Leo watched his step-father tend to Adam, Bree, and Leo's mom, handling them all with care. Both Big D and Leo had escaped with only minor injuries, but the same couldn't be said for the other three.
"There, that's all I can do," Mr. Davenport said as he examined his work. He had casted what needed to be casted and taped what needed to be taped, that year at medical school surely put to good use now.
"Tasha, you're going to have to just rest and wait for your arm to heal. Adam, Bree, we're going to get you down into your capsules so that you can be properly healed," Mr. Davenport stated, and he got slow nods from everyone else. Bree and Adam had only recently come back to consciousness and were still a little foggy.
"Chase is down there, right?" Bree asked.
"Yes, and I will make sure that Spike can't hurt any of you by locking down all of your capsules once you're inside. None of you will be going to school tomorrow, to say the least."
The three kids looked relieved at that statement, and with the help of Mr. Davenport and Leo, the bionics made it down to the lab. But when they arrived, they all froze.
"Where's Chase?" Leo asked nervously, his head whipping around to make sure the youngest bionic wasn't trying to sabotage them (due to the commando app).
"He's not levitating," Adam observed. "Do you think he discovered how to become even smaller?"
"No, guys. Chase isn't here," Mr. Davenport sighed, rubbing his face. Teenagers, the tech mogul thought tiredly. Not a good time to hide or run away, kid.
"Wait, he ran off? Are you sure he isn't somewhere else in the house?" Leo asked incredulously.
"Adam, Bree, let's get you in your capsules, and then Leo and I can search for your younger brother," Mr. Davenport instructed, and as soon as the two bionics were in their capsules, he locked them and sound-proofed them so that they could rest. "Come on, Leo, let's go look for Chase."
"Are you sure it's not a Spike hunt?" Leo asked worriedly.
"No, I'm not; it very well could be a hunt for Spike."
Bree shifted in her capsule, groaning as she tried to keep from crying anymore. If she thought that Thursday had been a nightmare, today had paled that in comparison.
The flickering stopped, and Spike glowered at them, a crazy light in his eyes. He turned on Adam, immediately attacking the older boy. But this time it was different – Spike seemed to be stronger this time around, and it was made obvious by that in scoring only one hit, Adam was in pain, real pain, and recoiled from the fight.
Bree's breathing quickened and she gulped, trying to calm herself down. But it was with no avail.
Bree sped over to her older brother's rescue, knocking away Spike's next blow, absorbing much of it as she did. She cried out in pain, surprised by how strong he was; fear gripped her even as Spike did, snarling menacingly "Big mistake."
She tried to shake herself from these terrible memories as she had tried to shake herself from Spike's grip mere hours ago, but they refused to leave her be, continuing to dance before her eyes. Fear made her heart race at terrible speeds, and she sucked in another trembling breath.
Calm down, Bree, you're safe now, she told herself, willing herself to relax. But are you really safe? Admit it, you're afraid of Chase, and he's your brother. He lives with you, another voice whispered to her, and shame overcame her. What were they going to do?
Two capsules over was Adam, similarly tortured. He watched again and again as Spike beat him in every way, confused how he had become so strong. Adam was the strong one, so how did Spike possess that kind of strength? Maybe Adam had been wrong in calling Chase weak.
Adam was stunned by how easily Spike avoided his lasers, effortlessly batting away any advances Bree or Adam tried to make to subdue him. Spike was a whirlwind of power, simply playing with the other two bionics as a cat would a mouse. Speed and strength were no longer a match for the commando app.
Adam shifted, rubbing his temples as if that would help him forget earlier that day. But he couldn't keep the images out of his mind; they kept playing over and over like a broken record.
Adam watched in helpless horror as Spike dueled his sister at high speeds – the commando app wasn't as fast as Bree, but he was pretty darn close. He used a move that made Bree's speed work against her, and he surprised her, clipping her under the chin. Her eyes rolled up as her head snapped back, and she went limp, falling backwards. Spike roared in triumph as Adam roared in fury.
Adam shivered, wishing he could forget what came next. For a while he had, but now it came back to him in full clarity.
Adam engaged the app, but he knew before the first contact that he had lost. Spike smirked tauntingly throughout the exchange of blows that followed, madness playing across his face even as sheer joy flitted on his lips. Ten minutes ago Spike had been a friend, but now he was a deadly foe. Adam knew this as he saw the app's foot swinging towards the strongman's face, and there was nothing more he could do.
Adam felt like he was going to get sick, tears sliding down his cheeks as he was haunted by the look in Spike's eyes. How could this monster have always lived within his little brother? How could they move on now?