Hello again! Who's ready for chapter 5? I've got to say, writing the exchanges between Douglas and Chase is a whole lot of fun! You know, I'm not one of those people who thinks Douglas is "misunderstood." I still think he's evil. And crazy. But I don't really show it that much in this chapter. Well, I guess it's because I'm writing from Chase's POV, not mine. I'm trying hard not to be biased! This is what Chase thinks, not me.

Okay, so in this story I'm going to be talking about how they can't use two abilities at the same time. (Yes, I wrote this after Sink or Swim.) But my description and explanation of it will be a little . . . different. Just because I think they could've done so much more with it. So consider it AU if you'd like.

I don't really have much more to say, just thanks for all the reviews! For all you lovers of evil Chase (there are quite a few), this story has a lot of him! This is my longest chapter yet. Enjoy!

I still don't own Lab Rats. It's a work-in-progress.

* * * Chase's POV * * *

I woke up with a slight pain in my neck. It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the dim light. I glanced around. I was in some sort of lair/lab place, not totally unlike Douglas's old lair. There was a capsule in the middle of one of the walls and a cyberdesk in the center of the room. I was lying on a cot near the desk.

"Glad to see you're awake," I heard a voice say. I looked up to see Douglas standing over me.

"Nice place. Really gives off a good 'evil genius' vibe," I said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Douglas snapped. "You're on my side now! You don't get to mock me anymore!"

I squinted. His side? Then it all came rushing back. Being rescued by my real father, confronting my family, the choice I had made. For a second I felt a pang of guilt. But the pain I had seen in their eyes . . . I felt myself doing an evil grin.

Why was their pain bringing me so much joy? Because it was the same thing they had done to me. Every day, all my life. Every insult, every "bionic brother toss," every unappreciative moment, all the awful and horrible feelings they had given me for the past fifteen years: all that pain was reflected in their faces. They felt it. They would regret all the mean things they had ever said and done to me, but it would be too late.

". . . successful." I snapped back to reality and realized Douglas was speaking.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked.

"I said the upgrade was successful. You now have every ability Adam and Bree have." My real father started to rattle off a very exciting list of powers that I couldn't wait to try out, "Super-strength, super-speed, super-agility, laser vision, vocal manipulation, plasma grenades, and blast wave. Oh, and you also have their other 'hidden abilities.'"

"What are those abilities?" I asked.

"I . . . I can't tell you," Douglas said.

"Why not?"

"Because . . . it's all . . . top secret and stuff."

I smirked. "You don't know, do you?"

Douglas glared at me. "Fine kid, since you're the smart one anyway, I'll level with you. I hid all these codes in your chips so you'd have new abilities. You won't be able to use them until you reach a certain age or level of maturity. I mean, can you imagine what it would have been like if you had your molecularkinesis when you were three? And Bree had to hit a certain point in puberty before her vocal chords were ready for the manipulation. I worked very hard to find the perfect time to give you your abilities.

"After Donnie took you away from me, he also took away any information I had about the abilities. It's been fifteen years. I remember a few of them, but not many. But I won't even tell you about the ones I do know."

"Why not?" I persisted.

"Like I said, you have to reach certain points in maturity before you'll discover your abilities. Some of yours are very far down the road. If I tell you now, you might try to get them to come out sooner. That could ruin your chip, either making it so your ability never comes or ruining the abilities you already have. It's all pretty dangerous."

"I . . . I didn't know you cared so much," I said. Douglas smiled. It was weird, because it didn't look diabolical or angry. It looked like a fatherly smile, even warmer and kinder than any Mr. Davenport had ever given me.

"You're my son." I had never heard Douglas use such a soft voice. It made me smile. "I know it might not always look like it, but I care about you. I mean, come on. I spent the last fifteen years tracking you down. You know, I probably could have made more bionic humans. If I tried I could remember the technology necessary. But I didn't want new ones; I wanted you.

"Chase, you were always my favorite. I know that I haven't really been there, but even when you were just a baby I loved you so much. I could tell that you would be a leader. And you were . . . are smart. No one ever appreciated that. But I do. I gave you your intelligence for a reason, Chase. I know that I can help you reach your full potential."

I found that I was grinning from ear to ear. Mr. Davenport had never said anything like that to me. It was so great to hear. Standing up, I threw my arms around my father. My real father. And he hugged me back, just like any good dad would.

We stepped back. I furrowed my brow as I glanced at Douglas's cyberdesk. "You said you needed Mr. Davenport's cyberdesk to upgrade my chip, but you have one of your own," I pointed out.

"True," Douglas said, "but it's rather . . . primitive compared to Donnie's. His had all the information I needed to give you your new abilities. This one doesn't."

I nodded. That made sense. "So, can I try out my new abilities now?" I asked excitedly.

Douglas chuckled. "Sure, why not? That metal barrel weighs over three hundred pounds. Go ahead and lift it."

I walked over and hoisted the barrel over my head. It seemed light as a feather. With a rush of exhilaration I began to speed around the room. Then suddenly I was overcome with pain. The barrel fell from my hands and I stopped running. I dropped to my knees while clutching my head.

"Opps," my father said, wincing.

"'Opps?'" I repeated as the pain swam through my body. "What does 'opps' mean?"

"Using two abilities at the same time is dangerous," Douglas said.

"It is?" I asked. Suddenly my new abilities didn't seem so great. I could only use one at a time?

"It puts too much stress on your system. If you keep it up, it could potentially overload your chip, even causing you to die."

I shuddered. "So only one ability at a time. Hooray," I muttered. Half of the things I had wanted to try were suddenly not possible.

"I can fix it," Douglas said is a sing-song voice. My head jerked up, which only caused more pain.

"You can?"

"Yup. Oh, but here, you should probably lay down for a bit." My father helped me onto the cot again. "The damage won't be permanent this time, don't worry. It'll just hurt for a while. But once you're better, we can fix it."

"How?"

"We'll have to sneak back into the lab. I need to get some files about your bionic chip. Then I can work out a fix. You'll be able to use all the abilities you want all at once. Also, if this works out, you'll probably glitch a whole less often than before."

"Fewer glitches?"

"Yup!" Douglas said with a grin.

"Let me go alone," I insisted.

Douglas frowned. "Why?"

"Because, I know that place like the back of my hand. It was my prison for fifteen years," I replied with a scowl. "And if you get caught somehow I'll never forgive myself. I'm powerful enough that I can take them all on!"

"Any other reasons?"

"Yes . . ." I said slowly. I squinted my eyes and finished, "I want to rub it in their faces that I'm not on their side anymore."

Douglas laughed. "That's my boy! You can leave when you're feeling better. Once I fix your chip, no one will be able to stop us! No one!"

To quote Adam, "da-ta!" So much evilness! That was fun to write. I hope it was equally fun to read! Let me know what you think by reviewing. Thank you all so much for your support! It means so much to me! Next chapter: Chase confronts his family. See you guys tomorrow!