Sorry I'm late! My brother had an overnight travel baseball tournament. But I'm here now! To state the obvious . . .
Soundtrack: 'How To Save a Life' by The Fray. The lyrics don't really match, but the music seems to fit the mood :)
Dai stared up at the sky with hazel eyes. It was bright blue and amazingly clear. It was beautiful, it had a depth.
Her chocolate hair was spread around her, a trait she hadn't quite figured where she got it from. Her eyes were her father's, her light skin her mother's, her hair a mystery.
She was lying on the bright green lawn of her home. Most kids she knew considered it a mansion, and it probably was in their eyes. But Dai didn't care. It was still home.
Home. The thought brought back the grief of the past three days. Her father would never come home. He had died in a car accident. Someone else's car, the name she didn't recognize.
But something didn't add up.
Her father, Chase Dawson, owned a software company. He was always busy, and when it seemed he wasn't, he would disappear. And what happened the last night he disappeared? He got himself killed.
Dai had asked her mother about the frequent vanishings once, but Sabrina had brushed it off. "Your father's a busy man," she had said, "He'll act like that occasionally, but one day he'll have to stop."
The hard glint in her mother's eye had made Dai wonder, but she never pushed it.
Until now.
I have a right to know what my father's been up to lately, Dai thought bitterly. She pulled at a blade of grass, tearing it into smaller and smaller pieces.
A shadow passed over her spot on the lawn and she looked up. Just an airplane. But gazing up at the sky, something else caught her eye.
A window at the very top of her home was alight with a lamp. Not many children think much of it, but Dai did. Chase had always told her that the window was a false one, that it was just there for decoration. Never once in her life had she seen it active, so she always took his word for it.
Dai made a decision. She pulled herself out of the sun's warm embrace and ran into the house. She ascended two flights of stairs and then stopped.
Her father had said the window was a fake, and she had believed him. But now, looking back, she realized she had no idea where the window was positioned at. All Dai knew was that the window was oddly positioned between her parent's room on the third floor and the home theatre on the second. The only other room that she knew of in that area was her father's study.
The study was ajoined to the master bedroom. Dai crept in, her feet pressing down the thick carpet. She hadn't been allowed in here since it had been redone. She didn't really know why she was banned, but maybe now it could explain her father's death. She approached the oak door, pushed down the metal handle and stepped into the study.
The room wasn't anything like she had expected. Dai had imagined tall wooden shelves, dusty old books, a big oak desk, etc. Instead, the office had chrome shelves stocked with inventions and wires and the whole floor was a white puzzle of shiny hexagonal tiles. A modern light hovered in midair, giving off a florescent hue. The desk was sky blue tinted glass mounted on stainless steel legs. The walls were a grayish blue.
Dai stood in awe for a moment before remembering her mission. She quickly clicked the door shut behind her and headed for the desk. Sitting in the plush white chair, Dai pressed a small silver button and a hidden projector activated, displaying a locked screen and virtual keyboard.
Welcome, Chase Davenport
Davenport?! Dai was now utterly confused. Her father's last name was Dawson. Not was interesting. Probably just a glitch.
Still, Dai wanted to get into this computer. The lock was fingerprint activated, so Dai tried her own thumb.
Dai Davenport, Temporarily Locked. Lock Deactivates In: 04:05:16:08:27:08
Dai blinked. Davenport? Something was seriously wrong with this computer. Still, the lock . . .
Dai did the math. Four years plus six months . . . she worked out the problem.
It's due to be deactivated on my twentieth birthday! she realized with slight shock.
As if it weren't enough that she was locked out, her father's voice began to echo through the room.
"Dai, if you're listening to this, then you've tried to get into my personal computer and disobeyed. As much as I'd love to bust you right now, I'm either out of town or six feet under.
"If I'm out of town, you'd better get the heck out of here before this security system contacts your mother. It's wired directly to her phone and I doubt she can climb three flights of stairs without getting annoyed and keep her anger in check.
"If it's the latter, then I'm sorry." there was a pause as he sighed, "I had a lot of secrets, as you most likely know. And I'm positive you have questions. As I record this, my only regrets are for not spending more time with you, and the other for not being able to answer these questions in person. One day all this madness will make sense and you'll see why I kept what I kept a secret. Just know you are not alone. There are more like you and I out there.
"Dai, I honestly love you. And I'm sorry, again. When you find your true identity, just remember all I wanted when I was a child was to be normal. For a few years I was, but then it all came crashing down. I wanted you to have better, and I hope you have had it.
"If you look to the printer, a stack of papers should have printed. Hide them from everyone. On those sheets is the key to my life's work, and before that my father's. Unravel the meanings and wait for the others. Not to put pressure on you, but you may be our last hope.
"Be careful. There are some who will stop at nothing to get you and the others. I had you take self-defence classes for a reason. Don't hesitate to bust a guy's windpipe. In the end, it might save your life.
"So, this is Chase Davenport, saying good-bye."
There was a pause, then:
"Oh, and don't mention any of this to your mother. She'll totally freak."
Dai smiled. For a moment her dad had sounded like a teenager trying to hide something from his parents.
"Sabina never really was a fan of . . . us. Just remember that. Goodbye, Dai."
Dai could feel the tears pooling in her eyes. She had been right all along! Her dad was different.
'Sabrina never really was a fan of US.'
Us? Whoa, whoa, whoa! So, what are we? Well, were we. Some sort of spy or mutant? Or . . . (eww) an alien? No, there was NO way she was telling her friends she was E.T.!
Davenport. There was that name again! Was her father using a pheusodym? Her mom had always been proud of her heritage. Perhaps she had wanted to keep her maiden name for her family. It really wouldn't surprise Dai.
So, she now had something to go on. She needed to wait for the others, whoever and wherever they are/were. She stood up, pushing back the chair as she did so. Crossing the room, she plucked up the papers and looked at them. It was all computer code.
"Dai! Dinnertime!"
Dai scowled. She was in the middle of a breakthrough!
'Don't tell your mother.' Her father's words rang in her head.
"Coming!" she called back reluctantly, heading for the door.
In all her findings, she had completely forgotten about the extra window. But still, it was almost Spring Break. Dai would have plenty of time to search.
Gael sat back, his back pressing into the plush chair of his mom's office. After convincing Caitlin to pose as his guardian on the phone, he had begun to sift through his mother's papers.
Nothing but the one he now held in his hands had held anything interesting. But this paper had a note on it.
'Gael, if you're reading this then I'm gone. I'm sorry. You will be told it's a car accident. Maybe it was, but the odds are it wasn't.
How do I know all this? Why did this note make into your hands? There's a lot you don't know. So, I have left you this. Find these addresses and the people listed. Once you get to D. Dawson, follow what piece of the puzzle she has. It will tell you what you need to know.
Goodbye, Gael. I love you.
- Bree D.'
Gael sat in silence for a moment. Then, with the paper in his pocket, he headed to his room. He filled a backpack with clothes and toiletries, stuffed a few packs of food in the front pocket and grabbed as much money as he could find.
Gael was off to find these people, wherever they were.
So, chapter two! Hope you enjoyed this :) Perhaps this story seems too simple – the original Rats are still alive somehow, all villains are gone, the kids are going to realize how awesome being bionic is and enjoy their new life with no problems at all. But let me say, and I'm not trying to brag, that this story is pretty twisted. As in, the ending isn't at all heartwarming. You've been warned.
Also, I just realized this: there are four kids in this story, same as my family! Same order, too! Girl, boy, girl, boy XD But no, I didn't base this off my family. As stated, I just realized this.
Now, time for shout outs!
Ereader12: Haha! Sorry for keeping you up XD Thank you! And yes, I know! I think it's become a cliche. Oops, I guess I didn't throw a physical description in last chapter, did I? D: Whoops . . . Thanks! I had to work with a couple of 'requirements' to come up with it XD Well, I didn't really invent it, but, y'know. :) Ah, I LOVE that movie! One of m' faves XD
PurpleNicole531: Really? Sorry :) Well, a few answers. But Chapter Nine should hold everything . . . I hope. XD
ShyMusic: Heh. Sorry :P Yay! XD Yes, I know. VERY interesting. Almost as interesting as my head . . . almost XD Thanks!
Fanfictionia: Sorry. And actually, they're not. They're not in this story – minus flashbacks / recordings. I apologize! Really, I'm trying to wrap my head around this myself. XD Thank you! More answers coming soon (I hope) XD
Daphrose: Uh. Heh-heh. D: I'm still trying to comprehend what I did . . . You really should! My family's already seen it twice XD If there was ever any doubt I'm geeky, it's gone now. Yeah, I might've let my naming skill out of hand on this one. XD But I had three goals for this to keep it slightly canon:
Names must be two sylables or less – (Ad-am, Br-ee, Ch-ase)
Names must be five characters or less
Names must be slightly unique
'Cause, well . . they're human lab rats. Of COURSE they're unique! :) I spent an hour and a half on Baby Names to research XD Gael was originally Gale, but I didn't want it spelled that way 'cause I hate Hunger Games. I think the most awkward part of that is because my friend told me there's a character named Gale. Fania was the most interesting name I could find that fit the criteria. You'll see what I mean later XD Ever means 'strong' and 'everlasting.' It's Jewish (get it? :)) And Dai's meaning will be discovered much, MUCH later :)
Did I really rant? Sorry . . . Thanks and thanks! I just had to throw Caitlin in there – it was too good to pass up :)
So, I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave a review :) It helps me write faster and better :) Have a nice day/night!
Oh, and I apologize for any spelling and/or grammatical errors. My spell checker has been off-line for the past few days. :D