A round of applause to the following extremely observant people who got the answer right! nicole503, misaai, Ruxi23, AngelGoneDevil69, doomforzombies16, raenbc, and incinera...a job well done! Baby Donald grabbed the robot action figures from Leo's desk. The last time we saw them was back on Season One, in Leo's Jam, where, interestingly enough, they were blue (they were red this time, which probably just means that they are only alike to the first ones).

Thanks to StripedFuzzySocks, a guest, labratsfan, Lady Cougar-Trombone and 88keys too for your reviews! I will try my hardest to send you all a PM one day, because you guys have no idea how good you make me feel about this little tag series of mine. :)

Just a fair warning: this chapter is pretty loaded. I guess I had so much ideas for it that everything just piled up. Though, I am proud of the conversation between two of the major characters that's in here. It may not be much, but I think it speaks loudly enough about an issue that was raised in the episode.

I really hope you guys enjoy!

Episode Tag to: Avalanche

Chronicle 016

Chapter: Whiteout

Password: **************

Date: 08.06.2013

Time: 5:35 PM

The bad news: I've lost my voice. My throat feels like I've swallowed then thrown up a thousand jacks, and it sounds like I'm choking when I try to talk.

I probably should have thought my apology approach to Janelle through. After I accidentally froze her with the cryoblaster last Wednesday, she was pretty upset with me. I knew she would be. Adam told me that they were both drenched when the ice melted, and I wasn't even there to explain to her what happened. I bailed, and it's just a logical conclusion to come to that she'd be very unimpressed.

I knew that I had to give her time to cool down, but when she started avoiding me at all cost, I started to panic a bit. I called her about fifty times, left forty-nine voicemails, twenty-five e-mails, and twenty-one text messages. She didn't respond to any of them.

My next plan after that is not so stupid of an idea if you see the situation playing out perfectly: early in the evening; quiet neighborhood; only my soothing, awesome voice calling out to her, asking her to forgive me; her coming out of her house telling me that we're okay and that she wants to try to hang out again that Friday night, preferably watch a movie. Thing is, it didn't go that way. It went the direct opposite. I got there late, just when she and her family were probably having dinner; music was booming really loud the next street over, because the neighborhood was having a block party; and I had to yell just so Janelle could hear me enough to know that I was there.

I did knock on the door. It's just that no one answered.

Anyways, I wouldn't have minded. In fact, I didn't even pay attention to how scratchy my throat was when Janelle opened her window. But after I gave my 'I'm sorry' speech to her, which took me a day and a half to memorize, she just smiled and then shut her window so hard that the blinds fell off.

After I realized that she wasn't going to come out to talk to me, I just wheeled my bike home, feeling like a complete idiot (did I mention that a stray nail poked a large hole through one of my tires?).

If that wasn't bad enough, I woke up Saturday morning unable to talk. Adam was quick on the draw with the jokes, Bree seemed amused, while Chase just looked intrigued. It was unbelievable how happy Eddy was, something about one less kid yapping about in the house, but I half-expected that already. Big D called a friend of his to see if he could sneak us in for a quick visit, just to make sure I really wasn't too bad off. He also handed me a double-sided tablet, where I can write all the things I want to say.

Mom, on the other hand, just whipped up a tea for me to drink.

I guess I was trying so hard to apologize to Janelle that I forgot about Mom. Yes, I know. I shouldn't have had overlooked my own mother. I still feel guilty about it, especially when I remember how disappointed she seemed when I tried to explain why I lost my voice in the first place.

When everybody left the room after breakfast and it was only the two of us, I told her I was sorry—without using the tablet. I told her that I understand that I should have listened to her, because if I had I wouldn't have gotten myself into this problem.

Mom stared at me, her brows lightly knitted together. Then, she told me to stop speaking because I'll make my throat worse. She was still disappointed, I could hear, but she tried to be considerate.

The perks of being sick.

After a sigh, she told me that, of course, she'd let it go. Although, she said that I still need to come under punishment. Since I acted like child, I'd get a punishment fit for a child.

You think timeouts are cruel when you were four? Wait until you're put on one when you're a teenager and all you could do is sit on an uncomfortable chair for hours on end, right at the spot where everyone could see you. You'll feel like a hobo at a bus stop.

I was just glad that I had some time before it went into effect. I was able to ask Bree for a favor. I wanted to call Janelle one more time before I gave up. Since I can't speak, I requested Bree to use her vocal manipulation to give Janelle the message I wrote on a paper before Big D and I left for the check-up. She read it over, smiled, and said she'd do it.

I was also able to talk/write to Big D on the way to his friend's practice about iceberg Uncle Douglas, how that happened. It was a lot, which definitely gave me something to go on with while I was in my solitary confinement.

Thinking about it now, I clearly see where Eyebrows got his evil streak from. His inventor/father is one bad dude. The guy would really stop at nothing to get what he wants. Just when we think he's out of moves, he finds a way to set us back again. He always has something up his sleeves, and it would never be in Adam's, Bree's, and Chase's best interests.

I think what's worse is that feeling he always leaves them. What he does to them is mean. He scares them even if he's not present, he threatens them and makes them worry by just telling them once—once—about that stupid app that can take something they want and need away from them.

I know he's my step-uncle, but man. Douglas Davenport is a sicko.

It makes a lot of sense to me now why Chase had been looking more lost in his own thoughts lately. I guess none of us can really fully understand what he went through because none of us were there. It's not like when they got trapped in that lair. He can't talk to anyone about it. Not as much as he should, anyways.

That time, he was alone, and he almost died.

And coming from a guy who would have been offed if he forgot to wear a vest, I'd say that's a pretty heavy thing to have on your mind.

I didn't want to remind him of it, but it kinda just came out earlier. Chase was upstairs to get some water and was teasing me about being on timeout. "Tasha's coming down on you pretty hard, I see," he said. "Aren't you supposed to facing the wall?"

Don't worry about it, I wrote to him.

He laughed.

I wrote on the tablet while he was getting the bottles from the fridge. That was pretty cool. Double-crossing him. That's genius.

When he took out what he needed, he was able to read what I wrote. He smirked. "Thanks," he said.

I hesitated to ask what I was thinking of asking at first, but it had to be asked. Did you think about it? I wrote.

Chase frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

I erased what I wrote. Then: Going to his side.

His frown eased up. The guy looked like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure if he should.

I won't judge. I shrugged.

He thought about it for a while. He was probably wondering if he could trust me or not. That didn't offend me, though. I just took that doubt as many of the parting gifts their inventor left him.

"How could I actually jump ship when the person I'm leaving my team for is the same person who almost killed the people I care about?" Chase muttered after a while. "Douglas is an evil man. All I would have ever been to him is a cash cow." He shook his head. "And I don't think I could bear that much blood on my hands, if I did go. That's not who I am."

But…?

He sighed. "But it was nice to feel important for once," he admitted. He looked at me, surprised and scared. "Oh, great. Now I sound like him."

Thinking about it doesn't make you like him, Chase, I wrote. I erased it after he read and replaced it with, Believing whatever he told you and acting on it does. I raised my eyebrows. So you did well, young Jedi, I said.

Chase nodded. "Yeah. If only he didn't get too far inside my head," he said.

I frowned.

"I mean," he kept going, "everything he said was right. The teasing and being singled out were getting too old. For a moment, I kinda wanted out, you know? It's horrible to feel like the loser in the bunch, to always be the odd man out." He glanced at me, like he just realized that I wouldn't even understand what he was saying. "Never mind. Forget what I said," he said instead.

I narrowed my eyes. I wrote to him again. Be fair, man.

"About what?"

I wrote two words on the screen, one of them 'bionic', the other a name. I crossed both of them out, drew an equal sign, and then wrote 'me' at the end.

His expression cleared up when he understood what I meant. He seemed to have felt sorry for me, which he shouldn't have. I wasn't trying to make him feel that way at all. I just wanted him to understand that he's not as alone as he thinks. Like I said, that demented uncle of ours has a twisted way of making them think things they shouldn't think.

I was just making sure that the idea he jabbed in Chase's head is really out of there before it's too late.

We're all odd persons out in one way or another, I shrugged.

He smiled. He agreed.

Hey. Aren't you glad you're with a bunch of losers? I wrote.

He laughed a little. "I guess," he said. He thought about it more. He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

Good. Glad you're sticking with us, Chustle.

"So am I that you are with us, too, L Doo," Chase said.

I think I made a face after he said that.

That got us started on a lengthy writing/talking about what our new street names should be. Well, at least until Chase heard Mom's car pull up the driveway anyways. He left before she could find out that we were talking and both of us get in trouble. He's already had enough excitement for the week because of his solo expedition. Adding a timeout in it would just be too much.

So, this brings me to the next point.

The good news: it looks like all of us are going to be fine.

Janelle left me a voicemail earlier. All she said was, "Okay." She didn't sound upset anymore, which makes me wonder if Bree added anything to what I asked her to say. All I wrote on the paper was 'Janelle, I'm sorry I froze you. It will never happen again.' Nothing special, but I still have to make sure Bree didn't Teen Fiancé-d up my message.

Things are back to normal at the lab. Well. You know. Normal is always a relative term when it comes to us. Big D's been laughing like a crazed lunatic after he sealed the deal with NASA regarding the cryoblaster. Adam and Bree had been complaining a lot about the revised trainings they have to go under. Chase, on the other hand, seems to enjoy micromanaging our schedules again, especially when Big D put him in charge since he will be busy for the next couple of days.

Given, he overdid it a few times already, but what can you do. That's just Chase.

Most important of all, evil uncle D is gone. Thanks to Chase's double 0 7 thinking and cryogenics, he's gone for good.

Well, I guess 'gone for good' is also a relative term, but I really don't think he'll come back anymore. He's off-shore with no way out, zero visibility.

I'll even stake my new goldfish's life on it.

Signed,

Leo Francis Dooley

End of Chapter Whiteout

Re-Enter Password: **************

Date: 08.06.2013

Time: 8:01 PM

In Avalanche, what was the name of the element Chase tried to retrieve from Antarctica?

Answers are not required, but comments are very much appreciated! I'll try to get the tag to Adam Up posted before Monday. Hopefully it's doable. :P

Just a few passing notes (shameless plug, actually): some of you guys has expressed interest when I mentioned a Bionic Showdown fic series I was working on. The first one is up, "The Nature of Grief", just in case you're interested.

And, oh! I'll try to recommend different great Lab Rats fic every week, too. This week, I'm pointing you towards raenbc's 'Renewal'. Goodness. Recommended for Bionic Showdown, Marcus, and Leo readers. It's fantastic. :)

Hope to see you guys next tag!