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We're winding down to the final chapters, everyone. It's definitely been fun. :)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Decisions, Decisions

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When the dark cloud clears, Leo, Sonara, and Skylar shield their eyes. The late morning sun beaming down Mission Creek stands in stark contrast to the bath of gray and red-orange of the League of Superheroes' facility, and having it suddenly flood their sights hurts them. "Babe, we could have really used the warning," Sonara says, her hand over her eyes.

"Sorry," Mark says, watching her worriedly. "This is the only destination I thought of."

Leo tries to blink back the red burst of light clouding his vision to get a better look around. He sees the empty street and sees the familiar pink-ish house of the Goldbergs on his right. He sees towering trees and smells the salt of the ocean—both of which are familiar, too. "Are we on my street?" he asks.

"Yup! I thought about taking us straight inside the house, but I didn't know if Los Minions are still scouring the pad."

"I'm sorry, Los Minions?" Skylar asks.

"League of Superheroes Minions," Mark explains, grinning. "Los Minions, for short."

"Oh."

"How about this, Your Highness?" Sonara nods at the mansion ahead. "Think you and Skylar can handle this on your own?"

Leo frowns at the slight tease but eventually ignores it. Looking ahead, he finds the house—his house—sitting there. The LoS transport vans are gone, and there doesn't seem to be any agents roaming about.

However, those are not what really make him uneasy. It's the thought that inside is his family, and they may not be so hospitable towards someone who they view as a traitor.

"Leo?" Skylar gently prompts.

Leo takes a deep breath. "I don't think I should be here," he tells the group. "The League will try to look for me here and even if they don't...they might turn me in."

Sympathetic, Sonara says, "The League might come here, but it'll take them at least an hour. The facility they took you to is far from here. You should have enough time to get what you need and run."

"Run?" Leo asks. "Run where?"

"The transporter device has been fixed," Skylar says. With some unease, she adds, "Run away to Caldera with me."

Leo stares at her. He glances at his house, thinks of his family, and then says, "Caldera?"

"Look, we're not sure which race you belong to yet, but my guess is that you can live in Caldera comfortably," Sonara says. "You and Skylar will take the device with you, which will ensure that no one from Earth will be able to reach you. Skylar's planet is millions of lightyears away. It'll take your enemies forever to get to you."

"What about you and Mark?"

"Sonam and I will be fine," Mark tells him, smiling. "I've been running from the League since I broke out of their brainwashing facility. I know how to get around them." He places a hand on Leo's shoulder. "As far as your family turning you in, if that happens, just remember that that doesn't necessarily mean they don't care about you. My mom turned me in when I came back home, but I think she still loved me 'til the very end."

For a moment, Leo's taken back to the mountain where Super Nova lost her life for protecting him. "She did," he tells Mark. "All she wanted to do was protect you and your dad."

Mark nods, a sad smile on his face.

"You and Sonara should go," Skylar tells him. "We don't know who's watching. It's better if they don't see you around us."

Sonara nods. She holds onto Mark's hand as he retreats to her side. "Skylar, will you really be okay?" she asks her friend.

"There's a time to fight and a time to run," Skylar tells her friend, smiling. "I'm leaving Earth to keep peace on it."

Sonara smiles. She reaches out for Skylar's hand then squeezes it. "You've been a great friend."

"This is not goodbye, Sonam. I'll visit in a few years."

Sonara shakes Skylar's hand playfully. She darts a look at Leo, one that he misses, and then winks at Skylar. "Come on, aashiq. We should go," she tells Mark.

Mark nods. "Skylar. Leo," he nods at the two.

"Thank you for helping me," Leo says.

"Of course. Just keep me in mind when you start looking for important people to have in your cabinet," Mark jokes. He chuckles then waves. "Bye!"

A dark cloud surrounds them both, and eventually they disintegrate into invisible particles. Skylar smiles while Leo waves a goodbye at the nothingness they vanished into.

The silence that entails sobers them up to their reality. The plan of going to Caldera soon lingers awkwardly in the air and become thicker and harder to bear with each untouched moment that passes.

The two of them, together, in a planet far away. Leo refuses to think too much about it. "Ready?" he asks Skylar instead.

Skylar nods then follows him to the mansion.

"What does Mark mean about brainwashing facility?" he asks as they approach.

"The Gifted Children program the League of Superheroes have," Skylar explains quietly as they duck behind a wall. She waits until Leo finishes surveying the area beyond the gate, and when he finishes she adds, "The League managed to convince superhero parents to hand over their gifted kids. The aim was to train them use their abilities wisely, but eventually they started forcing these kids to become members and serve their purpose, whatever that is."

Leo frowns as he enters the password on the keypad. "Is that what Sonara was talking about at Mighty Med?"

Skylar nods. "Yes. Because Super Nova still believed that the League was good, she signed Mark up," she says. "But Mark caught earlier on that the program isn't really to help the children but to help the League of Superheroes as a group. They tortured him to force him to stay but eventually he got out, he and a few others."

The gate groans open. Leo scoffs. "I thought they were supposed to be the good guys?"

"I did, too," Skylar admits sadly.

Carefully, the two approach the house. Leo stops by the garden, at a spot out of the Closed Circuit cameras, and calculates the best way in.

The front door is definitely a no. The garage is also a no (difficult to access). The pool door might be a slightly better option. "You mind peeking in to see who's inside?" he requests.

Skylar gazes inside, using her enhanced vision. After a moment, she says, "Unless the agents have tech that prevents them from getting detected, all I see is your family."

"Good. Thanks."

"No problem."

Leo considers their options, and somehow the more insane plan in the selection stands out to him. "Is my mom inside?"

Skylar nods. "She's in the living room with your siblings. Oh. Kaz just came in." She narrows her eyes. "It looks like some things from the lab are scattered in the living room. Huh. Why is that?"

"All right," Leo says. He takes a step forward. "Let's march through the front door."

Skylar pulls him back. "What?"

"I know this is probably the worst plan ever, but I have to give them a chance," Leo says. He remembers the morning his stepfather took him home. He still remembers how he defended him from the agents. "It would be pretty cowardly of me to just run without saying goodbye. Mark is right: even if my mom doesn't understand what's happening right now, she still cares about me. I can't leave Earth without thanking her for all that she did for me."

Skylar smiles a sad smile. She nods. "But what about your siblings?"

Leo takes a deep breath as he processes that. The truth comes to him like the blinding daylight after a bout of darkness. "They're going to be hostile," he says. "I think I just have to accept that."

"I'm sorry."

Leo shakes his head. "Don't be." He smiles at her. "Let's go."

Leaving the safety of their hiding spot, the two continue towards the front door. The driveway looks so foreign without the excessive amount of League cars. It almost looks eerie, foreboding.

Without pausing for a second thought, Leo opens the door. When he does, four pairs of eyes shoot towards his direction.

Three display what he expects: bemusement and a bud of antagonism.

One display surprise, especially as he looks back and forth from Skylar to Leo.

The other..."Leo!"

The wind is nearly knocked out of him as Tasha runs to embrace him. She's nearly in tears as she takes him in, League of Superheroes' prisoner suit and all. "Are you okay? Goodness – what did they do to you?" she says, noting his chapped lips.

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm pretty hungry and thirsty, but I'm fine," Leo tells her.

"Where's Mr. Davenport?" Chase demands.

Here we go. Leo rolls his eyes. "As you can see, Chase, I just got out of a detention facility," he tells him dryly. "How am I supposed to know?"

Bree picks up a package from the kitchen counter then slams it on the couch, closer to Leo. "That came for you this morning," she says, nodding at it.

Leo frowns at the ripped-open packaging tape. "It's open."

"Of course it's open. For all we know, it could be a ransom note from the people who took Mr. Davenport."

Leo looks at Tasha, confused.

"Your stepdad's been trying to find ways to free you from the people who took you," Tasha explains, worry written all over her face. "But last night, he and Kaz got separated. He hasn't come back or contacted us since."

"Titan Red did tell me that Big D and Kaz are going around trying to get help." Leo looks at Kaz. "Tin Can and a few of his superhero cohorts aren't happy about it. Are you sure it wasn't one of them?"

Kaz, taken aback at first by that question, shakes his head. "I don't think so."

"You really have been corrupted by those villains," Chase remarks (with a tone of animosity, Leo notices). "Superheroes being the bad guys? What kind of garbage have they been putting in your brain?"

"That the line between good and bad isn't as clear in the world of superheroes as you think," Leo says, digging through the package. He glances up at him challengingly. "What about you? What kind of garbage have you been putting in your brain?"

The question clearly touches a nerve, but Leo can't get himself to care. He digs out the padding inside the box then...

A white card with a message on it. Underneath, a miniature vase, chipped at the side, holding an orchid.

Amai. Jolted by that, he reads what's on the card.

Nothing. There's nothing.

Of course there is. You're a scientist. All you've gotta do is view it in a different light.

"Oh no."

"Where do you think you're going?" Bree yells after him.

Leo ignores her. Instead, he runs to his room—

And finds it completely trashed. The order that existed there is no more.

Ignoring that for now, he digs through what's in there. He goes through a pile, and in the next one, he finds it.

He turns on the UV light. "Come on, come on, come on," he says, shaking it as it flickers. Then, once on, he shades the card with his hand.

Amber, CA – Chuck's pad.

Get here by 2 PM, or else we give Doc a human to test things on.

x Your very creative friends at Hangar 72

Leo fumes. He's positive that it's Vanessa's handwriting.

He comes back to the living room and head towards Skylar and Tasha. "I know where he is."

"The package really is a message?" Skylar asks.

"Where is he?" Chase demands.

Leo's jaw clenches and unclenches. "Kalopsia and The Doctor have him."

"What?"

"You did this," Chase says. He advances towards Leo with a balled fist. "This is all your fault."

Instinctively, Leo grabs one of the blasters sitting on top of a crate and points it towards Chase, stopping him short. "I won't, if I were you," he warns him.

"Leo," Adam says, confused, disillusioned. "What are you doing?"

"If you're going to blame somebody for this, blame Adam. He's the one who really started everything!" Leo tells Chase.

"Honey," Tasha coaxes, "don't do this to your brothers. Okay? This is not what you should be doing."

"No," Leo agrees. "This is exactly what I should have done a long time ago."

"How can you do this to us?" Bree says.

Leo's mouth curls into a sly, humorless grin. They've pushed him aside, used him when convenient, and then threw him away when association with him was deemed socially unacceptable. How can he do this to them? He nods at the prisoner number on his suit. "I'm a villain, Bree. Don't you remember?"

A cold, bitter glare comes onto the bionic's face, feet shifting to super speed. "Then you don't belong out here."

"Hanseh!"

Bree stops in her track as the light sentinel flits in front of her face. She stares at it, terrified, and slowly backs away as it comes closer to her.

Kaz, equally disturbed, stares at it. "What is that thing?"

"It's faster than Bree, that's for sure," Leo says. "So, if I were any of you, I won't give this apprehending me thing another try."

"I'm sure the League of Superheroes know you're here," Chase says, scowling.

"They do. In fact, they're probably on their way now," Leo says. A glance at the clock on his stepfather's desk tells him it's half an hour until noon. Upon quick calculation, he knows he's cutting it close.

He backs away to the door then pulls Skylar in front of him, aiming the blaster against her back.

"No!"

"Leo!"

"Any of you three try anything funny, both girls will be through," Leo tells Chase, Adam, and Kaz.

"Please, Leo," Kaz asks, a hand out to gesture him to stop. "Please don't hurt Skylar."

Bree frowns. "Uh, hello?" she says, still under the mercy of the light sentinel.

Leo chuckles.

"Leo," Skylar whispers back, one hand holding onto the forearm he's using to hold her close, the other holding onto the hand where he has the blaster. "What are you doing?"

Leo slowly clicks on the safety of the blaster, hoping she understands that he's still on the same side. "What do you think?" he says, backing up to the door.

Skylar resists for a few seconds, unsure at first. Then, to Leo's relief, she relaxes in his hold and goes along.

"Leo, sweetheart—"

"I've got to save him, Mom. I'm sorry, but this is the only way," Leo tells his mother. It saddens him to realize that they've run out of time. He still wants to tell her thank you, I love you, I will never forget everything you've done for me—but he's out of time.

If he wants to save his stepfather, he has to leave now.

"No sudden movements. I mean it," Leo warns Chase, Adam, and Kaz once again. He whistles, and the light sentinel flutters towards the door.

He continues to back away with Skylar in his arm until they reach the end of the driveway. He keys in the password and then comes outside when it opens. "I'm sorry," he tells Skylar once they're out. He chuckles. "It's a turn off, huh? Me hiding behind you?"

He takes off the safety on the blaster. Then, he spins Skylar around, handing her the blaster in the process. When she stops, they're facing each other, the device in her hand and the barrel pointing straight to his chest.

Skylar's eyes widen. "Oh. Uh..."

Leo fastens her hands onto the blaster. "I do know them, Skylar. Kalopsia, Corvus Black, Rhapsode," he tells her, because out of everything she's done she deserves to know. "But I don't know them by those names. I know them as Vanessa, Chuck, and Seo Woo. I don't know them as villains, I know them as my friends."

He smiles. He takes out the necklace Perseus gave him. "Remember this?" he says to her. "It told me who I am in all of this. Do you know what?"

"You're The Balance."

Leo's smile evaporates in surprise.

It's Skylar's turn to smile. "I've had a hunch, ever since the symbol for The 7 appeared. You were just talking about your invention, and how you were going to change the shape, then the sphere appeared." She shrugs, laughing as she gestures to the necklace. "I was off a bit, of course, but...I knew. It was never Chase. It's always been you."

"Then, you know what I must mean for both good people and bad people," Leo says. He takes a deep breath. "I'm going to where they're holding Big D, just me, by myself. I don't know what will happen once I'm with them. You're still a superhero, Skylar, and it's your job to prevent bad things from happening."

Skylar doesn't follow at first. Then, it clicks. Her eyes widen, her hold on the blaster weakening. "I am not going to kill you."

Leo holds the blaster in place.

Skylar's grip on the blaster slackens despite Leo's hand holding hers in place. "Don't ask me to do that," she says.

"If you don't and the villains end up using me, they'll blame you. They'll view you as a worse criminal than Titan Red."

"I don't care about what they think! I care about what's right!" Skylar pulls her hands off the blaster then takes the object strapped to her right ankle. "Do you know where you need to go?" she asks.

Leo frowns but nods nonetheless.

Skylar puts a smaller, more compact version of the transporter in his hand. "Hold down the blue button so the portal will stay open."

Leo's eyes widen. He shakes his head. "No," he refuses. "Skylar, this is your ticket home. If the League of Superheroes gets here, you need a way out. I can't—"

"I'll find another way. Right now, you and Mr. Davenport need a way back home." A sad smile comes onto Skylar's face. "I couldn't save my friends from Rodyssius when he and his children attacked Mighty Med. But you, you have a chance now to save your father. That's more important to me."

Leo smiles. Knowing no argument can change her mind, he points the transporter to the empty space in front of him then holds down the blue button. The scene of Chuck's mansion, dead and inconspicuous under the bright rays of the late morning sun, unfolds.

"Leo."

Leo, halfway inside the portal, looks back at Skylar.

For a moment, she hesitates. Then, "Come back safe. Okay?" she says. "Come back safe so we can run away."

Leo smiles. Run away with her. That is his dream and hope all in one.

But then he remembers what Amai said. The probability of the two of them ending up together is low for now. She's a galaxy out of my reach.

He steps inside fully, the two of them now standing in two different worlds. "We'll see each other again one day, somewhere in the stars." Then, he tosses the device through the portal.

Skylar catches it on reflex. When she looks up to protest, Leo and the unfamiliar world behind him is gone.

Meanwhile, in Amber, Leo sighs. There's nothing else he wants but to be with her and to have more time to say goodbye to his mother, but right now his reality is only able to buy him this much.

He also has his stepfather to save, one of the last few people who still believe in him.

I'm coming, he tells Donald as he heads towards the towering black gates of Corvus Black's mansion.

Next: Chapter Twenty-Six - Hangar X