I love how fast you guys are at reviewing. It's kind of stunning, actually.

October 31st 2013

Chase's Pov

I was alone on Halloween. Well, not really alone, but Adam was too busy watch cartoons in the lab and Bree was…still unresponsive.

The lights in the living room were dimmed as I slouched into the couch. I made sure to shut the porch lights off, as if not to confuse any children on their candy hunt.

"Aw, someone having a boo hoo holiday all alone?" Eddy made his appearance, timing as uncanny as always.

"Why must he have invented you to be such a pest?" I snapped in annoyance. With my head aching as much as it was, going along with the heaviness sinking like a boulder in my chest, his attitude was the last thing I needed.

If Eddy had the choice, he was probably using the most irritated a face expression he could calculate.

"Fine, you can tell of your own company then; my screen needs its beauty sleep!"

Eddy proceeded to shut himself off. I sighed, wondering what he meant until the doorbell rang off impatiently.

And god—did Halloween have an entirely new meaning for me.

The Devil's daughter herself stood there, all lacy bra and Snooki makeup. I hoped she face planted into the sidewalk eventually that night. Or maybe the front of the truck heading toward the farthest town away from here.

"Hey, handsome."

"I thought this was obvious—you're a menace and no one likes you." I tried to slam the door in her face (hoping then that she would finally get the big picture) but unfortunately she was quick enough to shove one of her disastrous pumps in the way of the door.

She chomped loudly on whatever she'd stuck in her mouth before her uncanny arrival and made herself at home, stomping through the door like she owned the place. Not many people dared to do that in a billionaire scientist's house, unless that was the man himself.

"Whatever you want, you're not getting it," I snapped, still standing by the open door, hoping Tina would take a hint already and get her glittery ass out of my house. I was tired of playing peacemaker for everyone when she was around. She crossed too many lines far too many times—putting my sister's life on the line; nearly ending my happiness with Christine on several occasion; and now entering my own home and disgracing it on the most evil day of the year. But too bad; she was on my turf now.

Tina wrinkled up her nose like the room reeked of a bothering odor. "Don't get your panties in such a twist, Brown Eyes." She smirked, chomping even louder if possible on the wad in her mouth. "I come with news."

"Why would you want to help me?"

"Please, don't flatter yourself." Tina leaned closer, not caring as her cloth slipped and her cleavage popped. "It's just fun to watch ya'll squirm."

"Fine, rephrase—what the hell are you here for?" I tried to hide my cringe at her stepping closer, but at her evil, throaty cackle, I could guess I didn't do a good job.

She continued to laugh, popping her watermelon wad of whatever in her mouth right in my face. "

She continued to laugh, popping her watermelon wad of whatever in her mouth right in my face. "It's not me you should be afraid of," Tina snickered. I took a few more steps back, maneuvering my way behind the couch. "I'm just one of the forces that's working to take you down."

"You're human, no abilities whatsoever," I protested, trying to wrap my weakened mind around the situation. "What could you or your employer want from us?"

Tina cackled again. The dimness of the room suddenly was a major regret on my part. "You think Grantwas the only one who hated Davenport at a time? Please, that old hoot in a lab coat wasn't even the tip of the ice berg." She threw her hand out in the general direction of the lab's elevator, as if wanting to make a point by using it. "And the other one downstairs? Puh-leaze. She's just a stupid little decoy. With the pathetic state that man is in by one of his inventions failing, it's left his other systems vulnerable."

It clicked into place. It didn't that my could've been dead, it didn't matter that several mission that considered critical couldn't be accomplished now, putting many places at risk. All they wanted was for Bree to act as another significant project to distract him. A decoy.

"A decoy?" I echoed, slowly getting more furious by the minute. "My sister is nearly dead—in a come—all because you wanted a fucking decoy?"

"Wow, that were right when they said you were the smart one," Tina said smirking. She dared to sarcastically clap as she rolled her eyes. "Good for you. Someone should give you a gold star."

"Get the hell out!" I screamed, my vision starting to go black at the edges as I stood there, muscles tensing and my blue force fields beginning to flicker in my hands.

She held up her hands in surrender, but looked shockingly unfazed. "Testy, but I'll go." Tina began to make her way out and I watched her. My hands started to go unresponsive to me as Spike tried to get more angered. "But remember," she called almost merrily as she slinked out the door. "One force can be in a million places."

Who else was on her team that I knew?

November 1st 2013

Leo was telling a story is vivid detail of the comic convention that he'd dragged Tasha and Davenport to for Halloween. His costume for it had been something with tights, a title I didn't bother to remember.

Christine had come over for training, and the lab was separated sloppily into two parts. The part where we could train, and the other part containing Bree amongst her many machines and wiring.

No one was too fond of the idea of training and participating like a team without Bree well and doing so alongside us like usual, but Davenport insisted that we were lacking what was needed on urgent missions, and that it couldn't be put off any longer.

"I don't like this," Christine muttered after we did a lazy sparring match.

"Yeah, I can't say I like hitting dummies while looking at my ill, unconscious sister."

"Not that—well, yeah, that too," Christine added after gathering her thoughts straight. "I mean leaving my dad alone for so long. Recently, he's been getting worse and having…episodes…"

I raised my eyebrows at her choice of using the word "episode". When it came to the people I knew, that could mean anything. Especially when that "anything" was concerning a late-thirties, crazily working scientist trying to pull a living for his family and his inventions. The entire scenario was a stressful when even thinking about it. Not to mention the disappearing act of an abandoning wife.

But I didn't press her on the subject. Things between us were plenty rocky without any added tension.

"What's up with you?" She asked casually enough, fixing her training gloves and flexing her hands testily. "You've been spooked ever since we talked last night."

Davenport had upgraded the standard equipment for training and missions. Really, he upgraded the normal training gi to something similar to the regular mission suits, while the suits were remade with a more "trustworthy" and "form-fitting" material and a better camouflaging possibility.

"Tina was here last night." The lab froze. Christine was so stunned that she dropped the bow she had been preparing to use, letting it clatter to the floor in shock.

In our brief text exchange last night, I'd mentioned nothing the unwanted visitor, but that I had huge news to tell at the training session tomorrow. I'm pretty sure she hadn't been expecting something this bad.

"What'd she want?" Davenport asked urgently, sparing a quick glance to the monitor closest to Bree.

I looked to my sister solemnly. "She came here to warn us."

That had everyone's attention even more than before.

"She said they were out for us," I continued, looking to my sister's body. "That they were using her as a decoy."

There were growls. Christine visibly tensed beside me, while two narrow red lasers shot near my head to puncture the wall at the front of the room. Adam was angry. I knew he was, because I'd been just as furious as he was now when I first heard the words. Adam wasn't much when it came to smarts, but he understood enough when it counted.

Leo wasn't much too angry reactions, but he was gripping his pad so hard in his hands that I thought it might snap. "What else?" he asked dangerously calm.

We weren't much, but as her three brothers and her being in this terrifying state, we could get pretty overprotective.

"Did you know a lot of people don't like you?" I asked Davenport, most likely shocking everyone with my sudden change of subject.

Davenport frowned down at his cyber desk panels, the gears in his head turning like mad as he tried to click together the links of the conversation.

"Yes, of course," he started, "but they only—" he froze, nearly pulling of a knob on the panel as he looked up in realization. "Decoy," he muttered distantly. "They were using her as a decoy to get to my main systems. It was never about Bree in the first place, was it?"

I shook my head mutely.

"Those bitches!" Christine cried out, striking roughly at the sparring dummy in front of her. Her gloved fist struck at its chest with deadly aim, knocking it to the floor with a human sounding clatter. "How dare they?"

"That's not all," Leo said grimly, looking up from his pad. "I had Eddy run a security check on all the new students at school, you know just in case, and this guy—" he swiped her finger across the screen, letting a full-screen appear in the air. It showed a guy around my age with short hair, a freckled face with green eyes, and a wispy face with dramatic eyebrows. "Marcus Rune. Apparently his parents and Tina's show the same business record. And I doubt it's the estate listed." He swiped again, revealing a data chart stalked full of information on him and his guardians, gave us minute, then brought up Tina's, who shared a stunningly similar record like Marcus's that would have gone unnoticed by anyone else.

Christine let out another low growl, kicking at the dummy angrily. Everyone turned to look at her, waiting.

"I know that guy," she said crossly, pulling at the leather straps of her gloves. "We went to the same school two states ago. He was a total innocent-acting bastard until he started showing his true colors. His rumored reason for moving to New York was that his dad was there on business; he was always trying to snoop his way into finding out about my dad whenever he could." She shook her head, loose ponytail whipping around her head as she continued to mutter, "stupid bastard, freaking bastard" under her breath as she reached for her fallen bow staff.

"There's just too much evidence against them," Davenport said distractedly as he started rushing panel to panel, switching desks and speed crossing around the room. "They have to be in alliance together, if not working under the same employer. But who could have hired them? And what could getting into my main stream possibly do for them?"

Eddy suddenly popped up on his screen, face as cocky yet emotionless as ever. "What every other evil scientist want, Donnie," he said cheerfully, as if he was doing us a grand favor we'd have to pay back eventually. "Power and revenge."

"What did you do that would require revenge?" I asked, curious myself.

Davenport shrugged. "Revenge is like jealously guys," he said. "It's a slippery slope. People could want revenge for many things—them not getting as far as you have, or just because they think you deserve it."

No One's Pov

A loud, rhythmic knock sounded loudly throughout the house. Rem whirred close to answer it, throwing it open to see a nervous Hunter standing there, hands anxiously shoved into his pockets.

"Hey, Rem, is Chris here now?" he asked graciously, politely smiling at her as she moved away to let him in.

Rem smiled. It was a bit of a ghostly one, but a smile nonetheless. Over the years of Hunter and Christine's friendship she'd developed a soft spot for the boy, treating him no lesser than she did Christine. It was in her nature, she guessed.

"No, Hun, she's out training with the boys," Rem said as Hunter made himself comfortable on the corduroy chair diagonal to the couch. "She should be back soon."

Hunter nodded understandingly. Due to their closeness, Christine had told him about her abilities and scientific secrets soon after she had found out herself. He could relate to hectic schedules and felt empathy for her; it was hard sometimes when it was hours at a time.

"Where's Allan?" Hunter observed, taking in that the usually robed man was nowhere in sight with his coffee cup and paper. Even though it was already well past noon.

"Oh, upstairs fiddling with God-knows-what. Hey, do you mind taking watch while I check on the side plants? They've been neglected for a while now and it hasn't rained for days." Rem grabbed her pitcher of water she used on the plants to prove her point.

Hunter casually waved her ahead. "No problem," he assured with a charming white-toothed smile. "We'll only be alone for what? Ten minutes? Go right ahead."

Rem smiled and gratefully and quickly whirred to the back door to get her start on the plants.

Hunter sighed. He was bored already. Now, really, he had plenty of things to do—mentally go over the songs they'd be rehearsing at the next session, think of some more songs, get some more music videos out in the open. But no, he instead chose to sit and idly go through his phone like did several other times throughout the day. Nothing new except for his twitter mentions and timeline exploding, per the usual.

Then, everything happened fast.

The details land in place like this: first a groan. Hunter thought little of it, but jumped to his feet, ready for anything just in case. The country singer headed quietly to the stairs, peering up to the second anxiously.

"Allan? You okay up there?" he asked worriedly, starting to make his way up the stairs.

Allan didn't reply as quickly as he would've liked—not at all really. Instead he popped up sluggishly from around the corner of the second floor hallway, down from his attic/lab, Hunter thought as he slowly crept up the stairs. Who knew what could spook him while in this state?

The middle-aged man continued to slump forward, dragging a leg behind him like a bum wheel. Hunter furrowed his brows confusedly. What kind of illness was it again? He didn't think anyone knew.

Like Christy's friend, Bree, Hunter compared solemnly.

"You okay, Al?" Hunter asked again. He'd just put his second foot on the middle stair, gripping the banister tightly.

Another groan, but more strangled and twisted, like it was pained. Allan now crookedly stood at the base of the stairs, looking down at Hunter like he could see straight through him. His shoulders were slumped forward, nearly sending the man down. His robe hung baggily around his frail, sickly thin frame. Hunter realized the man must've been living off whatever he put in his coffee mug.

Then, that's when everything slowed.

Because he fell forward.

Hunter was astonished, to say the least. It was almost like his knees couldn't support the weight of his body, except there was barely anything to support. And instead of crumpling straight downward, Allan staggered forward and tipped his knees bending limply as he did so.

"Allan!" Hunter could only managed to cry out, darting forward and grabbing the ill man's arm. He struggled to lower the two to the ground, reaching frantically into his jeans' pocket for his phone. He'd been able to prop Allan sloppily against the banner; his head lolled to the side, nearly taking to rest of his form with it.

"911, what's your emergency?" A monotone lady at the other end asked once the ringing finally stopped.

"A man…I think he's dying…"

Chase's Pov

Training ended a half hour later, although not much except angry kicking and punching and trying to figure out what had happened had gone one.

Christine and I decided it would be best to get out for a little while, aiming to stop by a new café a couple blocks away from the downtown library.

She was putting on her jacket as I stopped by Bree. She still looked the same as the last I'd laid my eyes on her—pale and lifeless. I smoothed her hair back, even though I'd already done so before. The weak rise and fall of her breathing chest comforted me in ways no one could understand.

"You're so good to her," Christine noted as she came to a stand by my side. "Not many brothers would know what to do."

"I wouldn't say I do exactly," I muttered, adjusting the sleeves to slide down to Bree's wrist. Davenport had kept her in our regulated sleeping outfits for comfort reasons. I thought she looked cold, no matter the sleeve's length or heat. I kissed her forehead before Christine and I started to make our way out.

Before Christine's phone started to ring.

She jumped in surprise at the loud bleating of her phone, looking at apologetically as she pulled it from her pocket. She frowned down at the ID, obviously not expecting how it was.

"Just a sec," she said, walking off to the corner by our tubes. I stood next to Bree again, watching her face intensely.

I don't know which, but a few of the wires pumped the needed nutrition's into her regularly. But it didn't help how sickly hollow her cheeks were, and how sullen her entire face seemed as she laid there. I continued to smooth her hair again, imaging the comfort it brought her when we were younger. She used to have so many frightening visions back then, and had vivid detailing to them whenever Davenport asked her to draw them out. I felt as bad for her then as I do now. Why my sister that was put to go through all this? She was a good person.

"Oh my god," Christine breathed out raspily, ending her conversation with a slide of her finger. She looked up to me with wide, panicked eyes. Her faced had gone colorless in seconds.

"My dad's in the hospital," she continued rushing to the door. I followed, shell shocked.

Why must everyone I know go down in flames somehow?

It was until we were almost past the sliding doors of the lab that we heard the scream.

It was raspy and loud, gargled as it bounced off everywhere. It sounded animalistic, strangled and pained.

I turned in shock.

Her body writhed and squirmed and twitched, her head snapping back and forth wildly. Our brown eyes locked for a brief second before I burst into tears.

Bree was awake.

That's the end for this chapter. Summer is so close and school is so close to being done, thank the good Lord. I can't wait to just have my iPod, books, my bed, and some peace finally.

Sorry for all the chapters being so cliffhanger-like lately; that's just how everything's planned, you know?