Thank you guys so much! I got my ten reviews! Y'all rock. Y'all rock even if you don't review. At least you're reading this story. :) So, as promised, here are the last two parts of Chapter 13. You all are sooo lucky, because if I didn't get ten reviews, I was only gonna post part two, and that would've sucked... for you. *evil laughter*
To all my guest reviewers, thank you so much! I read all your reviews and they all made me smile, so thanks.
Okay, okay, I'll stop blabbering on now.
Enjoy... *maniacal laughter in the distance*
We're in a battle for our lives for the things
that really matter to us.
-Senator John Kerry
Tasha and Leo had been given the map to get out, and it was arranged that Selena would go with them, despite her protests.
She pulled Chase off to the side, desperation written on her face. "Please, don't make me go," she whispered.
"Why?" Chase asked, knitting his eyebrows.
"Because I just got you back and you expect me to leave you again?"
Chase smiled softly. "I will come back, Sly. I'm not going to turn again," he reassured.
They hugged briefly then turned back to join the others. Adam and Bree were conversing quietly while Donald was saying goodbye to Tasha and Leo.
"You know I love you guys, right?" Donald asked them. "And I'm so sorry you got dragged into this mess. You don't deserve this."
Tasha raised a hand to his face and cupped his cheek. "But we deserve you, and when I married you, I promised to love you through the thick and thin."
"I feel the same way, Big D.," Leo said. "You're a great father." He suddenly wrapped his arms around the inventor, holding tight. "Thank you," he whispered.
Donald returned the embrace, throat tight. When they pulled away, he clapped Leo on the shoulder, hoping he could speak past the lump in his throat. "I'm glad I have a son like you," he replied. Then he gave Tasha a kiss, prolonging it just enough for it to be sweet and caring.
"Come back to me," Tasha murmured when they broke apart. Then she turned and walked away before Donald could respond, because she knew that was a promise he couldn't make. Leo followed her after saying goodbye to Chase and Selena and Bree and Adam.
Selena wasn't far behind, glancing over her shoulder once to look back at Chase then turning and running after the Dooleys.
When the three disappeared out of the others' sight, Donald announced that he and Adam would scout ahead before they went after Douglas, leaving Bree and Chase behind to wait.
Five minutes later, they were still waiting, silence hanging between them as they leaned against a wall.
"How'd she do it?" Bree suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
Chase glanced at his sister out of the corner of his eyes. "How'd who do what?"
"Selena. How'd she fix you?"
Chase's lips pursed, then he sighed. "When Douglas injected me with the Blasyn, my brain was deprived of endorphins and the like. That's why I was so angry and dark all the time. Everything good in me had been literally drained away."
"Obviously not," Bree said, her lips twitching in a smile.
"Obviously. You can't completely stop the brain from producing endorphins or the body will stop functioning properly. So they were merely suppressed. But when Sly- er, Selena engaged me in that fight, I... I began to remember stuff."
"It looked like you two knew what you were doing," Bree commented.
Chase chuckled, looking down at the floor. "Yeah. We practiced that routine every day. You know," he said with a look at his sister, "we actually never mastered that routine before. We always messed it up somehow." He paused, thinking. "Anyway, I remembered stuff, like good memories kind of stuff. The memories began to produce large amounts of endorphins, enough that the Blasyn was completely purged from my brain by the end of the fight."
"So you're better now?" Bree asked. "Completely one hundred percent better?"
Chase was slow to answer. "Ah... Better, yes, in the sense that I won't try to kill you anymore. At least, not just for the fun of it. You and Adam still have the tendency to get on my nerves," he teased, raising an eyebrow at Bree, who punched him in the shoulder.
"Not funny," she whined, but she was smiling. "Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me everything?"
Chase shrugged, looking down at the floor. "I'm better, yes. But I'm still the son of a psychopath." He sucked in a sharp breath, glancing up at the ceiling with watery eyes. "I'm still different."
"Chase Davenport!" Bree cried, then looked around warily when her voice was louder than she intended. Quieter, she continued. "You're nothing like Douglas."
He looked over at her, his face full of suffering. "Aren't I though? It's not just physically, but I find myself craving absolute power. Why do you think it was so easy for the Blasyn to take over? Not only did it amplify my powers, satisfying that craving that I always feel, but it was helped by what was already inside of me. All those thoughts I had under the Blasyn's influence," he said, his voice quavering, "were many of the same thoughts I've had my entire life, except the Blasyn was like steroids to my mind, making my thoughts ten times worse. I was already evil to begin with," he finished with a smile devoid of mirth and eyes filled with sorrow.
"Chase..." Bree whispered, at a loss for words. "Look, you may... You're Douglas's son, I'm his daughter. Adam's his son, too. We know this now. But Donald raised us to be better people than his brother. You are better than Douglas, Chase," she said softly. "Whether you believe it or not, you are."
Silence fell over them again, but it was a comfortable silence.
Then Bree grinned and bumped Chase with her shoulder. "What was the deal with that kiss?"
Chase blushed, fighting a smile. "That was, uh, spur of the moment."
Bree smacked him lightly on the arm. "Chase Davenport, don't try to deny the truth. You looovvveee her."
"Shut up," Chase muttered, but there wasn't any ferocity to his words.
"I can't believe it!" Bree quietly exclaimed. "My baby brother has finally fallen in love!" She beamed a teasing smile at said brother, who was blushing furiously now.
"Chase has what now?" Davenport asked, having rejoined the other two bionics with Adam.
"Nothing," Chase said quickly. "Are we clear?"
"Yeah. We saw nobody. It's like they've all disappeared."
"They're most likely waiting to ambush us somewhere," Bree muttered.
"We know they're not on the floor above us," Adam said. "Chase totally fried that place."
Chase held up a finger. "Technically, I didn't fry it-"
"You fried it." Adam's voice left no room for argument, but his eyes challenged Chase to try anyway.
Chase's lips pinched in annoyance. Then he sighed. "Fine."
Donald waved his hands to draw the focus back to him. "Anyways... The nullifiers on this floor are still working, so Douglas must have a back up system somewhere. Do you have any idea where that might be, Chase?"
Chase frowned, mentally going over the blueprints of the building. "The top floor was like Douglas's penthouse suite with his private office and control room and the cells he kept us in. This floor is basically a maze of smaller rooms, probably offices at some point. None of them are large enough to h- Ah, here we go. The floor below us is divided into two sections: smaller rooms and what could've been a cafeteria. My bet is Douglas is in the larger area."
"Good work, Chase," Donald said, already moving. "Let's go."
Chase and the others followed after him, their footsteps echoing in the halls.
Chase glanced over at Adam, who was running beside him. "You okay, man?" he asked quietly. "You don't look so good."
Adam looked down at his brother (although, admittedly, he didn't have to tilt his head as much as before) and gave Chase a tight-lipped smile. He ruffled Chase's hair, much to the eighteen-year-old's embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm okay."
Chase smoothed his hair back to the way he liked it. "You sure?" he prompted, turning his attention back to Adam.
"Yeah. I just can't wait for all this to be over."
Chase hummed in agreement and they both quickened their pace to catch up to Bree and Davenport.
They made it to the cafeteria without a problem, which, in itself, was a problem.
"We have to assume that all of Douglas's guards are in that room," Donald whispered, jerking his thumb at the doors that blocked the cafeteria from view. "Our main priority going in is to find Douglas's controls for the nullifiers and shut them off. Chase, since yours are the only ones that work, you'll have to take the brunt of the attack and distract the men. Adam and I'll help. Bree, I want you to try your best to sneak around and find the controls. Got it?"
The three bionics nodded, brimming with anticipation.
Donald paused, studying his children with a smile. "I am so proud of you guys. I don't need to tell you how important these next few minutes of your life will be. We can't afford to lose this battle, but... I just want you three to know that I won't stop being proud of you, no matter the outcome."
Then he opened his arms, and they shared a final group hug.
The near future weighed heavily on their shoulders, knowing that this was it: this was the end. Whether it was a happily ever after or not, it all boiled down to the next few moments.
Pulling away, they all took deep breaths and marched down the hall - together, as a family. Douglas's attempts to break them apart had failed so far, and they were determined now more than ever to keep it that way.
With a quiet slam, Donald pushed the doors opened and stepped through, his children not far behind.
The room was huge, empty of furniture except for a long business table placed at the far end of the room to the left, and Douglas's backup controls at the opposite end to the right.
They had expected a challenge... and weren't disappointed.
All of Douglas's men had been assembled and waiting for them. And none other than Douglas stood at the frontlines, arms crossed and a smirk planted firmly on his face. But the smirk fell away when he caught sight of Chase, no longer under the effects of Blasyn.
"So," he snarled. "You found a way to turn him back." His eyes bore into Chase's.
The eighteen-year-old had to fight the urge to look away, the hatred in Douglas's gaze so intense that his stomach clenched in fear.
"Did you really think your plan would work?" Donald asked, drawing Douglas's attention away from his son. "Your plans have always been a little rushed and half-baked."
"I've had seventeen years to perfect this one," Douglas said dryly. "You can't stop me, Donald. I will take those bionic brats."
"And you can't stop me, Douglas," Donald said earnestly, spreading his arms out to his sides then letting them fall. "You can't have my children."
Douglas laughed, harsh and bitter. "But they're not yours, are they? They're mine."
Donald glanced at his children, who stood on either side of him. They were watching him with trust shining in his eyes, and that was how he knew Douglas hadn't won. "You're wrong, Douglas," he said with a triumphant smile. "They might be your children, but I'm their father."
Douglas's face darkened, and he turned away. "Take them," he ordered his men.
Donald's gaze snapped to Chase, who was watching him expectantly, and Donald nodded.
Chase gave a small smile before it disappeared. He stepped forward and took a deep breath.
Time slowed down, and for a few moments, all he heard was his own steady heartbeat.
Douglas's men rushed forward, about three dozen in all.
Chase closed his eyes and steadied himself, raising his arms and-
And all the men froze mid-step.
Douglas turned back in disbelief, eyes quickly narrowing at the youngest bionic.
Chase's face was pinched in concentration, sweat quickly starting to form on his temples and the back of his neck. "Go," he said to the others through clenched teeth. "I don't know how much longer I can hold them."
In fact, he could feel his control slipping already. Thirty-six men fought against his control, thirty-six wills combined to battle his own.
Donald and Adam ran past him, trying to disable as many men as possible. Douglas backed away, deeper into his ranks, bewildered.
Bree's eyes skimmed over the room, finally settling on what she was looking for. There was another cluster of islands with glowing countertops like the ones in the control room two floors up. She was about to run over to them, but a strained, "Wait," made her pause.
She glanced over at Chase, whose arms were shaking with effort. "Wait," he repeated, barely getting the word out.
She place a hand on his shoulder, hoping he could draw strength from it. "You can do this, Chase."
But Chase had already lost control. The first man broke free, yelling and launching himself at Adam. Then it was like a dam had broken, Douglas's agents an ocean of movement.
"Watch out!" Chase screamed just before an explosion of angry cries filled the room. The room came alive with a mass of moving arms and legs. Chase turned to Bree, nodding. "Go," he breathed before he sucked in a large breath and faced the fray again.
Bree returned the nod and took off running for the control panels, but she glanced back just in time to see Chase release a huge force field that swept over the men, knocking them off their feet, including Donald and Adam. She forced herself not to worry about them just yet and was about to focus back on her-
Her head snapped to the side from a blow to the jaw, and her feet slid out from under her. She crashed to the floor, looking up at a burly man frowning down at her.
Chase staggered, his heart racing and his head pounding. For a second, he was frozen in fear, afraid that the Blasyn was coming back. But then he realized it was just a normal headache, brought on from exhaustion and dehydration and malnutrition.
He looked up, wiping sweat away from his eyes. Donald and Adam were engaged in fights with several men at once, but a majority of Douglas's agents were still down. Chase lifted a hand towards a group of men then closed his fist. The agents fell back to the ground, unconscious.
"Get him!"
Chase's head snapped in the direction of Douglas's cry to see the man pointing a shaking finger in his direction. He was suddenly surrounded by men and was forced to move faster than he'd ever before.
Someone grabbed his arm - he blasted them away with molecular kinesis.
Someone threw a punch at him - he ducked and kicked them the gut.
He was a blur of movement. They couldn't get a hold on him. Because he was not only fighting for himself, but for his family. There was no greater motivation in life than fighting for the ones you love.
Douglas was screaming in the background, urging his men to take Chase down.
Soon he was surrounded by fifteen or more men. But he wasn't worried. He actually laughed. It was refreshing to know that Douglas saw him as a threat.
He yelled, and a force field pulsed out from his body and sent every single agent around him flying.
Donald and Adam were tag-teaming against ten agents and Bree was locked in her own battle with a giant of a man. Around Chase, men were sprawled on the ground either unconscious or struggling to get to their feet.
He looked up and found himself locked in a staring contest with Douglas, halfway across the room. He had a clear shot right to the man, and he took it.
Bree grunted, picking herself off the floor from where she'd landed after being tossed for the fourth time. "That's it," she groaned. "No more Miss Nice Girl."
When the muscular dude approached her, she swept her legs and knocked his feet out from under him. He fell, and there was a loud crack when his head hit the floor.
Bree held still, waiting for him to get up. When he never moved after a few moments, she cautiously crawled over to him, fearing he was dead. She saw the rise and fall of his chest and was relieved.
"Sleep tight, Big Guy," she said, patting him on the arm, then stood up.
She staggered over to the countertops and glanced at the glowing screens, hoping to see something to indicate where the nullifier controls were. Then she saw labels on the different islands and her eyebrows shot up in wary surprise. "Seriously?"
The one to her right was labeled "Bionic Nullifiers and Security Cams."
Bree couldn't believe her luck, but when she reached out a hand to tap on the screen, there were several quiet pops and the screen in front of her splintered, cracks spreading out from three bullet holes in the glass.
"No!" she cried when the controls on the screen flickered, then went black. She looked around and saw that the agent she'd knocked out had stood up and drawn a gun with a silencer on it.
He sneered at her. "No more Mr. Nice Guy," he said with a mocking shrug.
Bree let out a yell and threw herself at him, knocking the gun out of his hand before he could fire again.
Donald shook his hand with a grimace after punching a guy's lights out. He was huffing pretty hard and he had a stitch in his side. "Man, I'm really out of shape," he gasped. No one attacked him yet, so he used the respite to glance over at Adam, who was barely winded. "Aw, come on. That's not fair."
Adam kicked the man he was fighting away and smiled at his father. "Well, you are pretty old there, Mr. Davenport. Do you need me to get you an oxygen tank?"
"Shut up," Donald snapped, but he was smiling. Two more men came at them, but they easily overcame them.
The ground around them was littered with Douglas's men, who were trying to pick themselves off the floor.
Donald reached down and dragged a man up by his shirt collar until they were face to face. "If I were you," Donald hissed, "I would get your buddies and get out of here."
"Why should we listen to you?" the man spat.
"Because if you don't, you and all these men are going to die. Is your boss really worth dying for?"
The man gaze at Donald in anger, but he relented. He shook off Donald's grip and straightened his shirt. For a minute, the two men held each other's gazes. Then the agent turned away and kicked an agent who was on the ground in the ribs. "Get everyone up. New orders from the boss," he lied. "We're clearing out of here."
Bree was crouched, panting hard, while the big man pointed the gun he'd retrieved at her head. His eyes were bright with glee, hers were hard with defiance. Just when she thought she was a goner, another man ran up and murmured something to the giant dude.
The man holding the gun pursed his lips thoughtfully and inhaled. "I guess it's your lucky day, princess." He tucked the gun in his waist band and smiled. "You get to live."
Then he and the other agent turned and began helping the others gather up the wounded and unconscious.
Bree watched it all in confusion then spotted Donald and Adam and jogged over to them.
"What's going on?" she asked, breathless, as she watched the agents begin to leave.
"I convinced them to get packing," Donald said with a smile.
Bree glanced up at Adam and noticed his pinched look. "Are you okay?"
Adam's face went slack almost immediately after she spoke, then he smiled. "Yeah, of course."
"Did you get the nullifiers turned off?" Donald interrupted, serious eyes piercing his daughter's.
"No," she said, feeling terrible. "One of Douglas's agents shot the controls before I could deactivate them."
Donald made a sound of frustration, looking up at the ceiling as he fought to control his anger.
"I'm really sorry," Bree said mournfully, thinking his frustration was at her.
"What?" Donald looked back at her, puzzled. "Oh! No, Bree, it's okay. It wasn't your fault. You did what you could."
Bree didn't look convinced, but she tried for a smile anyway.
"How are we going to defeat Douglas without our bionics?" Adam asked.
"We still have Chase," Donald said. "Speaking of which..." He glanced around, eyebrows knit together in worry. "Where is he?"
Suddenly, they heard Douglas shout something, and a horrible crack split the air, followed by an anguished cry.
The three whipped around, their faces paling.
"No!" Donald yelled, lunging forward.
Chapter soundtrack: They Hit Without Warning by Epic Score.
Haha, see what I was talking about before? That would've been a terrible cliffhanger, wouldn't it? But have no fear! Part 3 is here!
So how'd I do? Hate it? Love it? Please let me know. :)