Ten days behind bars and I was on the verge of losing my mind. I don't think I can go on much longer like this, alone with my thoughts and nothing to do. I can't remember the last time I did absolutely nothing for days on end. I'm used to being able to go wherever I want whenever I want, doing anything to distract myself from my miserable life. And now that was gone.
Sure, I was able to watch the Davenports as they went about their day, but they didn't acknowledge me in any way. I was at the point where I wanted them to talk to me just to cure my boredom.
When I wasn't bored, I was angry. Angry at Donald for keeping me here. Angry at Douglas for making me bionic. And angry at myself for everything I did just to protect myself. It seems that all I do is wrong.
I was laying on my side, engaging in another montage of every time I've ever messed up, adding the last two months onto the extremely long list. I don't know why I do this, sometimes I can't even stop the list when it pops up in my brain. I always end up feeling numb and hollow afterward.
I'm startled out of my thoughts when the garage door flung open and in came my fellow bionic superhumans. They'd just come back from their most recent mission.
"Great job guys! You saved that island from the biggest tropical storm in decades." Donald praised them as they gathered in the middle of the lab.
"And lucky for you, I brought home a whole bag of hairy fruit." Raising an eyebrow, I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the hairy fruit Adam was referring to was coconuts. He had dumped them onto the island console. I don't understand how they treat an expensive piece of technology like a normal table.
"Yeah, just be happy I made him put the pelican back." Bree said.
"Guys, that mission was the finest use of bionics to date. I think we can all agree that strength plus speed equals success."
"Uh, excuse me. Let's not forget the mastermind behind this whole thing." Chase interjected and I sort of felt sorry for him. No one really acknowledged everything he's done to help on missions and it wasn't fair. Great, I'm so bored I'm forming opinions on other people's issues.
"Oh, right. Let's give it up for our fearless leader..." Adam said and I was surprised he was going to acknowledge Chase's help. "Mr. Davenport!" Spoke to soon.
"What? No, I was talking about me! I supervised the whole mission. " I heard Adam scoff.
"Yeah, but I think we all know who did the heavy lifting. Look, I'll give you a hint: Starts with an 'A', ends with an 'M', there's a big 'da' in the middle." There was silence, "Okay guys, it's me."
"Please, the real work happened up here." Even without looking, I knew Chase was pointing to his head.
"Chase, no offense, but your bionic brain is no match for our hustle…" Bree said.
"And muscle." Adam added excitedly.
" Oh, that's a great team name! Hustle, muscle, and... Don't worry, we'll find you an 'ustle'."
"I just get so tired of these two getting all of the attention because they have Super Speed and Super Strength. I never get any of the credit."
"That is not true Chase, they just have a lot of flash, but you're the glue that holds that flash together, you're... Flash glue." Wow, that's the lamest nickname I've ever heard. And Donald supposed to be a genius?
"I'm flash glue?!" Chase exclaimed, not sounding happy about the name. I shook my head. It wasn't fair how everyone treated him. I know what it's like to be picked on, and even if what his family does isn't as bad as what I went through it still wasn't right.
Hang on, am I feeling bad for Chase? The boy who hasn't said a word to me for the last ten days. When did I start caring about what happened to him?
I need to get out of here somehow, I think I'm starting to lose it.
I watched as everyone left the lab except for Chase. He seemed to be in deep thought, and I became suspicious.
Mr. Davenport had just revealed another one of his inventions: a Chryoblaster that freezes anything. It was powered by citanium which could be found in Antarctica and Mr. Davenport was going to send the trio there to gather some but a storm alert forced Donald to call off the mission. There was a chance that the citanium could be lost forever and Chase still wanted to go but his siblings shot him down like they always did.
He's not actually thinking of going to Antarctica by himself right? I couldn't help but say something.
"If you're thinking of taking off to Antarctica on your own then you must not be as smart as you think you are." Chase looked at me in surprise, somehow forgetting I was here.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion." He replied shortly and raised my palms up to show I didn't want to fight. This was the first time we've spoken and it felt weird enough already.
"Well too bad, I'm going to give it to you anyways. You complain that you don't get the respect you deserve but don't do anything about it. I've spent the last ten days watching Adam use you like his personal punching bag and Bree encouraging him and you've done nothing to stop them."
"Wait so you tell me to not do something then say I need to so I get the respect I want? Yeah, that makes sense." He was right, it didn't make sense and I wondered where I was going with this. I waited a bit until I found the right words.
"What I'm trying to say is, if you're going to go Antarctica on your own, you better have a good plan so you don't turn into a human popsicle or get buried in an avalanche. Otherwise, you'll end up looking like a fool and never hear the end of it."
"Why are you trying to help me?" Chase asked while walking closer to my cage.
"Because I'm bored and have resorted to …" I visibly shivered, "...helping you of all people."
"Wow, thanks for the warm fuzzy feeling. I'm so glad I have a black-hearted bionic soldier on my side. Thanks for the pep-talk or whatever you want to call it, but you're the last person I'd accept advice from." I laughed shortly.
"Blackhearted, wow. I've been called a lot of things but that's a new one." And it kind of stung but I won't admit that.
"Well, you are." He insisted, messing around on the cyber desk.
"I don't understand why you're so mad at me. It's not like we were super close or anything." I wanted to find out his reasoning, because unlike the rest of his family who was more expressive about how they trusted me I was never able to know if he fully did. We'd hang out sure, but there was still this unspoken tension that has been there since we first became acquainted.
"No, but I trusted you. I risked everything and told you our bionic secret without Mr. Davenport's permission. I defended you any time he was doubtful about having you around. And all along you were just playing us." I pressed my lips together, a heavy feeling in my chest growing from guilt. I didn't realize he put that amount of trust in me. Which was a mistake.
I kept my face neutral so Chase didn't see how his words affected me.
"Well, I wouldn't have trusted anyone with my bionic secret." I finally said, speaking the truth, "You should've just gotten rid of me, maybe marooned me onto a deserted island. Would've saved everyone a whole lot of trouble."
"I wish we did." I laughed dryly and shook my head.
"You know, I didn't want to start an argument. I was going to offer to help you get the citanium."
"Why would you think I'd want your help?" He asked and he looked at me like I was insane. Maybe I was.
"Well, you're smart enough to know that it would take forever to get there, even on a plane. You don't think Danny's going to notice you're gone and drag your butt back here once he finds out where you went? You won't even make it to Antarctica."
"No one's going to know where I went." I smirked.
"Well, you just admitted it to me. And I'd be more than happy to tell your dad about your little trip." I gave him a pointed look, "Unless…"
"I'm not going to let you out just so you can desert me in Antarctica." Chase said and I scoffed while rolling my eyes.
"Ok, deserting people isn't exactly how I roll. And the only reason I'm wanting to go is that I've been stuck here for ten days and I'm going stir crazy. Plus, with my super speed, we'd be there and back before dinner."
"You're so complicated and aren't making any sense."
"Funny, I had the same thought when I started hanging out with you and your whole family before I knew about the bionics." I cross my arms and raise a brow, "So, what's it going to be Spikey?"
"It's Spike." He corrected, thinking I was referring to his alter ego. I rolled my eyes.
"No, I'm referring to your hair. Are we going to Antarctica or not?"
"Give me one good reason why I should let you out of there."
"Well, maybe I can prove to you that I'm not the enemy. Plus, I've never traveled outside of California, and Antarctica seems like a cool place to visit." Chase stared at me long and hard for a while, contemplating this. It made me uncomfortable like he was trying to see the Harper beneath the surface. If he could really trust me.
Without saying anything, he went over to the cyber desk and I sighed, thinking he'd decided against letting me come with him.
When the laser bars disappeared I was surprised and tentatively walked closer to the capsules where Chase had brought out two backpacks from behind them.
"You're going to need to borrow Bree's winter gear. It can withstand temperatures down to 45 below."
He hands me a bundle of white clothes and a pair of snow boots that are an ugly shade of beige.
"You sure this isn't for Adam?" I couldn't help but ask as I held up the snow pants.
Once we were geared up, I took hold of Chase's arm and we were off to Antarctica.
"I'm just going to say it, not a fan of the cold!" I shouted over the wind that was so loud and if Chase and I didn't have bionic hearing we'd probably not be able to hear each other at all.
"You're the one who wanted to come!" He shouted back.
I wasn't prepared for how FREEZING Antarctica was. Even with the heavy winter clothes, I was still shivering and could barely feel my fingers or toes.
Chase was on his hands and knees, doing his best to gather as many samples of citanium as he could while I stood less than a foot away, trying to act as a barrier between Chase and the snow to prevent it from reburying what was shoveled away.
There were probably other spots here on the citanium site but it was a miracle we even found this little deposit with the storm raging around us.
"You better hurry up, I think the storm is getting worse!" I yelled.
"I'm going to get as much as I can! Just keep standing where you are, I'm almost done!" I rolled my eyes even if he couldn't see it behind the goggles we wore to protect our eyes. He wanted to gather the citanium on his own to prove you don't need super speed and strength. At first, I supported that, not wanting to do any extra work, but the cold was starting to penetrate my snow gear. Plus, it's not like I could help anyways with the cuffs Chase put on my wrists. They were identical to the ones Douglas had used so Donald must have replicated them just specially for me. Chase wanted to ensure that I wouldn't run away.
I wasn't going to abandon Chase in the middle of a storm, maybe in Cuba or something. I felt a little bad tricking him, but I didn't double-cross the Davenports to prevent myself from being taken by the government only to still end up locked up.
I heard some beeping and knew that it came from the comm that Chase wore.
I knew it had to be Davenport. Chase confirmed this and stood up before answering.
"I'm at the citanium site!" He said. Mr. Davenport must have asked why he was there.
"I'm proving that even without super strength and super speed I can still get the job done!"
"It's ok Mr. Davenport, I'm almost done! I just have to get the rest of the samples! And then Harper can super speed us back!"
My ears picked up a rumbling noise and when I turned around my eyes widened upon seeing an avalanche heading our way. "Chase!" I yelled at the top of my lungs and when he turned around and saw what I did he started yelling.
It was too late to run, and I couldn't use my super speed with the handcuffs blocking my signal. Chase pushed both of us onto the ground and when I expected to be smothered in the snow he activated his force field just barely big enough to fit us both inside.
The snow continued to fall all around us, but we were protected by the force field. As soon as the avalanche started it was over, and it became deathly silent except for our heavy breathing.
I thought the snow would consume us when Chase deactivated his force field but what had been around it had melted and hardened into ice, providing a small pocket that saved me and Chase.
"Are you ok?" He asked and I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I don't know if I was shivering from the cold or trembling from the near-death experience.
I lifted the goggles away from my eyes and Chase did the same so we could get a better look at our current position. Both of us were on our stomachs and packed close together like a can of sardines.
Chase tried to contact his father but there was zero connection.
"Great. No signal."
"Have an idea of how much snow might be over us." I asked though I don't think I want to know the answer.
"Probably a few hundred feet."
"A few hundred feet!" I exclaimed and Chase jumped. "We have to get out of here. The oxygen will run out and we'll be dead." The thought of dying was enough for me to start panicking.
"Harper, calm down."
"No, we have to try to dig ourselves out!" I tried to sit up, temporarily forgetting I couldn't. I hit my head.
"Harper…"
"I can use my super strength," I concluded, then I realized I still wore the cuffs.
"Harper-"
"Where's the key-"
"HARPER!" When he yelled I flinched and shut up. "We can't dig ourselves out, it's too far and the snow is really packed together. Staying put is our best bet. Mr. Davenport will send Bree and Adam to get us."
"But what if they don't find us before the oxygen runs out!"
"We're good for a few hours."
"A few hours isn't good enough Chase!" I snapped.
"Just calm down!" He snapped back.
"I will not calm down when there is a mountain of snow over us. We're practically buried alive!"
"Harper, look at me. Look at me!" I did. "We're going to be ok. But the more you freak out and hyperventilate, the less oxygen we'll have. Just take a deep breath-" he thought for a moment, "-on second thought don't."
"Alright alright, I get it," I said, and I did my best to calm down, though the fear of impending doom was still there.
After a few minutes, I was able to think more clearly. "So we're just going to wait like sitting ducks and see which gets to us first?" I asked hopelessly, "Your family or the elements?"
"Mr. Davenport will find us." He repeated and I put my head in my hands, trying to find the confidence like he had. "It's probably best if we keep the talking to a minimum to conserve air."
"Fine." I shifted to where I was lying on my left side facing away from Chase. I felt the silence would be less awkward if we weren't looking at each other.
I'm not sure how much time goes by, all I know is that I continue to grow colder. Eventually, I can't stop myself from shivering and Chase noticed.
"Cold?" He asked quietly.
"No….yes." I got back onto my stomach and buried my face into my arms, hoping to warm up my face or at least my numb nose.
"Erm, there might be a way for us to keep ourselves warm." He stated. Realizing what he was implying, I stopped him before things got weird.
"Don't even finish that thought. I'm not about to snuggle up with you like a penguin. We both know it'd be awkward and quite frankly weird since we hate each other."
"In the case of not freezing to death, I'm willing to look past that. We gotta stay alive until Adam and Bree get here."
"We don't even know if they'll find us." I told him.
"Well, I'd rather try everything I can to live than just give up so easily." Chase argued and I threw my hands up.
"Well, I'm not like you." Chase sighed harshly, making me look at him as he got angry.
"Can you at least for once think of anyone but yourself? I'm trying to keep us both alive."
"I can understand you wanting to stay alive, but why worry about me? It's not worth the effort." Chase didn't seem to understand why I said this. And to be honest I'm not sure why I said it either. In the glow of my cuffs, I saw the anger subside as he spoke.
"Because I've been trained to save people's lives, no matter who they are. No one deserves to die, even someone who hurt my family." I bit my lip and glanced to the side, having a mental war inside my head. I may not have a life to get back to, but Chase does. He has a family, a purpose in life.
"I can't say I agree with you, but… you have a family who needs you so I guess for that reason I'll cooperate. But you might have to take these off." Since I couldn't go anywhere, Chase freed my wrists and it was a relief to not have those heavy cuffs on me anymore. They were set above our heads to still be used as a light.
An awkward silence fell between us and I bit my lip, contemplating whether I wanted to do this. Deciding to get it over with, I avoided Chase's eyes as they watched me get on my right side and he scooted closer while I got into a semi-comfortable position.
He tentatively draped an arm over my shoulders and I at first tensed from the contact but tried to calm down. I buried my face in his parka so I didn't have to look him in the eyes and felt him freeze in shock at my doing this so quickly. When I say I'm going to do something, I mean it. I even go as far as putting my arm around his waist. The burning of both our faces is already doing wonders.
I can hear his steady breathing and find it very calming. He rested his chin on my head and I didn't protest.
"Just don't fall asleep." He told me.
"Believe me, I won't." I replied, starting to feel anxious again about our situation. Without thinking I hold Chase a little tighter but he didn't seem to mind.
Eventually, I do stop shivering, and I'm beyond happy even if it's not a huge deal. But I have grown tired of laying on my side, usually, I lay on my stomach.
"Chase? " I said, my voice slightly muffled by his parka.
"Want to take a break?" He asked as if reading my mind. I pull away and give him a curious look.
"How'd you know?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Smartest man alive. I could tell by how you started shifting around trying to get comfortable."
"Well, I'm glad I don't have to say anything." I scooted about five inches away which was the max I could do in our little space. Both of us laid on our stomachs and avoided eye contact while my face became red again when I realized Chase and I basically cuddled to stay warm.
Chase filled the silence by updating his mission log which he's done every hour we've been stuck here. That's how I know it's been two hours, coming on three.
"Mission Log: hour three. These may be my last recorded words. I'm still stuck under a mountain of snow. The air is getting thinner. I am cold, I am hungry, and these snow pants are giving me an extreme wedgie!" I rolled my eyes but stopped when it registered what he said.
"You don't think they're going to find us? I thought you said to stay positive."
"Unless they find us in the next fifteen minutes, we're going to run out of oxygen."
"I can't believe this. Of all the things to die from, I'm going out because of an avalanche. Why couldn't it have been something that kills me instantly? Like a plane crash or something? No, I'm going to die by asphyxiation, which is slow and probably painful." I hit the wall of snow next to me.
"This is all my fault."
"No, it's my fault. I encouraged you to come here just so I could cure my boredom. I'm such an idiot." I said, but Chase wasn't having it.
"But I'm the one who said we'd go."
"Are we seriously fighting over who's a fault it is?" I snapped and he rolled his eyes.
"Fine, it's your fault. Happy?"
"Wait, why do I get all the blame?"
"Seriously, you just said-" before our argument could escalate further, the sound of a shovel scraping against the hard snow interrupted us.
"Is that-"
"Yes! I knew they'd come for us!" I don't get angry at being interrupted, a huge weight lifted off my chest when I realize that we're going to be ok. "Guys we're in here!" Not a second later, a shovel broke through the barrier of ice and snow, and light flooded in along with fresh air. I take in a deep breath of the crisp air that also made my body shiver from the sudden cold.
"What are you doing here?" I look at the back of Chase's head with curiosity. If it's not Adam and Bree, who was it and why did Chase's mood suddenly change. He was blocking the hole so I couldn't look out.
"Saving my two favorite kids." My blood went cold, not because of the storm that was still raging outside but at the voice of someone I'd hoped to never hear again.
"Douglas." I said lowly, my fists clenching along with my jaw. Of all people, he was the one to find us and I find myself thinking it'd be better to stay under here than accept his help.
Despite my protests, we ended up taking shelter where Douglas had set up camp not a mile away. It was a decent-sized tent made of wooden poles and a thick tarp-like material that kept most of the wind out.
I sat in front of a portable heater in an attempt to gain feeling back in my hands and feet. Thankfully there were no signs of frostbite. I suppose Douglas found us at the right time.
Chase sat on a sleeping bag at the other end of the tent. His jacket was hanging up on one of the wooden poles to dry off while I kept mine on. The reason he wasn't worse off than I was had to do with his mission suit he wore. It was made with a special material that could protect him from cold to a certain degree. I didn't have that luxury, I still wore the clothes Douglas provided during my capture.
"Would you like some soup?" I heard Douglas ask and when I turned I saw that he was offering it to me in a blue tin cup. Despite my hatred of the man, I needed the soup to both feed my stomach and warm my body up. I don't show any gratitude though as I swipe it out of his hands.
"Harper, don't. It could be poisoned." Chase said before I could take a drink.
"Yes Chase, I flew 10,000 miles around the world into a massive storm and risked my life to save you both, just to poison her."
"Yeah, he's not smart enough to pull that off." I said before taking a drink, and Douglas sent me an annoyed look to which I ignored. Chase reluctantly accepted his own cup of soup and after taking a sip he hummed.
"You make a good soup for a diabolical maniac."
"You should try my quiche." Douglas said, looking proud of himself. He never cooked anything fancy when I was at his place. Just some weird food pellets that tasted like expired jerky that gave me all the nutrients I needed. When I ate those I could go the rest of the day without eating which is the only reason I would eat them.
"Maybe some other time. We're leaving."
"Says who?" I asked, not getting up when he did.
"Says me. Let's go." He ordered again but I didn't listen and crossed my arms.
"Chase, I can barely feel my legs. How am I supposed to control how fast I go if I can't feel anything? I don't think it'd be a good idea for me to super speed us back to Mission Creek."
"She's right. And you'll freeze to death before anyone finds you if you choose to walk out in the storm."
"Not with this suit. Mr. Davenport made it. It's built to withstand temperatures down to 45 below." Chase explained defiantly while putting the parka on.
"It's fifty below." Douglas said matter of factly without looking up from his tablet.
"That explains the frostbite."
"Chase, we barely survived the avalanche, who's to say we won't get caught in another? It's better we stay here and wait for them to come to get us." I reasoned. I can't believe I'm suggesting we stay here with Douglas but we're bionic and therefore more powerful than him. If he tried anything, he wouldn't suceed.
"They already have."
"What?" Chase and I asked at the same time.
"The weather must have been too much for them." Douglas showed Chase something on his tablet and went over and I looked over the former's shoulder. "Looks like Adam and Bree went home without you. Those are their GPS signals. That's how I found you two."
"You've been stalking us?" Chase asked angrily.
"You say stalking, I say lovingly lurking in the shadows. "
"I say it's creepy." I retorted, "But in this case, I'm glad you had our GPS signals otherwise we would have frozen to death or died of asphyxiation."
"Well, you could have used each other's body heat to keep each other warm. Can't say the same for oxygen though." Chase and I glanced at each other then looked away and I tried to keep myself from blushing.
"Yeah, like me and Chase would do that. That's insane! And either way, you found us and that's all that matters."
"Sure, because you're with your creator again." My jaw set and turning to Chase, I crossed my arms.
"Excuse me?"
"The fact you want to stay just proves that you're still on his side. That whole Triton App thing was just a bunch of crap wasn't it?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Really? After everything, I did to help you and you still believe I'm with this nutjob?" Douglas looked hurt at this but that wasn't important right now.
"Yes, because it's impossible for people like you to change."
"People like me? Care to elaborate?" Chase took a step closer to me.
"I'd be happy to. You only care about yourself and what you want. You lied to my family. You almost killed Leo two times. Broke into Mr. Davenport's office. You're a liar and a manipulator and that's all you'll ever be. " I looked at him with a mixture of anger and hurt. And I don't know what's worse, the fact that he said those things or that I know deep down it's the truth.
I could see Douglas watching me from the corner of my vision, waiting to see what my reaction would be.
An idea comes to mind despite all the emotions spiraling inside. Looking down for a second, my expression changed from anger and hurt to one of acceptance.
"You know what? You're right, I am what I am and there's no way I can change. Maybe I should embrace it and stop trying to be the girl I'm forced to be by everyone else." Before Chase could do anything to stop me, I swiftly hit the side of his neck and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Smirking I turned around and faced Douglas who's expression mirrored my own.
"Welcome back." He said and we shook hands while letting out evil chuckles.
"I should have realized where I belonged sooner." I admitted glancing at Chase for a moment and frowning. Douglas noticed and put a firm hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry, guilt fades away with time." He reassured and I scoffed.
"I'm not guilty. Just wondering what to do with him."
"You can use the override app and control him." I looked at him, confused.
"I don't have an override app."
"You will if you touch Chase and gain all of his abilities." Now I grew more confused.
"What? You never told me I could do that."
"I didn't? Well, to put it in simple terms, you only have a few permanent bionic abilities, Super Speed, Super Strength, Super Intelligence, and Lighting Generation. I Along with the ability to know how to use and hack any device. Any other bionic ability you gain is by touching another bionic human or android like Marcus. It's called Power Replication. But it's only temporary."
"That explains why my molecular kinesis and force fields stopped working. Wait, I have Super Intelligence?"
"Not officially. I didn't get a chance to add that in."
"But you can. If I have super intelligence, I'll be unstoppable like you said!"
"I just have to upgrade your bionic chip. Unfortunately, I no longer have access to state of the art systems so we'll need to use Donny's cyber desk."
"Yeah, I can sneak you in, easily. Donny won't be there, it's Wednesday which means something is getting waxed." I revealed while shuddering.
"Well, he is hairy. Gets that from our mom." I shook my head at him.
"I didn't need to know that."
"We'll be in and out before anyone notices. What do you say?" When he offered his hand for me to shake I accepted it and we both chuckled darkly.
"Alright, Mr. Davenport."
Once we got into the lab, I locked Chase in my former prison so he couldn't stop us if he woke up. He was still unconscious.
I took charge of downloading the upgrade for my chip from the cyber desk while Douglas poked around the lab.
What he didn't know was that I wasn't really downloading the upgrade. I just chose a random file that would take an hour and a half to download, hopefully, that's enough time for Donny and the others to come back. I needed to show them I wasn't on Douglas's side.
I know, it's risky having Douglas in the lab but it's the only place I could think of where it'd be easy to take him down.
The download was almost complete and I was starting to grow a little nervous. I decided to strike up a conversation with Douglas to distract myself.
"So, was Chase telling the truth when I said I'd broke into Donny's warehouse? What did I do?"I asked, hoping to hear more about what I did when under the Triton App. Douglas smiled proudly.
"It was amazing. You took out twenty plus guards and Adam, Bree, and Chase. That's how I knew we were ready to fight them." I pretended to look disappointed.
"It's too bad I can't remember anything while I was under the Triton App. If I had seen what I'd accomplished, maybe I would've joined you sooner and we could have taken Donny down."
"That's all in the past. And we'll have a chance to do it again once the download is complete. How much longer?"
"Two minutes." I said after glancing at the clock and I started feeling a tiny bit nauseous. I might have to take him down on my own but then it won't prove anything if no one is here to see it.
But when the garage door opens relief flooded through me as Donny, Bree, and Adam walked in. Douglas went to hide behind me while I straightened up and tried to look more confident than I felt.
"Don't worry guys, there's still a chance that we could find him." When they notice the cage is activated they gasp upon seeing an unconscious Chase.
"Chase!"
"You're alive!"
"What is he doing in there?" I cleared my throat and three pairs of eyes widened when they saw me. Douglas decided to make himself known as well. Adam gasped.
"It's Harper! And Evil Uncle Daddy!" He exclaimed.
"Back away from him Harper." Donny ordered but Douglas chuckled.
"It's too late, Donald. She's with me again." It took everything in me to not pull away when Douglas put an arm around my shoulders as he smirked at his brother. Donald looked at me.
"Harper, what is he talking about?"
"It's true. I've finally found out where I belong." I said, prepared to say more but Leo ran into the lab and interrupted the tense conversation.
"Alright, Big D. I know I'm not supposed to touch your stuff, but you know sometimes things happen and sometimes things happen you really don't want to happen and that just happens to be what just happened. Upstairs." Donald pointed at Douglas and me and when Leo turned and saw the two of us he yelled in surprise.
"Whatever you're up to, you won't get away with it." Donny told us. The cyber desk beeped, and Douglas laughed in triumph while getting the USB.
"I just did. The download's finished! I now have the power to give Harper super intelligence! We'll be unstoppable." Time for me to reveal everything.
"Actually, they can. That USB you're holding is completely useless." I said matter-of-factly and smirked at everyone's confused faces.
"Then what just took an hour and a half to download?" Douglas demanded.
" A list of everything Adam's ever eaten."
"Not my Incredible edibles!" Adam exclaimed and Douglas looked at me with disbelief.
"You double-crossed me!" I shrugged.
"You did say I made a great double agent. And like Chase said, I'm a liar and a manipulator and no one can trust me." Douglas wasn't pleased and threw the USB to the side angrily. "So, you can either surrender with your dignity somewhat intact or get your butt kicked by four bionic teenagers. " Well three, since Chase was still unconscious.
Douglas, realizing he'd been cornered, threw his hands up.
"Alright, you got me. What do you say we just put this all behind us and get down to the business of healing this family?" I rolled my eyes as he motioned for all of us to come over. "Am I right? Let's hug it out, people!"
Adam went to hug him but Donald held him back. After a few tense seconds, Douglas's expression darkened.
"Well, you know what they say. If you can't join them…" when he pulled out the gun and pointed it at Donald, Adam, and Bree my hands had a mind of their own as they grabbed the chryoblaster. With my bionic ability to know how to use any device, I was able to turn it on and freeze Douglas inside a giant block of ice before anyone got hurt.
I set the chryoblaster down and tried to calm myself down. I don't know how many more of these types of situations I can handle.
" Wow! You froze him! Now, how exactly would someone go about unfreezing someone?" I looked at him weirdly as he took ahold of the device. "Because it's not the button located here, here, here, here, or here."
I rolled my eyes and decided now was the time to explain to Donny what had happened. I'd rehearsed in my mind what'd I say in the hour and a half we were here but what came out of my mouth was not calm and collected as I'd planned.
"Look, I'm really sorry. I know that I should've warned you about Douglas. I just knew that if I could get him here, then we could trap him for good. I wanted to show you that I wasn't on his side. I know I've done a lot of bad things and I hate myself for it. I promise I'll make it up to you -"
"Hey hey, that's enough." I clamped my mouth shut and looked down, embarrassed that I'd kind of lost it for a moment. I waited for the scolding or yelling to start. "Good work. You make a great double agent."
"I wish I didn't." I said quietly.
"Well, like you said, you've done a lot of bad things. But there is good in you, what you did today shows me that." I couldn't say I agreed with him but I grew curious about what he was going to say next.
"What are you saying?"
"I do still think it's best if we remove your bionics, but I'm not going to keep you locked up until then." I didn't feel stoked when he said this, Chase's words still fresh in my mind.
"You don't have to do that. I deserve to be in that cage for the rest of my life." Donald put a hand on my shoulder.
"It'll take a while to develop trust but everyone deserves a second chance." I looked at him, unsure how to feel or respond. I've never had a second chance for anything.
"I-I don't know what to say. " Donald removed his hand and pointed to the cage.
"You can start by telling us why Chase is locked up." Despite the guilt weighing down on me, I felt the corners of my mouth tilt up mischievously.
"I couldn't let him interfere with my plan." Was my explanation and I went over to the cyber desk to deactivate the laser bars.
"So wait, are we done being mad at Harper?" Adam asked.
"You guys don't have to trust her until you're ready." Donald told the pair but Adam grew more excited while Bree looked uncertain.
"I'm ready! I've missed hanging out with you!" Adam ran over picked me up and spun me around, much to everyone's surprise.
Once everything settled down we asked Donald where he'd put Douglas. He decided that one of his offshore facilities would work since he'd be frozen in suspended animation which didn't affect him in any way.
Leo chose this moment to bring up unfreezing someone and we all made a beeline for the living room. My jaw dropped as does everyone else's when we see Janelle, a girl from our school, and Tasha frozen in blocks of ice.
"Yep, they're frozen." Bree said.
"We have to fix this, Janelle's mom will be here any minute."
"No problem, Adam and I can use our heat vision to melt the ice." I told Leo.
"Then she'll see you using your bionics."
"Not while she's frozen in suspended animation." Donald said.
I touched Adam's arm and we both nodded to each other before aiming at the two blocks of ice.
"Wait! These ladies are going to be really mad at me, so I need a running start." Leo ran out the door followed by Donald. Shaking our heads, I unfroze Janelle while Adam did Tasha. Both were shivering and soaking wet."
"W-What happened?" Janelle asked.
"Leo happened." Tasha answered through gritted teeth. Yup, that boy was in for it.
When we went back to the lab, we saw that Chase was awake and was obviously confused as to what happened. When his eyes landed on me he pointed and snarled.
"You!" He stalked over and Donald stopped him before he could get anywhere near me. I still backed a few feet away just to be safe.
"It's OK Chase." Donald said trying to calm him down. But Chase still looked frantic.
"What happened? Why is Douglas frozen in a block of ice and why is Harper roaming free?"
"She double-crossed Douglas so we could capture him. She's on our side." Donald explained but Chase didn't believe this.
"You expect me to believe that? After everything, she's done you're just going to let her go free?"
"Until I find out how to remove her bionics, yes."
"Well, I'm not falling for it!" His gaze landed on me and I flinched under it. "You better watch yourself, and if you give me one reason to think you're going to hurt my family, I will deal with you myself." He stared into my eyes with pure hatred in his hazel ones for a moment then bumped my shoulder as he stalked out of the lab, leaving everyone to look at each other worried before waiting to see what my reaction would be.
"Well, I think I should head home. Might as well get that over with." I said, trying to make it seem like I wasn't affected by Chase's threat.
"Come by in a couple of days. Chase will probably have cooled off by then." I nodded, even if I disagreed with his reassurance. I've never seen Chase that angry and I know it's not going away anytime soon.