immediately went to Chase in the center capsule. The youngest bionic teen had only been sleeping in his capsule for a few hours, but all of the bruising on his neck was finally gone, and the exhaustion in his face had been erased. The tension Donald didn't realize he was carrying around in his chest eased just a bit.
Flicking his gaze to his right, Donald looked to Bree. She looked just as peaceful as Chase; her features had returned to normal, and in her sleep Donald thought she looked sweet and serene. Normally Bree was a messy sleeper – as sleepy as one could be standing upright in a capsule – but Donald had increased the oxygen content of the capsules and added some airborne supplements to amplify the bionic healing process which sent Chase and Bree into a deeper slumber than normal; Bree would most likely be as still as a statue all night.
Donald looked over to his left and his heart gave a lurch in his chest. He missed a step as he was walking forward as his body reacted to what he saw; or didn't see. Adam's capsule was empty.
A thousand horrible thoughts raced through Donald's head – all of them centering on Donald and his remote - as his pulse raced in his ears drowning out the sounds of the lab. He rushed forward not knowing exactly what he was going to do next when he saw a dark head beyond the console in front of the capsules.
Donald froze in his tracks, but at least now he was far enough into the lab to see that Adam hadn't vanished, he just wasn't in his capsule. Adam was seated with his arms crossed in the space between his capsule and Chase's. His head was tipped back and his shoulders were leaning against Chase's capsule; his long legs were stretched out into the space in front of his own. He appeared to be sound asleep.
"Adam!" Donald involuntarily called out in a tone caught between exasperation and relief. He immediately slapped his hand over his mouth, not wishing to disturb the oldest bionic teen, but it was too late.
Adam's eyes snapped open. Donald was surprised when Adam didn't even look in his direction. Instead he rotated one-hundred and eighty degrees. "Chase?"
Adam unsteadily rose to his feet and with his right hand reached over to open the door to Chase's capsule. "I'll get you out," Adam earnestly whispered.
"Adam, wait!" Donald called out.
Adam paused; in his not-quite-awake state he still wasn't sure where the voice calling his name was coming from, though he did look around. His dream-fogged brain was still trying to convince him that it was Chase saying his name. Donald moved swiftly around the console, approaching Adam from Bree's side.
He placed his hand over Adam's on the latch to Chase's capsule; not to stop him, but to make contact and maybe wake Adam up a little more. Donald's gesture seemed to do the trick. Adam blinked and asked, "Mr. Davenport?"
Donald smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He kept his voice pitched low and responded, "Are you okay, Adam?"
With his free left hand, Adam wiped the sleep from his eyes. "Not me…Chase."
"He's sleeping, see?" Donald prompted. "He's just fine."
Adam looked at Chase sleeping in his capsule. Donald was surprised to see so much anxiety and concern in Adam's normally cheerful face. Donald patted Adam's hand to get his attention and then nodded toward the cyber desk, indicating they should take their conversation over there.
Adam turned and shuffled over to the stools, still weighed down by sleep. Donald was glad he was walking behind his oldest son; it gave him a chance to school his expression – he didn't need Adam to see how furious he was. Inside Donald was filled with rage that Douglas had caused so much unintended damage, and he was mad at himself because he'd spent so much time focused on Chase's physical recovery that he didn't realize Adam needed help too.
Once they were seated at the cyber desk – Adam deliberately chose a stool where he could sit and face the capsules – Donald was at a loss at where to begin. But when it came to Adam, being straightforward was always the best bet.
"How come you're not sleeping in your capsule?" Donald asked quietly.
"I thought I should keep watch. I didn't mean to fall asleep." Adam responded, but he didn't make eye contact.
Donald was surprised to realize that Adam wasn't being honest, at least not completely – one more thing to add to the growing list of injury caused by Douglas.
"I upgraded all the security," reassured Donald. "And Eddie has been recalibrated to alert me to any unusual activity. If a squirrel farts in a tree, I'll know about it."
Adam snorted. "Farting squirrels…" Donald was glad to hear Adam chuckle.
"But you're not worried about danger from outside, are you?" Donald prompted.
Donald was surprised by the level of distress in Adam's face when he looked up and made eye contact. "I keep having this dream…" Adam abruptly looked away and changed what he was saying. "What if he needs help?"
There was only one "he" Adam could be talking about, and Donald was pretty sure that Adam's "dream" was more like a nightmare.
"Adam, you'll always help Chase when he needs it. And, he knows that." Adam nodded but he didn't seem convinced. "But you need to know it too." Donald continued.
Adam's brows creased. "What do you mean?"
"Adam, you did something Douglas never anticipated, because he's always looked at you guys like objects and not people. He just assumed that once your bionics were under his control, you'd just do whatever he wanted."
"Well, I did," Adam argued.
"Until Chase's life was on the line. And then the big brother in you became more important than all the bionics under Douglas' control. It was your heart that was making the choices, not his remote."
"That's what Leo said," Adam mused.
"You did something incredible," Donald continued, "you defied your programming – not because bionics made you strong or fast or smart, but because losing Chase was not an option."
"That's pretty much what Chase said," Adam admitted.
"Well, they're both pretty smart…not as smart as me, but we're all on the same page." stated Donald. Adam nodded in agreement.
"Look," Donald continued, "there's still a lot we have to work through, but right now this is all you need to know…we won, everyone's safe and nothing bad is going to happen tonight."
"Okay," Adam agreed.
Donald slid off of his stool and urged Adam to his feet. "Let's get you back in your capsule." Adam stood up as well, but seemed reluctant until Donald added, "I think I'll stay down here and work for a while."
"You will?"
Adam's relief was so evident that Donald was glad he'd made the spontaneous decision to stay. In short order, Adam was settled in his capsule. He tossed one last look at Chase to assess his status before he gave Donald a thumbs-up and closed his eyes. Although he had no healing to do, Donald decided to pump the enriched oxygen like he'd given to the others into Adam's capsule as well; maybe if he slept deeply enough he could avoid that nightmare for the rest of the night.
It always amazed Donald how quickly the kids fell asleep in their capsules. It was a function of their bionics and the routine of needing to recharge, but it was a strange phenomenon nonetheless. Donald read the console readouts until Adam's vital signs indicated that he was soundly asleep. Then he pulled a rolling chair over to the capsule console and snagged one of Bree's magazines to read.
Slowly, in the dim light of the lab, listening to the soft breathing coming from the capsules, Donald was finally able to relax. His thoughts stilled as he was reassured that his family was safe and sound. The rest of the fallout could be addressed another day.
