Commando App
One second he was there. And the next he was gone.
Everything was dark and intangible. He felt like he was floating in a dark abyss, one so dark that even with his enhanced senses he could not see, hear or feel anything. The silence was all encompassing and oppressive. Time had no meaning. He could have been there for only a few seconds or many days. He could feel nothing.
He wanted to gasp for air, but his lungs would not expand. He tried to run away, but he had no control over his own body. The nothingness that surrounded him was complete and absolute.
He was lost.
And then suddenly …
Sensations flooded Chase's consciousness. He inhaled a huge gulp of air as sound, sight and feeling returned to him. His mind felt weary and scattered, but he was coherent enough to read the searing red words that seemed imprinted against his retinas.
COMMANDO MODE DISENGAGED
Chase felt memories rush back. He remembered being overwhelmed and over stimulated, his first day of school jitters heightening his natural anxiety as he faced Trent. In any other situation, Chase could take Trent down without a problem. But he was here at school, in front of dozens of teenagers who weren't supposed to know about his bionics. So he was at mercy of the brutish football player who seemed to hate him unconditionally.
But he could handle the taunts and threats. He had enough self-control for that. It was when Trent's oversized hand grabbed at his shirt collar and pulled him to his feet that he felt something dangerous begin to shift inside him. Chase tried to push it down, but it was already too late. He saw a flash of red, felt a jolt of apprehension, and then he was gone.
"Commando App Disengaged?" Chase said in disbelief. He turned to stare at his siblings. "Guys, why was I in Commando Mode?" They must have tried to stop him from turning into Spike. Right?
"Were you in Commando Mode?" Bree asked, a little too cheerfully in Chase's opinion.
"I didn't see a Commando Mode?" said Leo right after.
"Oh, that's good," Adam exclaimed excitedly, "everyone keep lying!"
"Guys, you were supposed to watch out for me!" Chase said in obvious distress. He couldn't believe it. He had trusted Adam, Bree, and Leo wholeheartedly, and they had let him down. How could they have let this happen? Now Mr. Davenport wasn't going to allow him go back to school again. Chase had been waiting his whole life for his first day of high school, and now the first half of it was almost completely wiped from his memory.
Chase knew that no one else in his family truly understood what it was like when Spike reared his ugly head. None of them had ever felt the blank expanse of nothingness. None of them had ever felt locked up within their own mind. None of them had ever felt so totally alone. He understood that none of them could comprehend the pain he went through, so he tried to rationalize that his siblings had indeed tried to help him, but had merely been unsuccessful.
"Oh we watched the whole thing," Leo said gleefully. "You manhandled the quarterback and pudding popped the whole offensive line!"
"What?!" Chase yelled. His rationalization had been just that: a rationalization. His friends hadn't even tried to stop his app from activating! A powerful sense of betrayal rose up within him. Spike was ruining his chances for a better future, and they had done absolutely nothing to prevent that. "Oh great, this is so going to come back to haunt my Supreme Court nomination!"
"You know what Spike would say to that?" Bree asked. "Nothing. He'd rip out your rib cage and play it like a xylophone."
"Yeah, I like him," Adam chimed in. "He's like a big, fun monster in your sad little body!"
Chase felt as if he had been punched in the chest. They all liked Spike more than him. How could they not care about him at all? His breath hitched in his throat.
"I'll get Spike back," Leo said before proceeding to yell in his face and attempt to lift him up.
Chase struggled to breath. They were using him! Was he just some tool to them? Just a plaything that would help them climb the social ladder? It was all he could do to not cry out. But he put on a brave face. At least right now he was in control. All he had to do was stay calm.
For the next few hours he focused his attention on the breathing techniques he had learned from Mr. Davenport to control his emotions. And it worked for a while…
Then during lunch everything fell to pieces. He was still feeling mentally weary from his earlier foray into Commando Mode, and all he wanted to do was clear the air with Trent in order to prevent further confrontations. His siblings, however, were extremely opposed to the idea, as it would impede on their plans for social success. He grimaced to himself. Were they really so shallow that certain seating in the cafeteria was more important to them than their own brother?
His attempt to apologize to the football team was interrupted by a squat, stout woman who he recognized as Principal Perry. And that was when everything went from bad to worse.
First she started screaming at him and his family. Strike 1. Then she called him "Squash Face." Strike 2. And finally she actually shoved her red sweaty head into his face. Strike 3.
Chase saw red. No, he was literally seeing everything turn red. Panic bubbled within him. He was about to go into Commando Mode. Again! There was nothing he could do but pray that his friends took care of him this time. After the events of today, however, he realized this was highly unlikely, and as everything spiraled out of control, he felt himself sinking into deep despair.
And then he was gone.