Chapter 5: Sleeping Worries

With the lab destroyed, the three bionics were supposed to sleep in beds in the guest bedrooms. Chase however, was still unconscious, so Mr. Davenport instructed Adam to put the boy on the couch in the living room. Afterwards, Adam immediately went to his bedroom to sleep; he didn't seem to comprehend the severity of the extended length Chase had been unconscious for.

Bree, on the other hand couldn't get Mr. Davenport's earlier words out of her head.

"Chase's chip overloaded too quickly. Still, he should be awake by now."

No matter what Mr. Davenport said though, Chase remained like a stone. He showed no signs of movement, and his face only got paler by the hour. His breathing patterns were erratic, and his heartbeat felt faint, as if a mile away. It worried Bree. Chase was her younger brother! He couldn't die!

He won't die, Bree attempted to calm herself. She didn't want to glitch anymore, especially after Mr. Davenport tied her legs together with a powerful titanium wire. He should wake up tomorrow. Chase is just sleepy. She should be glad that she was free from his whining for one night.

Slowly, Bree started hopping to her room. The process was slow, tiresome, and annoying, yet Bree agreed it was better than running uncontrollably to various unknown destinations. However, before she could even reach the end of the couch, Leo came from the lab. Bree almost forgot he hadn't gone upstairs. It was almost midnight!

"Hey Bree," Leo smiled a little at his stepsister's struggle to move, but his smile immediately got shot down by Bree's menacing glare.

"Big D's out for the night. He tried to find a cure to Chase's chip overload situation, but he conked out on the cyber desk," Leo could tell Bree didn't want to talk, but he ignored the feeling. He knew talking was better than sulking alone. Nevertheless, Bree's face twisted into a frown.

"I'll stay with Chase," Bree replied, turning and hopping back to the couch.

"I thought you guys would feel weird not sleeping in capsules standing up," Leo frowned. "Chase seems fine."

Bree wanted to scream at Leo. She was willing to do anything to stop him from talking. She was trying desperately to not think of her brother, yet Leo was destroying her efforts. Memories flooded through her as she glanced at her unconscious brother once more. Then, a smile slowly crept onto her face.

"If any one of us is accustomed to sleeping laying down, it's Chase," Bree felt herself drift into her own memories, almost forgetting she was talking to Leo. "When we were younger, he would never sleep in his capsule. Mr. Davenport had a bed down at the lab since Chase always got nightmares and would end up wanting Mr. Davenport to comfort him. However, most days, Chase was the one who slept on the bed. I think he only started sleeping in his capsule when he was 8 because of Adam."

Leo looked at Bree shocked. He hadn't expected Bree to delve into her memories. It seemed very uncharacteristic of her. Bree often acted rebellious, uncaring, and moody, not thoughtful. It was Chase's job to be thoughtful. Leo sighed. The distant voice and stare didn't suit her. It wasn't normal. However, it wasn't every day Chase fell unconscious for more than an hour or two.

Still, even the story surprised Leo. He never pictured Chase as a person who was easily controlled by fear. Leo had always imagined Chase was invincible, unafraid of everything. Chase always had a fearless countenance in Leo's presence. Leo never thought about when Chase was younger. He never thought about nightmares.

Bree took a deep breath. She was staring at Leo, though Leo could tell she wasn't focused on him, "There is a reason Chase's capsule is in the middle. He was always scared of being on the edges. He would talk about how monsters coming in the night. Back then, Chase never used his bionic brain to rationalize, only to try to prove his point."

Bree chuckled heartlessly, responding to the old, worn out joke, "'He would freak out how there was a 78% chance monsters exist and a 27% chance they would sneak into the lab."

"Bree?" Leo asked in a high voice.

Bree dashed out of her head and smiled slowly at her stepbrother, "I'm sorry Leo. I just can't believe he is still unconscious, after 6 hours."

Leo looked at her, his eyes wide, "There is a 78% chance monsters exist!"

Bree rolled her eyes. Of course that would be what Leo picked up in the whole conversation. However, she didn't have time to worry about Leo. She directed her attention back to Chase as Leo finally went upstairs. Chase was her brother, her younger brother. She was supposed to protect him, yet it seemed like the opposite often happened instead. Chase was the one guarding her from danger. Her tiny, scared, teased brother was the person who needed to be protected, not her.

The girl just felt like a spoiled brat. She often acted like the youngest when she was not. Bree also relished the attention, forgetting about the brother more than a year younger to her. Suddenly, Bree regretted all of the times she had ignored her brothers or said she wanted a future without them. The girl had just been kidding. Her brothers were her life, and she could never replace them.

Whenever she felt depressed, Chase would always approach her and swing his arms around her. When they were younger, Chase could not even wrap his arms around his elder sister. Chase was always small for his age, and Bree was too big for him. She would push him away, embarrassed that her younger brother felt the need to comfort her. However nowadays, Bree just smiled at the warmth. Chase only gave hugs sparingly anyway. He would make her feel special. Nevertheless, Bree would still push him away after a moment or two, ignoring the feelings inside of her.

Chase never seemed to mind though. He was calm and patient with not only her but everybody. He did not expect any recognition. In fact, all he ever got for caring were teasing remarks from her and Adam. It seemed incorrect, but Bree did not know what to do. She had always been self-absorbed before, so being sentimental was new to her.

She felt her breathing halt as Chase's erratic breathing stopped too. Bree gasped. It has been too long. She put her ear onto his chest and heard a faint heartbeat. At the touch, Chase started coughing terribly. Bree trembled in fear as she jerked back from the sleeping body. How could Chase be so weak? Leo had told her the story, yet it still seemed impossible. Then, Bree found the most obvious answer. It made so much sense. She could not believe she did not realize the solution before.

Chase wouldn't be cured until he was in his capsule, and all the capsules in the lab were broken. Bree felt helpless. All she could do was make sure Chase did not get any worse.