A/N: Barely got this one out on time, but here it is. Sorry for the slight delay, but I needed to go back and make a few changes that will become important later on. For everyone asking for answers, things will start to be explained soon; there will just be a few more chapters before the reasons for everything will start to be revealed. Thanks so much for reading and for your patience!

ADayWithNoLaughterIsADayWasted: Aww, thanks! (P.S. Your profile pic includes one of my favorite quotes!)
Girlface187: Thank you! And I honestly did post this as soon as I could. Life just sometimes gets in the way... :( Anyway, glad you're enjoying the story and thanks!
Dirtkid123: Thanks so much! And I promise the answers will be coming in just a few more chapters.
BluePeach007: Oh, wow, thank you! That means so much to me!
Stardust16: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Yeah, more will be revealed about Andy soon. Thank you!
Asori: Thank you for pointing out that mistake. I went back and changed the sentence so it works now. I really appreciate the input and any future help you can give.
BasketballQueen: Uh oh, I think you completely freaked out Leo there. ;) And thank you! I'm glad Andy isn't annoying; I always fear writing OCs because they are so often hated. And don't worry, answers will be coming... eventually. }:) Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (ik, a few days late, but it's the thought that counts, right?)
Girlbird3: Thank you! A lot of explanations will be coming up soon; just a couple more chapters to go before things will start to be revealed.
PurpleNicole531: Thank you so much! I was so nervous about including an OC, so I'm very relieved that no one seems to hate him... at least not yet. Thanks again!

Chapter 4: Trouble

As the two boys walked quickly through the crowds of fellow pedestrians, Chase managed to keep his head down without drawing too much attention to himself. They couldn't run the risk of someone recognizing him; according to Andy, his picture was on last night's news. Right now, though, Chase was more focused on shutting out the overwhelming sounds of the city around them. The car engines, building-size air conditioner units, garbage trucks, construction sites, people walking by, people talking on cell phones - it was all pounding through his skull like a massive migraine. Later he would have to run a diagnostic check on his bionic system to find out why it was so much more sensitive than usual, but only after he could be sure they were safe from the FBI.

Neither of them had sighted any agents yet, but walking in broad daylight like this wasn't helping them feel confident about their situation. Andy kept a close eye out for possible tails since he would look less suspicious doing so. At his age and size, he would easily be mistaken for a curious young child.

Chase took them down yet another alley and came out in the parking lot of a large brick building. A major cross-street passed in front of them and the two quickly began walking parallel to it.

"Um, not to appear doubtful of your leadership skills," Andy said, glancing over his shoulder, "but I was under the impression that Union Station is that direction." He pointed off to the left where they could see a massive white building rising up on the other side of the street.

"It is," Chase said, not deviating from their current route. "But we're heading the opposite direction for a good reason. There is no chance of us walking into that station, buying a ticket, and boarding a train without every agent in the area coming down on us. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"So we'll head farther up the tracks and hop on a freight train at the loading yard."

Andy paused to consider this for a moment. "We will not be paying for our train ride?"

Chase rolled his eyes. "Really? My dad's a billionaire; we can send them the money later. For now, it's a bit more important that we stay out of a maximum security prison. Okay?"

"Okay."

They reached a place where the street began rising into the air to safely pass over the train tracks below. It was here that Chase quickly veered to the right, turning the corner onto a quiet little avenue with barely a car to be seen. This street traveled alongside the tracks for a distance and they followed it straight to the loading yard where cars could be transferred from one train to another.

Train tracks criss-crossed each other in dizzying patterns while multiple trains worked on picking up extra cars and dropping off empty ones. Chase and Andy hurried to the far end of the train yard and chose a hiding place only a few dozen yards from the track that traveled southeast out of the train yard. It wasn't the most direct route out of the city, so it was the one least likely to be watched by the FBI. Andy put on their backpack of supplies and used his invisibility shield to cloak them as they waited patiently for the next train to head out.

It was less than an hour before a freight train hauling a long trail of boxcars began pulling out of the train yard. Andy dropped the cloaking shield and they readied themselves for their next maneuver. After enough cars had passed, they decided it was far enough back to avoid being seen by the engineers. Chase scanned the cars until he found one that was only half-filled with crates. He used his molecular kinesis to open the door before Andy super-speeded them into the boxcar. They slid the door shut as quickly as possible and collapsed on the floor in relief.

"We are safe?" Andy asked.

"I think so," Chase said. "At least for now."

Neither of them had seen the lone figure perched on a rooftop half a block away. The man now lowered his binoculars and pulled out a radio. "Nova Base, this is Thrush," he called into the radio unit. "I've sighted the targets. Repeat, I've sighted the targets."

The train clattered noisily along the tracks, but the monotony of the sound made it almost soothing. The two fugitives settled down onto some blankets they'd found in one of the crates. If everything went well, they should have plenty of time for rest before reaching Chicago.

Andy was only quiet for a few minutes before he couldn't help asking questions again. One thing that Chase noticed early on about his young companion was that he was always curious about everything. "Would you mind if I make a few inquiries?"

"Shoot."

The android stared at him blankly. "I am sorry. I do not understand the request."

"It's an expression," Chase told him. "It means 'go ahead'. Humans use expressions quite a bit, so you might want to learn a few."

"Duly noted," Andy said. "You know a lot about the human world."

"Well, I am the smartest person alive," Chase couldn't resist saying. "But, actually, I only started experiencing the 'human world' firsthand a few years ago. Before that, I had almost no human contact."

"But you have a family? You have parents?"

"Not the kind you're thinking of. We have a very complicated family. My siblings and I were genetically engineered, so we don't actually have real parents. But bionic people use the terms 'father' and 'mother' to refer to the person who created them. Our creator is actually the guy who first invented bionic humans."

"So he is your father?" Andy asked.

"Not quite," Chase said. "He built us, but he wasn't the person who raised us. When we were still very young, his brother found us and took us away. He raised us in his lab until we were teenagers. Even though he isn't the person who built us, he is responsible for making us what we are. So he's the man we really think of as a father. And his wife and step-son are like family members to us as well, even though they aren't bionic. Well, our step-brother is sort of bionic now, but it's not quite the same."

"You are right," Andy stated. "You have a very complicated family."

Chase laughed. "Why are you so curious about humans, anyway? You weren't programmed for human study were you?"

"No, but I'm not a typical android, either," Andy said. "I am the prototype for a new android software. My programming is not unlike that of an AI. I was designed to evolve, change, become something else. Essentially, I was programmed to one day achieve the ability to deviate from my programming. That is why I must learn everything I can about, well, everything. And humans fascinate me because, of all the species on Earth, they exhibit the purest form of spontaneity. There is no programming guiding their actions; their choices are based upon their ability to evaluate and make decisions. Humans already possess the level of being that I hope to one day attain."

The inventor side of Chase was becoming extremely excited at what Andy was saying. This one little android held the sort of programming that science had been trying to create for decades. If Mr. Davenport were here right now, he'd be going completely ecstatic - Chase couldn't help feeling a little loneliness at that thought. "So, since your programming is able to adapt as you learn new information, you want to make yourself more like humans?"

"That is assuming that I have emotions in that area. As an android, I cannot wish for something the way you humans do."

"But as an evolving AI you can develop emotions, or at least learn what they feel like," Chase pointed out.

Andy looked slightly disconcerted by Chase's inquiry. He attempted to divert the conversation with a new question, "I cannot help being curious about you. Would you mind explaining something to me?"

Chase pretended not to notice the abrupt change of topic. "Sure," he said. "What is it?"

"Actually, I'm curious about your choice of name for me. You mentioned that it is an abbreviated form of the word android, but this method of selecting a name does not seem to align with your overall personality."

"Are you trying to say that it sounds a bit too simple?" Chase guessed. When the android nodded, he said, "Yeah, it probably is. Actually, I picked that name because it sounded like something my brother, Adam, would have done if he were here."

Andy nodded thoughtfully. "You miss your brother."

"No," Chase said quickly. "I'm just worried about them. They might be in trouble." After noticing Andy's skeptical expression, he admitted, "Okay, maybe I miss my family a little bit. I'm used to working with them on missions. And Adam might be not be very bright - okay, that's a major understatement - but he's still my brother, and..." Chase's voice trailed off as a brief memory flashed into his mind. It wasn't a clear memory, just vague images, but he tried to focus on the images and make them become coherent.

He is standing on a wide street in an unfamiliar place. Adam is there. Lots of people are there. Everyone is scared.

The memories threatened to retreat once more into the corners of his brain and Chase struggled to make them stay. He closed his eyes and tried to shut out all outside sounds.

He is on a rooftop at night. Adam is at the edge of the roof, looking angry and frightened. Suddenly, Adam is falling backwards off the roof. He runs forward and looks over the edge. Adam is lying still on the concrete far below. He looks down at his hand. There are fresh burn marks on it.

Chase opened his eyes to see Andy staring at him with a concerned expression. He took a deep breath and then faked a smile. "It's okay," he said. "I just thought I remembered something." He hid his hands behind his back to keep Andy from seeing how much they were shaking. "I guess talking about my brother started to bring something back to me."

"Is your memory starting to come back?" Andy asked hopefully.

"Not yet. I guess it'll take more time."

Sensing some hesitancy in the bionic's voice, Andy didn't press the issue. "Would it be alright if I recharge now? My power source feels rather low."

"Sure," Chase said. "I think I'll try to sleep for awhile, too. We won't have much time for rest after we reach Chicago."

Andy nodded. Taking off his backpack and settling down into a cross-legged position, he put his system on temporary shut down to regenerate power. Chase noticed that Andy seemed to tense up a little just as his systems commenced shut down mode. He wondered briefly why the process would upset the android, but he didn't dwell on the thought for long. He needed sleep.

With a yawn, he curled up in his blanket and let his eyes fall shut for the first time in too many hours. "Good night, Andy," he called sleepily to his traveling companion. Andy didn't respond; he was already turned off. It probably didn't matter anyway. Chase was sound asleep a moment later.

He is on a wide city street. People are fleeing in terror, trying to escape. He is running the opposite direction - towards the danger. He pauses on the edge of the crowd as he sees Adam. His brother is running out of a collapsing building. He looks up to see part of the roof sliding off and hurtling towards the sidewalk below.

"Look out!" he yells. But he's not warning his brother; he's calling to the other people.

He projects his force field over a family that is standing too close to the building. As soon as the avalanche of rubble has cleared, he releases his force field and shouts to the family, "Get out of here quickly! Run!"

He doesn't pause to make sure they've listened. He needs to hurry. Turning around, he sees Adam climbing out from under the fallen debris. Adam is now walking towards him.

The dream shifts. It's melting into something else.

He's now on a rooftop. It's nighttime. Adam is standing several yards in front of him.

"Just give up," Adam shouts to him.

"Not until I finish this," he calls back angrily. He activates his laser-bow and it immediately appears in his left hand. He attacks hard and fast; his opponent has to concentrate on avoiding the blows and has no time for a counterattack. He is steadily gaining the upper hand.

Adam suddenly leaps backward several feet, landing right beside the roof's drop-off, and his eyes glow red. The laser beams shoot forward too quickly to react in time. He feels a searing hot pain in his hand and he immediately drops his weapon; the laser-bow disintegrates as soon as it leaves his grip. His entire hand feels like it is on fire. Adam laughs, and now everything feels like it is on fire. He forms an energy sphere in his right hand and throws it.

Adam is unprepared for the blow and it hits him directly in the chest. Knocked off balance, there is no chance of Adam catching his balance in time. Just as he is about to fall off the edge, Adam looks over with an angry glare. "It doesn't matter," Adam shouts. "You're dead now anyway." And then his brother is gone.

He races forward and stops at the edge to look down. Adam is lying on the concrete several stories below.

His hand is causing him an indescribable agony. He looks down at it and sees where the skin has been completely burned off by Adam's laser vision. The deep burn marks form a strange pattern and his fingers feel strangely dead. This is just the beginning. He knows it. There are others that need to be taken down. He has a mission to carry out.

A roaring sound overhead marks the entrance of the helicopters. Their searchlights are shining down all over the rooftop. He turns and starts running. He reaches the opposite edge just as the first gunshots ring out. He has no choice now. He jumps.

The ground rushes up at a dizzying speed. He is falling towards a warehouse roof several stories below. The skylight shatters on impact and the glass cuts into him like a hundred different knives. A concrete floor is less than twenty feet away. Using his molecular kinesis at the last second, he manages to keep himself from hitting the ground too hard. But he isn't fast enough to change his body position before his head hits the floor. Everything blurs and then goes black. As his consciousness slips away, he can still hear the helicopters overhead...

Even before his eyes flew open, Chase could tell that something was wrong. The train wasn't moving. His super-senses were telling him that there were several men approaching the boxcar, and his instincts told him that they were not friendly forces. As he sat up, he also realized that there was a loud roaring sound outside, like a powerful wind. Apparently, the helicopters weren't only in his dreams after all. Chase put his hands down to push himself to his feet, and immediately fell down in pain. The noise wasn't the only thing that had carried over from his dream world. He'd been accidentally sleeping on his left arm and the weight had aggravated the injuries on both his hand and shoulder.

"Andy," he called, trying to rouse the android.

The door of the boxcar flew open and a flood of sunlight poured in. Chase leapt to his feet, ready for a fight, only to have a huge man barrel into him. They fell back against the pile of crates with Chase taking the full impact. The man swung his rifle around and slammed the stock into Chase's side. Several more men charged inside and one of them pointed a strange looking weapon at Andy.

Gasping painfully, Chase shoved his attacker to the side and charged at the man holding the weapon. Another of the men rushed forward and kicked him in the ribs with his booted foot. Chase's entire side felt like it suddenly caved in, but he chose to ignore it for now. Reaching out, he used his magnetism app to grab the weapon out of the man's hand and hurl it across the car. Someone else tried to come up behind him but he heard their approach and ducked just in time to avoid a fist. Spinning around, he grabbed the man in a judo hold and threw him to the ground. The guy had barely hit the floor before he swung his arm around and punched Chase hard in the shoulder.

Black dots swirled in his vision as he reeled backward from the burst of pain. Whether it was intentional or not, the guy had managed to hit Chase in his wounded left shoulder. He grabbed his shoulder and fell down into a crouched position. The man who appeared to be the leader stepped forward and placed a gun against Chase's forehead while his other men pointed their own weapons at the still-inactive Andy.

"Don't move," the leader said. "Or we will shoot you both right now."

A/N: For anyone who noticed the Man From U.N.C.L.E. reference, yes that was intentional. There are also several Bourne and Mission: Impossible references throughout this story. Can't do an espionage-style fic without including a few nods to the great spy fandoms.

As stated, answers will be coming soon. These next few chapters are important, though, so I can't skip them to jump ahead to the solution. All I can say for now is that you probably shouldn't leap to any conclusions; there is a lot more going on than Chase can even begin to guess.

NEXT CHAPTER: "A New Enemy" - Chase may be in a lot more trouble than he thought...