f o r e v e r | lab rats | *EDITING*

🌸

As per our new normal routine, Leo and I are downstairs in the lab. Davenport is with us, checking Adam, Bree, and Chase's bionics and making sure they're safe enough for the real world.

"Okay, guys, you have been trained for all kinds of missions. But you are about to enter a soul-bruising, confidence-crushing, apocalyptical environment: high school."

"Way to boost their confidence," I remark, recieving a glare from him.

"Adam, Bree, your glitch test results are fairly stable," he continues.

"Yes! I'm going to school!" Bree says excitedly.

"I'm fairly stable!" Adam yells.

"But, Chase, I am still concerned about your Commando App."

"Commando App?" I ask, glancing over at my friend.

"Put on some underpants," Leo finishes. "We're going to school."

"No, see, in the face of an imminent threat, Chase's Commando App kicks in and he becomes a fearless brute I like to call Spike. It's kinda like a fight-or-flight thing, except I took out the flight part, 'cause, useless. And I replaced it with a testosterone level of like a tasmanian devil-wolverine-shark-lion hybrid that's mad."

I purse my lips. That does not sound good to me. Chase is a wonderfully sweet and blissfully innocent guy. Spike sounds the exact opposite of him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Davenport," Chase assures. "I promise that Spike won't rear his ugly head."

"Oh, yeah?" fires back Donald. "You mean like last Christmas when I made the mistake of giving Adam boxing gloves?"

"Ugh, I'm still coughing up tinsel," Adam says from behind us.

"You know, letting Chase go to school, isn't such a good idea. I can't risk Spike coming out."

"Oh, come on, Big D.," says Leo, following his stepfather over to the desk. "Chase has to come. With these guys, I'll finally get a prime spot in the cafeteria. That's right, y'all. Put on your coats 'cause I'm about to ride your tail!"

"Don't worry," assures Adam. "We'll make sure he stays out of trouble. Right, guys?"

"Of course."

"Yeah," Bree agreed. "It's one for all and all for one. Unless, of course, you guys make me look bad, in which case, I am dropping you lame-os."

"Mr. Davenport, I can't miss school," Chase argues. "This is the beginning of my academic achievements and career trajectory. I mean, the road to astronaut lawyer has to start somewhere."

Astronaut lawyer? That's a weird combination.

"Okay. But I better not get a call from the art teacher saying that Spike ripped out her larynx. Actually, she wouldn't be able to say anything, because Spike ripped out her lar—The point is just keep him out of trouble."

"Copy that, Commander," I say with a salute.

"Hey, look what I found," Adam says happily. He now has boxing gloves on his hands. After swinging them through the air a bit, he eventually slams poor Chase in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.