Kihonne: Alright folks, who is ready for Legacies? I know I am! Alright, so if any of you are new to this series, welcome one and all! If you haven't already read any of the other stories in the series, I highly recommend that you do! I honestly have no idea how much this will make sense for you if you haven't.
So, and just to clarify everyone's ages: Ben is 23, Naomi is 21, Noah is 18, Emily, Charlotte, and Seraphina are all 16 (though Emily's 17th birthday is coming up fast), and the twins, Kira and Kameron, are both 15.
Anyway, without further ado, here is Legacies.
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Naomi: Kihonne doesn't own Lab Rats, Mighty Med, or the Elite Force. She only owns this story, any and all OCs in it, and anything else that you don't recognize from the original shows.
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Naomi's POV
"Excuse me! Can I get through?" I called, keeping my eyes on the sky as I pushed through the crowd that had gathered in front of the Centium City National Bank. I could just barely see a flash of dark blue in the sky above me, and I knew I'd need to get closer.
Eventually, I managed to get to the police barriers, which was as close as I was going to get to the fight. But it was close enough. I raised my camera to my eyes, focusing it on Aftershock and Saturn as they fought. Hadn't Saturn learned better than to try and rob banks in Centium City? Even with the technology he kept managing to procure, Aftershock was more than a match for him. The only thing he managed to do was annoy Calla, who couldn't figure out which one of her competitors he was stealing / buying from.
I smiled, snapping a couple of quick shots as Aftershock landed a heavy blow to Saturn's face, the trench-coated criminal stumbling back and nearly dropping his blaster. He raised it towards Aftershock and pulled the trigger, but the green plasma-like blast that erupted from it didn't do the slightest of damage to the hero. Aftershock smirked confidently, stepping forward against the blast before lunging forward at the last second to try and pull the weapon out of his enemy's hands. Unfortunately, Saturn was ready for it, and at the last minute, Saturn turned the weapon, using it to cut through a light post. It started to topple, leaning heavily towards the crowd.
Aftershock flew forward, catching the light pole before it could crush the people underneath, and I took another picture. Unfortunately, even though he managed to save about a dozen people, it did give Saturn the chance to escape. Aftershock dropped the light pole on the ground next to him, his face searching the crowd desperately. When he couldn't catch sight of where his archnemesis had gone, his gaze wandered the crowd again, this time stopping when he saw me.
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"I can't believe I let him get away." Ben muttered as we waited for the elevator to stop at my floor. He had this ticked off scowl on his face, his blonde hair askew from the fight.
"You saved, like, ten people." I reminded him, punching his shoulder playfully. He gave me a look. "Yes, he got away, and that's not great, but I'm pretty sure those people are really glad you chose to save them. And you'll get him again."
"Yeah, I guess." He sighed. I rolled my eyes; he always got so annoyed with himself if a bad guy got away.
"This is your thing, Benji. You put him in jail, he gets away, he tries to steal something, you fight, eventually he ends up back in jail. This is just making it a little more interesting than normal." I reasoned as the elevator stopped. Ben gestured for me to exit first and followed me down the hall towards the penthouse.
"So, did you get enough pictures for your assignment?" He asked. I shrugged.
"I think so," I'd taken almost a dozen photos of the fight, but I hadn't double checked them for quality. This antique camera that my dad had modified for me took some pretty good photos, but I couldn't exactly check to be sure until I'd developed them, "but I won't know until I develop them and finish my article. If I need more, I'll let you know." I smirked. "You could model for me." I teased, opening the door to the penthouse.
"Who's going to model for you?" Chase questioned, looking up from the holoscreen in front of him. He was sitting on the couch, working on his computer.
"Benji." I smirked, dropping my bag by the couch.
"No, I'm not." Ben added quickly. Chase smirked, shaking his head as he looked back at his work. Ben carefully placed his bag next to mine, quickly zipping it up when one of his suit's gloves nearly fell out.
"We could have stopped by your place to drop that off." I reminded him for the third time. He shrugged.
"My place is a mess. It's not ready for visitors." He explained.
"What are you, the queen? It doesn't have to be nice – it's just me." I commented, walking past them both on the way to the kitchen.
"Dinner's in half an hour." Chase reminded me. I paused.
"What is Calla picking up?" I inquired. Chase always preferred a healthy, home-cooked meal, but Calla had convinced him to have take-out on Fridays.
"Italian. Ben, you sticking around for dinner?" He asked, glancing up before typing something into the portable keyboard on his lap.
"I don't want to impose…" He started.
"There'll be plenty of food to go around. You can have Emily's share." Chase offered. I frowned.
"And we're starving her why?" I questioned. Chase rolled his eyes, pressing a button on the keyboard to turn off the holoscreen.
"She's helping Noah move into his dorm." He explained. I nodded, remembering that my nephew was starting at Centium City University this week. I'd been surprised to hear that he had chosen to live in dorms instead of accepting the Calla and Chase's offer to house the kid for free (an offer I'd accepted back when I first chose to go to school here), but I figured it was probably an independence thing.
"She is?" Ben seemed surprised. I looked at him, confused by his reaction. "It's just…I offered to help and he turned me down."
"Might have been a tech thing. Bree mentioned that he brought his holo-TV with him." Chase mentioned.
Emily's POV
I tapped my foot in time with the music blasting in my ears, completely focused on the tiny piece of technology that was sitting in a stand in front of me. I glanced between it and my holo-screen, adjusting where the device would send its electrical charges, particularly the ones that would send a synthesized version of adrenaline into the system.
It was only when a glass bottle was dangled in front of my eyes did I look up. I slowly removed my headphones, slightly annoyed with the disturbance. "You almost done?" Noah asked, handing me the bottle of cherry cola.
"You can't rush perfection." I told him. My cousin chuckled.
"Yeah, but can I rush you?" He questioned. He was joking, I thought, but I still leaned back in my chair to look at him.
"Maybe I should call my mom, get her to come pick me up." I said innocently, taking a sip from my drink. "I think she'd be quite interested in what's going on."
"No rushing, got it." Noah sat down across from me, raising his hands in surrender, even though his honey brown eyes twinkled in amusement. I smirked and turned back to my work.
"I'm almost done. I just have to finish putting in these safety measures." I assured him, concentrating on the computer as I reattached the wires. I looked away from the computer, keeping my mind concentrated on moving the wires. "You know they're going to be pissed, don't you?"
"At which part?" Noah responded, his tone telling me that he clearly knew that by getting me to do this, he was digging his grave even deeper than he already had. Noah was normally good at keeping out of trouble, but man, when he screwed up, he did so royally, with no turning back. My cousin took the phrase 'go big or go home' a little too seriously if you asked me.
"All of it. And they're not just going to be mad at you." I added with a shrug. "I'm going to get in enough trouble for keeping secrets, let alone for creating this masterpiece."
"I'm eighteen, I can do what I want. This is my choice." He reasoned. I looked at him. "And if you get in trouble, just deny everything. As far as anyone's concerned, this was all me."
"They're never going to believe that." As soon as I was done with the wiring, I picked the tiny little chip up between my fingers, feeling it begin to cool down. "No one's ever going to believe that you were able to build, program, and insert your own bionic chip without help."
"I'll figure it out." Noah insisted. I rolled my eyes, already making a mental note to go pick up a couple of new books to read when Noah got me grounded and my tech got taken away. "Is it done? Now what?"
"Turn around." I motioned with my finger. He grinned and turned around in his seat. I brushed his annoyingly long hair out of the way – no one needed this much hair, it was practically down to his shoulders – so that I would have a clear section of the neck. The last thing we wanted was for a piece of hair to get in the way. I grabbed a baby-wipe out of my bag and wiped down the skin. I felt Noah shiver at the sudden cold sensation at the back of his neck.
"Wait, is this going to hurt?" He questioned as I placed the chip against his neck.
"Yes." I responded simply before sending a signal to the chip with a twitch of my fingers. The chip quickly dissolved into his skin and I felt my cousin go rigid with pain as it re-emerged on his spinal column. I didn't let up, even though I could tell that Noah was hurting a lot, and instead chose to focus on controlling the chip with my mind. I had it wrap its wires around his nerves, causing him more pain, but successfully connecting the chip to his brain. "Done."
"Gah!" Noah coughed in pain, dropping to his knees. I watched him as he slowly regained his composure, his left hand hovering over the back of his neck, wanting to hold the source of the pain, but unsure if it would hurt him further.
"You can touch if you want. It won't do anything." I told him, amused.
"Are you done?" He demanded, as if he hadn't been the one who asked me to do this in the first place. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, I'm finished. Don't be a baby." I teased. He sent me a look, sitting back on his heels. "Okay, so it's going to take a couple of hours for it to integrate fully with your system, but after that, you're good to go."
"After that, I'm bionic?" He checked. I nodded.
"Do not make me regret this." I warned. He grinned, rubbing his neck.
"I won't." He promised. I nodded, then looked around.
"So, you got anything to eat around here?" I questioned. He gave me a look. "Hey, Mom and Dad think I'm helping you move into a dorm. The least you can do is pay me in food."
Naomi's POV
"Hey." I greeted as I stepped out of the hyperlift, not surprised to see Calla and Emily down there. My sister-in-law was at the cyber computer, scanning through some schematics for a new product, while Emily was on the ground by one of the rock walls, looking at the screen of her holo-computer while keeping her hands free to give Helix a belly rub. The white and brown Cavalier Poodle mix was snoozing happily in her lap, his muzzle lying on her leg. I smirked in amusement as Emily didn't take her hands off her beloved dog, using her technokinesis to complete her work without the use of her hands. "How was Noah's?"
"Good. Had pizza." Emily replied shortly, keeping her eyes focused on the screen. The electric blue orbs scanned the page quickly as she inputted the correct variables, her tongue sticking out slightly in concentration. Her brown hair was tied up in a messy bun, keeping the strands out of her face.
"You finish your paper?" Calla asked, glancing at me before looking back at the screen.
"Yeah." I frowned, not recognizing the schematics on her holoscreen. "What're you working on?"
"The new hoverboard designs. We're finally out of the theoretical phase and into prototypes." Calla smiled at the idea as she reached upwards to adjust one of the settings on the virtual program of the device.
"Hey, we can test those out with you, right?" Emily asked, looking up. Calla gave her a look. "I'll wash dishes for a week."
"It's a deal. Hey, listen, I want everyone home for dinner tomorrow, alright?" She mentioned. Emily and I exchanged looks – normally, everyone was home for dinner, but Calla rarely made that a rule or anything. "Your dad and I need to talk to you guys about something."
"Is everything alright?" Emily frowned, curious. Calla nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, of course." Suddenly, her Davenwatch beeped. Calla tapped a button on the side of it. "Calla Davenport…oh, hey Skylar."
Emily and I exchanged looks – the last I'd heard, Skylar Storm was still on Caldera, far out of comm's reach. Calla nodded thoughtfully, listening.
"What's up?" She asked, frowning. She paused for a moment as she listened, then glanced at us. "Hold on, give me a sec."
Calla quickly shut off her holoscreen and headed for the hyperlift, leaving us alone in Mission Command. As soon as she was gone, Emily and I exchanged looks.
"MISS, mind giving us a listen?" I requested, curious. Skylar Storm never called just to chat – this must be interesting.
"Apologizes, Miss Naomi, but Miss Calla has instructed me not to allow you access to her or Mister Chase's comms anymore." The AI replied, much to my and my niece's disappointment. "Mister Chase was not very happy after the Johanson incident."
I frowned, not recalling that call, but Emily smiled guiltily. "I may have used a quote from that call in my report on Centium City politics." She admitted. I sighed.
"I wonder what they're talking about." I hummed, thinking aloud. She shrugged and went back to petting her dog.
Bree's POV
"No, you and Nyssa can't go night surfing." Dani was the only one in the main conference room when Jaden and I got there. She was sitting at the table, pinching the bridge of her nose as she spoke on the comms with someone. "I don't care if it sounds fun, it's dangerous. Also – and this really should have occurred to you, honey – you don't know how to surf."
She waited as her kid protested to her decision, face twisting in a way where I could tell she was trying to decide between crying and laughing. "No, I don't think night is a good time to learn something like that…the answer is no, Kameron…" She sighed deeply. "We'll be home some time tomorrow. Until then, stay in the headquarters, alright? And listen to your Aunt Alivia."
After a moment, she hung up, looking deeply exhausted. "So, night surfing?" I asked. She sighed.
"Nyssa is such a bad influence." She muttered as Kaz and Oliver walked into the room.
"Hey, Kam just texted me asking if he could night surfing?" Kaz asked questioningly as they came in. "Did I miss the part where he learned day surfing?"
"I already told him no." Dani assured him. She smiled at her brother. "Hey Ollie."
"Why'd Skylar want us all to meet?" Jaden questioned, taking a seat across from Dani. "Calla was kinda vague over the comms."
"Skylar didn't give her much to go on, to be fair." Chase commented, striding in, hands in his pockets. He nodded at us. "Hey guys."
"She'll explain everything when she's done talking to Jessica and Director DeCook." Oliver assured us. I frowned, noticing the stress lines in his face. This couldn't be good, whatever it was.
As if on cue, Skylar and Calla walked in. "Speak of the devil." Kaz clapped his hands together, taking a seat between Oliver and Dani.
"I'm glad that Miles let us use the S.H.I.R.T. conference room to talk." Cala commented, sitting down. "We didn't want the kids to overhear."
"I'm sure they wouldn't eavesdrop." I commented. Chase snorted in amusement.
"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" He muttered. I raised an eyebrow at that, but he didn't elaborate.
"Alright Skylar, we're all here. What's going on?" Jaden questioned, leaning back in his chair as the rest of us all took our seats until Skylar was the only one standing.
"Alright. Have you guys ever heard of Venusia?" Skylar questioned, leaning on the table. I frowned, confused, but Kaz spoke up quickly.
"Wait that's the planet with the evil bugs, right?" He questioned. Dani glanced at us.
"It's a planet of shapeshifters. Remember Roddiseus? His grandmother was from the planet." She explained. She looked at Skylar. "That's in your galaxy, right? Not the Milky Way?"
"Yeah, it's about 34 million miles from Caldera's orbit." She explained.
"About the same distance from Earth to Mars." Chase supplied for the rest of us. Skylar nodded.
"For the past couple of years, they've been at war with the Calderans." Oliver explained.
"Why?" I asked, frowning.
"Resources, mostly. We've been trying to create a peace treaty with them, but they've resisted the idea. Until now." Skylar explained. "We've finally gotten them to agree to sit down and talk this all out."
"That's great. But, then, why do you need our help?" Calla questioned.
"They want someone to mediate the meeting. And since the Elite Force are famous for stopping Bosetti, who apparently pissed off people from various planets, they want us to be the mediators."
"Us though?" Jaden repeated. "They couldn't have picked anyone else?"
"They insist that since we stopped the original Mr. Terror, who'd already tried to steal resources from their planet, we're the best choice for the job. Something about how we'd be more likely to be sympathetic to both causes and less bias than if either planet chose one of their people to mediate."
"Where would you be fitting into this?" Kaz questioned, glancing at Skylar.
"I'd be on the Calderan side, not a mediator." She explained. Chase nodded.
"Yeah, okay. Sure. We can help." He agreed.
"Don't agree to fast, man." Oliver cautioned. Skylar sighed.
"Venusia has a forcefield around their planet preventing anyone from just teleporting in. We'd have to fly in, by spaceship, not geoleap like you were probably thinking." She licked her lips before continuing. "Even with how advanced the technology is on Davenships, it would still take four months to get there."
"Four months?" I repeated, staring at her. Okay, this wasn't some little day trip she was talking about. "That's at least eight months off of Earth, just travelling there and back. We can't just leave for the amount of time."
"I know." Skylar's voice was solemn. "I know it's a lot to ask. But people are dying, guys. My people. And if this war continues, I can't say for sure which side will win."
We all went quiet, exchanging looks. "I mean, I could ask Johnny to handle the restaurant while we're gone. He'd understand." Jaden said slowly, glancing at me. "Noah's in Centium City, and we just dropped Justine off at her boarding school this morning…It's not like we'd be seeing them anyway. We'd get back just before the end of Noah's second semester."
"I suppose…" I trailed off, still a little apprehensive at leaving. He was right though – with the kids away from school, and with my fame as a bionic hero giving me the perfect excuse to take a sabbatical from work, it would be possible. Still…
"We can't just drop everything, Skylar." Chase sighed heavily. I could see the conflict on his face, how his instincts to help people were fighting with his desire to stay on Earth. "We have families, children. Careers. I want to help, but…"
"I know. But I had to ask." Skylar insisted. "If you can't come, we'll figure it out. I just…I needed to exhaust every option."
"Guys, eight months is a lot to ask, but isn't it worth it if we can end a war?" Oliver pressed. He looked at all of us. "We have a daughter too, and this is her home we're talking about."
"We could…Look, I can't go, I'm sorry." Calla looked around, a regretful look on her face. "Davenport Industries is preparing for its biggest product launch since Douglas and Davenport first opened its doors, and I can't leave in the middle of that. There's so much work to be done, and Leo's already doing so much – if I have to delegate all my stuff to him while we're gone on top of what he's already doing, he'll drown in it. And, if I'm being frank, I'm not too keen on going to a planet full of 'evil bugs'." She laughed lightly before turning serious again. "But if you guys decide to go, we can take Sera and the twins in. You know we have the room, and it would keep them from getting into trouble. They could go to school with Charlotte and Emily."
"Thank you, Calla." Skylar gave her a friend an appreciative smile. Dani looked at her husband hesitantly.
"I mean, Liv would be okay with us leaving to do this…" She began. "The kids would understand…"
"Actually, they'd want to come with." Kaz realized with a chuckle. He sighed and looked at Skylar. "We're in." He assured her before glancing at Chase and Calla. "We'll take you up on that offer to watch them – the last thing we want is Nyssa getting them into trouble while we're gone. Though…uh, Kam might want to bring his new pet, Josh."
"That's fine, so long as he doesn't cause trouble with Helix." Calla assured them. "What kind of animal is he?"
Dani and Kaz exchanged looks. "He's a guinea pig. He's super cute." Dani told her, smiling brightly. Calla nodded.
"Yeah, no problem." She agreed.
"I…I guess I'm in too." Chase smiled at the others. I nodded in agreement, making my decision. It wouldn't be easy, leaving for this long, but it wouldn't be so bad with my friends there. Skylar's face broke into a relieved smile.
"Thank you, guys. Seriously, thank you." She told us, tone light as if a weight had just been lifted off her shoulders.
Naomi's POV
"This isn't fair." Emily protested, following her father down the stairs as he carried his mission bag. She'd been against the mission idea from the start, trying to talk him out of it for the past three days. "Why can't Oliver just do the mediation himself? He used to be part of the Elite Force."
"They've requested more than one mediator to get the least amount of bias as possible, and Oliver is married to a Calderan. That gives them reason to think he's biased and on their side rather than looking for a peaceful compromise." Chase said patiently.
"You got any fours?" Charlotte asked, glancing at me from across the counter. Her hair was braided today, the thick rope of black hair falling over her left shoulder.
"Go fish." I replied, and she sighed, picking up a card.
"Honey, I'll be home before you know it." Chase promised his daughter as he dropped his bags at the front door. Emily crossed her arms, upset.
"No, you'll be back in eight months. That's, like, nearly 250 days. That's practically forever." The seventeen-year-old girl insisted, one hand reading up to brush a strand of dark brown hair from her face. "This isn't fair, and I'm not okay with this."
"I know you aren't." Chase put a hand on her shoulder. "But sometimes doing the right thing also means doing the hard thing. Skylar needs help, and if our friends need help…"
"Then we help." Emily sighed, looking down. Chase smiled proudly at her, and kissed her on the top of her head.
"It won't be forever, I promise." He told her gently. He bent down so that she was forced to face him. "I'm sorry I'm leaving, especially during your senior year. But you're going to do great. And I will be back in plenty of time to see you graduate."
"Okay..." Emily sighed. She looked around, trying to find a way to change the topic. "What are we going to do about the food situation? I mean, you normally cook dinner."
"I can cook." Calla mentioned from where she was sitting on the couch next to Noah. Emily looked at her, then quickly turned back to Chase.
"Please don't leave me with her." She cried, hugging her dad. Calla raised her hands in a 'what the hell, kid?' gesture, while Charlotte, Chase, Noah, and I all struggled to contain our laughter.
"Don't worry. I convinced your Great Uncle Douglas to send meals." Chase eventually pulled away.
"Hey!" Calla exclaimed.
"Eights? Any eights?" I laughed, trying to get back to the game.
"Go fish." Charlotte smirked, as if her not having an eight had won her the game. Just then, the doorbell rang. Chase, being the closest to the door, opened it up to reveal the rest of the team.
"Wow, this place is nice." Kira, a tall fifteen-year-old with dirty blonde hair, walked in first, a soft pink bag tossed over her shoulder. She grinned, twirling around to get a better view of the place. "You guys used to live here?"
"Yep." Dani smirked at her daughter's enthusiasm, carrying a second bag - this one orange - into the room. A boy the same age as Kira, but with black, spiky hair followed them in, an equally awestruck expression on his face.
"Wicked." Kameron grinned, looking around. His gaze settled on us. "Charlotte, I didn't know you were going to be here."
"I wanted to see Uncle Chase, Aunt Bree, and Uncle Jaden off." My niece explained, shrugging.
"That was nice of you, sweetie." Jaden smiled, walking in behind the Broadmans. Charlotte dropped her cards and ran to give her uncle a hug, grinning.
"Are we all ready to go?" Bree questioned, walking over to the kitchen. She stopped at Charlotte's seat and stole a glance at her cards, smirking. She glanced back at the others, while subtly holding up three fingers for me to see. I grinned back at her.
"Yeah, just waiting for Oliver, Seraphina, and Skylar." Chase assured his sister as Noah gave Jaden a hug. Then, almost as if on cue, Skylar, Oliver, and who I presumed was their daughter appeared on the veranda, making good use of the geoleap watches that Calla had given them years ago.
"We late?" Oliver questioned as they walked in from the veranda. Seraphina looked around, not quite as impressed as the twins, but looking slightly curious. She looked a lot more like her mother than she did Oliver, I realized, but just different enough to prove that she wasn't one of those pod-grown Calderans.
"Nope. Hi Seraphina." Calla greeted. Seraphina smiled back, one hand reaching up to brush her loose, brown curls over her shoulder. As she did so, I realized that there was a crystal blue streak in her hair, partially hidden by the chestnut locks.
"Hi." The girl responded, following her parents in.
"AJ's got the ship prepped for us at the hangar." Chase announced, glancing at his comm. watch. He looked around. "Time to go, I guess."
"Alright. Behave," Dani looked at the twins, "no stupid stunts, and listen to Calla."
"Promise." Kira assured her mom.
"And what's the rule about powers?" Kaz added.
"Don't do it in public unless we're sure we won't get caught." Kameron recited. Upon hearing that, Oliver turned to Seraphina.
"Don't necessarily follow your cousins' examples, okay?" He requested. She nodded.
"Sure. Don't listen to Kameron or Kira - should be easy." She assured him, giving him a smile.
"Study hard," Bree gave me a quick hug before enveloping Noah in one, "and call your sister once a week to check in. Stay out of trouble."
"Be safe." Noah requested, hugging her back. Chase smiled at them before turning to Calla and Emily.
"I'll miss you guys every day." He told them, hugging Emily first, then Calla.
"Be careful. Don't take any stupid risks. Send messages every chance you get." Calla instructed. She did well to hide it, but I could hear the roughness in her voice. "And if anything goes wrong, it's okay to leave the others to die in order to save yourself."
"Love you too, CeeCee." Jaden looked at her, amused. She rolled her eyes.
"I'm kidding." She told him before looking back at Chase, standing so close that their noses practically touched. "Come home safe."
"I promise. I love you." He told her before kissing her. She pulled away after a moment.
"Love you too." She told him, stepping back to let Emily give her dad one last hug.
"Be good for you mom. Love you." Chase told her, kissing her on the forehead one last time.
"Good luck." Emily called after them. The parents all gave their kids one last meaningful look before heading out the door.
After a moment, Calla clapped her hands together, turning to face the kids. "Alright. Leo and Katherine will be by in a little bit with dinner, so let's focus on getting you guys settled for now. Kira, Kameron, you guys are in the first room on your left - your dad and uncle used to share that room, actually. Seraphina, I've got a cot set up for you in Emily's room. You'll have a real bed soon, sweetie, but it's going to take a couple of days to get here. Same goes for you, Kameron."
"That's fine." Seraphina nodded, hoisted her bag over her shoulder, and started for the stairs. Kameron shrugged, not particularly caring about the cot.
"I'm doing groceries on Saturday. If you guys want anything, just add it to the list on the fridge, within reason of course." Calla continued. She turned to Kameron. "Does your guinea pig require special food, or is the no-name brand okay?"
"Guinea pig?" Kameron repeated, raising an eyebrow. Calla frowned at his confusion.
"Yeah, Josh..." She replied. Kameron frowned.
"Josh isn't a guinea pig..." He trailed off. He grabbed the bag he'd placed on the ground, and I realized that it was partially open, probably to give Josh some air.
"Then what kind of animal is..." Calla stopped as Kameron pulled out a plastic cage with a tarantula crawling around in it. Calla didn't say anything for a long time, hands clenched, before she forced a fake smile on her face. "I'm going to kill your mother." She decided, walking away and leaving Kameron standing there, confused.
Emily's POV
"So, they just left them at your place?" Ava questioned, her brown eyes widening in surprise. I nodded, picking at my fried chicken. "Geez, how long is this business trip that your dad and his coworkers are on?"
"Eight months." Charlotte replied. She glanced at me. "It's not that bad."
"You're not the one sharing a room with Seraphina." Charlotte rolled her eyes at me. "She kept me up all night with her tossing and turning. And once she did fall asleep, you wanna know what I discovered? She snores. Loudly."
"That sucks." My best friend agreed me with me. I smiled.
"Thank you, Ava." I glared pointedly at Charlotte, who rolled her eyes. She glanced at her nearly empty tray.
"Hey, do you think Noah can score me some free chicken?" She wondered aloud. I shrugged.
"You can ask, but I don't think so. Just because he works here does not mean that he gets free food." I told her. She shrugged and got up, heading for the Cluck-Cluck Barn's pick-up counter. Ava leaned in close.
"So, is this like a political thing, or a bionic thing, your dad leaving? It doesn't have anything to do with next year's election, right?" She questioned. I gave her a look.
"You know I can't tell you." I replied. Her eyes widened.
"You realize, that by refusing to confirm that it's bionic, you're definitely confirming it's a bionic thing." She pointed out.
"Am I?" I questioned, playing dumb. We both looked at each other and laughed, until Charlotte abruptly returned to the table.
"Hot guys, ten o'clock." She hissed, dropping down into her seat. I turned over my shoulder, not particularly interested in some random at the local fast food restaurant, but more curious as to what had gotten Charlotte so excited.
Neither one of them was anything special in my opinion. One of them, the older of the two (though they were both clearly high school age), had shoulder length, dark brown hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin, with a wide grin on his face as he talked to his friend.
The other looked closer to our age, perhaps even slightly younger, with dark brown hair and a bad boy vibe given off by his leather jacket, dark eyebrows, and a smile charming enough to make all the dumb girls at my school swoon.
"You've got to be kidding me." I muttered, something else catching my eye. Charlotte and Ava followed my gaze as Kira, Kameron, and Seraphina came into the restaurant, looking around in curiosity. "Can't I get a break?"
"Easy." Charlotte warned before smiling widely. "Guys, over here!"
"No, Char…" I trailed off, forcing a fake smile on my face as they came over. To be fair, Seraphina looked like she'd been dragged here against her will, while Kameron's eyes were more focused on the menu than us. Kira, on the other hand, beamed widely at us.
"Hi guys." She grinned. She noticed Ava and gestured at Seraphina and her brother. "I'm Kira. This my brother, Kameron, and our cousin, Sera."
"Hi, I'm Ava. I'm a friend of Em and Charlotte's." Ava introduced herself, smiling widely. "I hear you guys are going to be going to Millennium Academy with us."
"If that's where you're going, I guess. Mom didn't know the name of the school." Kameron shrugged, taking a seat. The girls followed his lead. Ava smiled.
"Well, it should be interesting. We're not in the same grade, so I doubt we'll have classes together aside from gym, but we should all try to meet up together at lunch." She suggested. I sent her a glare, having become more comfortable with just the three of us hanging out at lunch and not wanting to have to double our group's number. I'd never been a big fan of change, so I'd hoped at least that part of my life wouldn't have been uprooted by my new roommates. Well, at least I had my classes. The only one I would have to share with them would be gym class, and well, the gym teacher alone was enough to make that a living hell, so it's not like they could make it any worse.
"Wait, your schools are divided by age?" Seraphina seemed surprised. She frowned, confused by the concept.
"Yes…how was it like at your old school?" Ava frowned.
"She was homeschooled." I said quickly, glancing at Seraphina in hopes that she wouldn't answer Ava's question. Aliens were still widely a secret on Earth, and while I was sure that Ava would find it cool, I didn't think it was a good idea to reveal Seraphina's secret like that. If the wrong person found out, it could be really bad for the Calderan-Human hybrid. And as much as I didn't like sharing a room with her, I knew better than to screw her over like that.
"Well, then, I hope you enjoy the school year." Ava glanced at me, smirking. "I have a feeling it's going to be an exciting one."
Naomi's POV
"…no, she needs to be in the same classes as Kira Broadman and Kameron Broadman." When Ben and I walked into the penthouse, Calla was sitting on the stairs, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her face lit up when she saw us or, rather, the grocery bags in our hands. She gave us a grateful smile as she continued to speak to an official at Emily's school. "Yes, I understand that Seraphina is a year older than her cousins, but her private tutoring didn't cover most of what's expected for 11th graders and she won't be able to handle the work load…thank you. I will check my email. Thanks Jerry." She tapped a button on her watch, shutting off her comms. "God, Jerry's a pain in the ass."
"You realize that Sera's still going to have trouble with history, geography, and social studies, right?" Ben pointed out as he began unpacking the boxes. Helix ran around our legs, curious to see if we'd gotten him anything.
"Yeah, I'm going to have to help her with that. English too. Oliver slipped me copies of her previous homework, and it turns out that even though they speak the same language, they use the phrases and words differently. She's basically British, without the accent and no one else knows her weird little idioms." Calla sighed. She looked at the groceries. "By the way, have I told you guys that I love you?"
"Yeah, but it's nice to be reminded." I smiled as she began to help us pull things out.
"I can help Sera with geography and history, by the way." Ben mentioned. He shrugged. "I did okay with geo in high school, and I did minor in American history in college."
"You don't have to." Calla told him.
"It's fine. Happy to." Ben assured her. She nodded.
"Okay, great. Thanks." She glanced down at her holowatch and hit a button. A holoscreen with a list of things on it appeared. I winced when I saw how long it was. "Okay, school is done. Now I just need to…get the beds, take Helix to the vet, take Kameron and the girls shopping for school, cook dinner-"
"Why don't we do take out?" Ben offered. "I bet Sera's never had a Jones pizza."
"That's…a good idea, actually." Calla sighed. She looked at Ben hopefully. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to go get us a few pies if I transfer you the money."
"No prob. Besides, the girl at the counter is pretty cute." He reasoned. We both looked at him. "What? I have a thing for blondes."
"Thank you, Ben." Calla smiled at him as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door. Once he was gone, I looked at my sister-in-law.
"So, Chase is heading to another planet. And you've gone from co-parenting one kid to single-parenting four in less than a week, two of whom are related to Kaz and Dani Broadman. That sounds fun." I said sarcastically, taking a seat. Calla sighed and dropped her face into one hand.
"Do I seem as stressed as I feel?" She asked, looking out at me from behind her fingers. I shrugged.
"Only a little. And you're doing a really good job of hiding it in front of the kids." I reassured her. She groaned.
"I should be hiding it in front of you too." She said, half to herself. I shrugged.
"I don't mind. I can handle it. Though, I have to ask, why did you offer to take them?" I inquired. "You must have known it wouldn't be easy."
Calla hesitated. "Do not say a word to any of the kids about this." She warned. I nodded, realizing that she was serious. "But Sera was coming to stay with us, even before everyone agreed to the mission."
"Really?" I stared at her, shocked. "You never told us."
"We were going to, but then the Venusians offered the peace treaty, and you know the rest." She waved her hand vaguely, then sighed. "Things on Caldera have been bad, especially over the last year. Skylar didn't want to leave – she's Caldera's number one hero – but they were worried about Sera. They thought that sending her to Earth might be the best option for her."
"Why not send her to Dani and Kaz?" I frowned. Calla shrugged.
"They thought a more…peaceful environment might be better. Apparently, she's been playing vigilante behind their backs. They wouldn't have found out if she hadn't broken her leg and been brought in to Mighty Med." Calla explain. "And well…it wouldn't exactly be easy for Kaz and Dani to tell she can't play hero while Kira and Kameron are preparing to become sidekicks."
"They're really worried about her, aren't they?" I guessed. She nodded. "We'll keep an eye on her. She'll be okay. Besides, Centium City is, like, one of the safest cities on Earth."
Victoria's POV
I cocked my head to the side, watching as Calla Davenport helped her sister-in-law, Naomi Davenport, unpack a bag of groceries. "You're sure the Elite Force is gone?" I hummed, not wanting any surprises.
"They left yesterday. Discordia and I can both confirm that." One of my partners, codenamed Vulcan, replied with a cocky smirk growing on his face.
"You were right to wait, to bide our time." Venus observed, watching the team with malice in her gaze. "With the League about to be overwhelmed with their own problems, and Bionic Headquarters too far away to help, the city is going to be helpless."
"What about the kids?" Vulcan questioned. He looked at us. "I know better than underestimate anyone with the last names Davenport, Parker, or Dooley. If they're anywhere near as resourceful as their parents, they could be a big problem for us."
"Then we'll deal with them." Venus decided. "We'll destroy them, and the city will be ours for the taking. By time the Elite Force returns, it'll be too late."
Xxx
Kihonne: Alright guys, what did you all think of the premier? It's definitely going to be interesting ride, especially with what I've got planned. Let me know what you thought, any early theories you might have, or just what you'd like to see in the future! Really, I'd love to see your thoughts!
Anyway, I plan on going back to a regular updating schedule with this story, so I intend to update again next Friday, on March 22nd! Until then, don't forget to review!