Lab Rats

Chapter 11

The sun had gone down and left the world black by the time Tasha, Sabrina, and Chase arrived back at the Davenport home. Tasha pulled into the driveway of their home and shut off the engine. Unbuckling, she turned to the teens seated behind her and said, "We're back guys. I'll go warm up some food for you two, alright?" She opened her door and got out of the car.

Chase remained in his seat, fidgeting nervously. How could he go in and face them? How could he look them in the eye after all he had said and done? Degrading thoughts like these filled his mind, plaguing every corner. He gripped his knees, knuckles going white with anxiety.

He opened his mouth. "Never mind. I don't think I can do this. They…. They'll hate me for sure. I can't go in there. I can't face them."

Sabrina's hand found its way to rest on Chase's right. "Chase, it's going to be okay. They want to help you just like I do. They don't hate you." She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. She turned and opened her door, stepping out of the car.

Chase's grip relented slightly. He looked up to see Sabrina standing outside his door, pulling the handle open. She smiled down at him and reached out her hand. Chase sighed, hoping it would calm his flustered nerves. He swung his legs to the open door on his left and grabbed Sabrina's hand. He stood and closed the door, intertwining his fingers with Sabrina's. He rubbed his clammy right hand down his jeans and hoped he could keep some composure in front of his family.


The door swung open. Sabrina stepped in with a smile on her face.

Adam was seated on the couch. As soon as her heard the door open, his head swung up. Hoping to see his little brother, he leaned over to where Bree was laying next to him and jerked her awake. "Bree! They're back!"

Bree sat up and rubbed her eyes. Standing and yawning she said, "Where is he? Is Chase okay?"

Sabrina's smile widened. Nodding, she turned back to pull Chase in behind her, his hand still linked with hers. "He's fine."

He shuffled in and looked at his shoes, ashamed to look into the eyes of his family members. Sabrina's hand wrapped around the crook of his arm. Her voice whispered into his ear. "See? I told you they don't hate you. They were worried."

Chase looked up at her, still avoiding the gaze of his siblings. His eyes locked with hers, searching for something. He wasn't sure what. Maybe a 'go ahead' signal? He couldn't decide what he was looking for.

Sabrina rubbed his arm. "It's alright, Chase. Everything's going to be fine." She turned and looked back at Adam and Bree. She kept her gaze on them and spoke again. "Go on. They want to talk to you." She released her hand from his grip and gently pushed him toward his brother and sister.

Though Sabrina had let go of his hand, Chase hadn't quite loosened his grip on her fingers yet. As he was pushed forward, his hand trailed behind him as if it was unwilling to let her go. He turned and looked back at her. When she smiled at him and nodded, he sighed and let go of her hand. He turned back around and finally looked up at Adam and Bree. "Um, hi guys."

He looked down at the floor again, avoiding their eyes. Rubbing his arm, he said, "I don't really know what to say other than I'm sorry for running away. And for what I did to you." He looked back up again and tears filled his eyes. He began sobbing. "I – I'm so sorry! I didn't –"

Bree cut him off by speeding to his side and wrapping her arms around her little brother. Adam followed close behind and hugged them both, lifting them from the ground. All three were in tears, crying together and soaking another's shirt.

Adam set his siblings down and released them. Bree wiped her eyes and smiled. "I'm so glad you're back, Chase. Both of us are." She stepped back. "I'm going to go find Mr. Davenport. He's been worried sick." Her form became a blur speeding from the room.

Adam turned to watch his sister leave. He kept his back turned to Chase when she had been gone for a few moments.

Sabrina broke the awkward silence. "I'll find Leo. He'll want to see you too, Chase." She walked past Chase and rubbed his arm in assurance, smiling to encourage him to continue what he was doing.

Chase turned to her and stared into her eyes, begging her not to leave him. He nearly grabbed her hand and tugged her back, but she moved away to quickly. He watched her form disappear through the doorway and shuffled awkwardly, unsure of what to do. He looked back down and the ground. He knew if he had anyone to apologize to, it was Adam. He had wronged him more than anyone. "Um, Adam… I said some things to you and…"

Adam spun around and looked at him, tears still flowing freely from his face. "It's okay, Chase. I probably deserved it." Adam's mouth opened and closed. He seemed to be trying to decide what to say. He remained locked in indecision until he stopped and turned his head to the ground. He stared down to his shoelaces and paused there. Suddenly, he jerked back up and rushed to Chase's side, flinging his arms around his younger brother.

Chase flinched, surprised at his brother's actions. His arms were locked at his sides by Adam's arms. He face was pressed into his older brother's shoulder, a look of surprise confusion spread across it. He was about to open his mouth to ask why his brother was hugging him again when Adam let out a tortured sob.

"Chase, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" Adam's frame jerked and swayed with each outburst of tears. "I – I never should have said any of those things about you! I should never have teased you or beat on you!"

Chase's tears resumed as soon as he heard Adam speak. "Adam, I'm just as much to blame. I should have known better than to mess with my chip's infrastructure."

Adam's grip around him tightened but moved so Chase could reciprocate the hug he was receiving. He wrapped his arms around his older brother and let out a cry. "I am so sorry for how I treated you when I was…"

Adam interrupted him when he paused. "I – I don't care about that, Chase. I'm just glad you're okay now. You weren't you as that… thing – whatever it was. That wasn't my Chasey. It wasn't my baby brother."

"Adam, I wish you wouldn't say that," Chase pulled away from him.

Adam pulled back as well. He looked to the ground. "Oh, right. Sorry. I'll try to remember not to call you that anymore." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"No, it's not that." Chase said. "I wish you wouldn't say that you don't care like it doesn't matter - because it does. It matters a lot – what happened. What I did… it changes everything. I - I broke everything."

"You're right, Chase," Mr. Davenport appeared in the doorway, Bree close behind him. "Things are different now, and they probably won't ever be the same. But that doesn't mean that we can't try to repair the damage that was done – by all of us. Not just you." Donald smiled, walking towards his adopted son and reaching out to hug him.

Chase didn't move, stunned by what the man had said to him. When Donald's arms closed around him, he froze for a while. He struggled to comprehend what Mr. Davenport meant.

"Chase!" Leo's voice cried out and soon he appeared in Chase's view. "You're back!" His step-brother ran to him and flung his arms around him. "I'm so glad you're okay. We were worried sick!"

Chase smiled a little. He lifted his arms and wrapped them around Donald and Leo, glad to see them even though he had been reluctant at first. He buried his face in Mr. Davenport's black v-neck, his smile growing ever larger. He began to cry again but they were different this time. They were not tears of sorrow or happiness even. They were tears of hope – hope that they could fix the gaping tear that separated them.

Chase pulled out of Donald and Leo's embrace, looking for Sabrina. He found her standing behind the kitchen counter with a grinning Tasha. When she noticed his gaze, she smiled softly at him. He stepped around his family members and walked to the counter, placing his hands on the cool surface. "Thank you," he said. "For helping me with this."

Sabrina reached out and grabbed his hand. "You're welcome, Chase. I think you and I both needed this."

Chase squinted, confused. "You? Why would you need this?"

Sabrina looked down at their hands. She let go of him and walked around to corner to stand next to him. Grabbing his hand again, she said, "Because I was so mean to you and you didn't deserve it. You had no control over your actions, but I called you a monster and left you to suffer on your own." Sabrina couldn't bring herself to look in to his eyes. "I needed this to right my wrongs and make up for how I treated you before I knew the whole story."

Chase smiled and squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Sabrina. I never blamed you for what you said to me. I believed you, but I didn't find you at any fault. If it makes you feel better, I forgive you."

Sabrina smiled and looked up at him. "Thank you, Chase. But this isn't about me. This about helping you to get better and fixing your relationship with your family. That's what's important." She reciprocated the grip Chase had on her hand and pulled him away from the counter towards his family.

Tasha's voice sounded from behind. "Who wants a snack?"


A plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies lay steaming on the coffee table. Adam's eyes widened at the sight and he screamed, "Cookies!" and reached out to grab a handful. He shoved half of them into this mouth, the other half crumbling on his face and falling into his lap. The rest of the family laughed at the mess he had made and reached for one of Tasha's delicious cookies.

Chase did not reach for one. He didn't know how the next few minutes would play out, let alone the next few days, weeks, months… but he knew it wouldn't be easy for him. He sat back and wrung his hands. He would probably have to talk about what had happened with him. He wasn't quite sure he knew how to talk about it or what to even say.

"Hey, Chase," Leo said, sticking the pate of cookies in the brunette's face. "Don't you want one? They're really good. My mom made them."

Chase looked up to see Leo smiling at him. He reached out to the plate, hesitating before he took one. He looked at Sabrina sitting next to him.

She put her hand on his knee. "Chase, you don't need to look at me like you're asking for permission. It's a cookie. It's probably not going to hurt you." She laughed softly.

Chase blushed and grabbed a cookie. Sabrina was right. He didn't have to look at her for permission for everything. He needed to be able to make decisions on his own. And it was just a cookie. He had made it into a big deal when he didn't need to.

"Sorry," Chase let out a weak chuckle and smiled at Sabrina. "You're right."

Sabrina laughed. "Of course, I'm right. Duh, Chase." She smiled at him and grabbed his hand.

Chase's smile only grew bigger. He squeezed her hand and pulled it into his lap. He placed his other hand on top of theirs.

"Alright," Donald stood and clapped his hands together. "Before you two get all lovey-dovey, we need to talk about what happened. Everything from beginning to end. And – Chase, you might not be very happy about this – maybe discuss hiring a psychologist of some sort."

"What?" Chase's expression dissipated and he stood, dropping Sabrina's hand. "A shrink?"

"Yes, Chase. I think that might help you the best – all of us, I mean."

"I'm not okay with that! You haven't even tried to fix anything without one yet. How do you know that we can't figure this out without one?"

"Chase, it can only help. Why are you resisting this?"

"Because you're putting this problem on someone else! You're not trying to help... me. You're putting my – my burden on someone else so that you don't have to deal with me!" Chase's voice rose with every word.

Sabrina stood up and put her hand on his arm, trying to calm him. "Chase, I think you might be over reacting to this. I think he's just trying to – "

He looked at her. "Don't try to defend him!" He growled and turned back to look at Donald. "This is exactly what caused this whole fiasco! You treated me like I'm a burden – all of you – and you still are!"

"Now hold on, Chase!" Bree stood. "This wasn't our idea. I didn't agree to getting a shrink either."

"But you didn't object to it either!" Chase accused.

Adam jumped up. "Hey! Don't yell at her. She's just trying to defend herself!"

Chase's eye filled with hate. "Don't you start, Adam! You always take her side!" He started to walk towards him, fists clenched and ready for a fight.

Sabrina's grip tightened on his arm and she pulled him back. "Chase, this is not helping anyone. You were just talking about how sorry you were for what you did. Why are you adding on to it?"

Chase spun around, anger and heartbreak splayed across his face. "You're taking their side, now?"

Sabrina drew her head back in surprise. "What? No, of course not. I'm just trying to help you calm down."

"I don't need to calm down! I'm fine!" Chase's fist clenched tighter and he lowered his head.

Leo chuckled. "As evidenced by your white knuckles."

Chase growled and grit his teeth. He was mocking him. After all that they had just been through, he was mocking him. Chase's head snapped back up. They don't want to help me at all. They just want to put me back in my place.

Adam giggled. "And your weak, kitten mewls."

"Adam, what are you doing?" Bree punched her older brother in the arm, trying to get him to stop mocking Chase. "This is exactly started this whole fiasco! We're trying to fix this, not make it worse!"

Bree's words were lost to Chase's ears. His vision was drenched in red after Adam's comment. In the corner of his bionic vision, he could see his aggression levels rising to dangerous levels – close to where Spike would be triggered. He ignored them for a bit, focusing on what Adam and Leo had said. His fists clenched even tighter, nails digging into his palms. He could hear his teeth grinding against each other loudly in his ears.

Digital words flashed across his vision. Commando App: Activated.

Chase's eyes widened. He still had a few moments of self-control and lucidity before Spike took control. He gasped and fell to his knees. He breathing sped up and he began hyperventilating. "No! Please, no! Not again!" Tears began pouring out of his eyes and he raked his hands through his hair hoping it stop the app from taking over.

Tasha and Sabrina knelt next to him on the floor. "What is it? What's wrong?" Tasha rubbed his back and asked.

Chase gasped, taking in as much air as he could. A whisper fell from his lips. "Spike."

The world went black and Chase's grip on reality was severed.


Hey, everyone! Please let me know how this chapter went! I love to hear from you. Tell me what you think. Feedback is great and encourages me to get the next chapter done. So, please review!

Thanks!

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