Chapter 3

 Chase, sat in his room, impatiently tapping his foot on the hardwood floor. He checked his watch once more and sighed deeply, looking out the window as he tried to distract himself from his restlessness. His heart thudded loudly in his chest, anxiousness taking hold of him like a vice grip. He had tried everything to contact Sadie, his girlfriend, but his father had him locked down tight. Every time he thought of her, his insides flipped; he just wanted to be with her. He needed to reach out and tell her that he was sorry for not listening to her earlier. To explain how much he loved her and that he would never hurt her. The door creaked open, interrupting his thoughts, and he turned his head quickly. His father stood there with a letter in hand, eyeing him curiously. "This just arrived for you," he said, handing it over. Chase's hands trembled as he took it, hoping against hope that it was from her. He ripped open the envelope quickly and began reading, his heart dropping into his stomach when he saw the words written in Sadie's familiar handwriting.

Dear Chase,

I hope this letter finds you well. I know we've been through some tough times lately, but I need some space right now. Please understand and give me the time, After we had our first time together it felt amazing. But I found out yesterday that I am now 3 weeks pregnant…. I need you to stop contacting me, I need my space. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but it's for the best.

 Love,

Sadie

His eyes blurred over the words; they were all he could see. The room spun around him, and he felt like he was falling into a pit of despair. He clenched his fists tightly, feeling the paper tear under his grasp. The taste of bile rose in his throat as he tried to swallow past the lump forming there. His mind raced with thoughts, trying to find an explanation for her sudden change of heart. But there was nothing. He sank onto his bed, the springs creaking beneath him, and stared at the ceiling, unable to process what was happening. Outside, the sun was setting, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink. A gentle breeze rustled through the trees outside his window, carrying with it the scent of freshly cut grass and blooming flowers. All he could think about was the letter in his hand and the weight it carried. Chase threw down the letter on his bed and walked out of the room and into the lab. Douglas watched as Chase left confused about what just happened, Donald walked over to Douglass and looked at him confused. Douglass glanced at the envelope curiously, not recognizing the handwriting. He opened up the letter and as he read it, his face turned pale. Without a word, he handed it over to Donald. Both men were stunned by the contents, unable to believe what they were seeing. "This can't be," Donald muttered, shaking his head. "Chase is better than this." They exchanged looks of disappointment and disbelief before turning their attention back to the letter. It was clear that Chase had made a mistake – a big one. "We need to find him now, and stop him from what he's about to do next," Donald said worried. They shared a nod, knowing that punishing Chase more wouldn't be easy, but it had to be done.

Meanwhile, Chase was on his way out when he felt a tap on his shoulder - a surge of electricity coursing through his veins as he turned around. Standing before him were Adam and Bree, looking serious. "You going somewhere?" they asked in unison. His heart sank as he nodded slowly, sensing something was wrong by the look on his sibling's faces. "Sadie's pregnant" Bree gasped, outrage filling her voice. Adam gripped his fists tightly at his side, his heat vision flaring up for a moment before he regained control. "And she wants to get rid of it?" Chase felt a lump forming in his throat, guilt weighing him down. He had no idea how to respond or what to say. He knew they would be upset but not this much. "I'm sorry," he whispered, feeling tears sting in his eyes. The room fell silent again, their breathing ragged as they processed the news. The tension was thick like molasses, suffocating them all.

But Chase knew that wasn't true; he couldn't abandon a child he helped create, even if it wasn't the ideal circumstance. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was coming next. "I need to go see them." The cool evening air brushed against his skin as he walked towards Sadie's house, his footsteps echoing off the concrete sidewalk. He knocked on the door and waited nervously. His heart pounded in his ears as he heard her light footsteps approach. The door swung open, it was her parents, "I was wondering if Sadie was home?" he said nervously. They shook their heads no, "Sadie didn't tell you? She chose to move to a boarding school last week, she starts tomorrow. I'm sorry Hun." Chase walks away with a heavy heart and starts to run back home. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. "Go away," he growled without looking up. The door opened anyway, revealing Douglass standing in the frame. Sighing inwardly, Chase prepared for the lecture he knew was coming. "We need to talk," Douglass said softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside him. Chase remained silent, not ready to face his Father's disappointment yet. Douglass sighed then continued, "Look, we all know you messed up, but we also know you're dealing with a lot right now. We just want to help you through this." Chase remained silent. Chase nods. 

The next morning, after a restless night of tossing and turning, Chase awoke to the sound of Adam arguing with their dad over something on the living room couch. Pushing himself up, he slowly made his way downstairs. "What's going on?" "Oh, hey, Chase," Donald said with surprise before turning back to Adam, "I just found out that Krane has been stealing tech from various labs and military bases around here. He's building an army." Adam growled low in his throat, "We need to stop him." "Agreed," Chase replied as they all looked at each other, visions of their past battles with Krane flashing through their minds. "We'll research where he's hitting next, form a plan, and take him down," Bree suggested. They nodded in unison, their determination clear on their faces. As they sat in front of the computer, scrolling through files and schematics, Chase couldn't shake off the guilt over Sadie. But he knew this was his chance to make things right. Their investigation led them to a small town hours away from their home base. They planned their attack carefully, knowing full well the danger they were walking into. Arriving in their black SUV, they split up - Adam taking the front, Bree covering the back.

Blast waves exploded, metal groaned under Bree's super strength, and lasers flew as they fought their way through Krane's henchmen. The stench of blood and sweat filled the air, but they pushed forward. Their footsteps echoed against the concrete floor as they raced towards the main lab where Krane stood among rows of stolen bionics. "I've been expecting you," Krane sneered, his electric gauntlets sparking with power. "You won't get away with this," Bree warned, her hair whipping around her face as she ran faster than sound. Krane laughed maniacally, "Oh, but I will. You see, I found out the sweet little Sadie here is holding precious cargo. Your little brother's child." He has a devilish grin on his face while he presses a button, activating a force field around himself. Adam aimed his lasers at the force field, trying to break it down. The force field crackled and popped under their onslaught, revealing Krane's smug grin for only a moment before he was engulfed in a whirlwind of metal. "Adam!" Bree cried out, sliding under a blast wave sent their way. The sounds of blast waves and metal grinding filled the air as they battled. After what felt like hours, they emerged victorious, Krane's men defeated. But Krane was still on the loose with his army. Exhausted, they headed back home, each lost in their thoughts. At the house, they collapsed on the couch, exhausted but relieved. Bree let out a sigh of relief, "Daniel, Chase... We did it." Chase looked at them both, "Did you guys happen to find out anything?" Bree and Adam looked at each other. "Krane knows about you and Sadie…" Chase looks at them worried, "There is a but, it feels like there and a bit!" Adam takes a deep breath, "But no, there is an and." Chase starts to get impatient. "He has Sadie hostage," Bree said abruptly. Chase's eyes narrowed as he stood up abruptly, "I'm going back." "You can't," Bree protested, grabbing his sleeve. "You're still grounded!" "Dammit!" Chase yelled, breaking free from her grip. He stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Meanwhile, in her cell, Sadie sat alone, she knew someone would come for her soon and couldn't help but wonder who the father of her child was. Memories flooded back of passionate nights with each of them; Chase's touch sent shivers down her spine, reminding her that Chase was the only one who forgot to use protection. 

Back in his room, Chase paced furiously. His anger boiled over as he thought of his sister's predicament. He hated being powerless against Krane's control over her. Ripping off a piece of paper from his calculus homework (he was still grounded after all), he scribbled a plan on how to infiltrate Krane's lab without being detected by Douglas. The next day, he presented it to Adam and Bree. "We need to be quick and quiet," he instructed, "No one can know about this." They nodded in agreement and set off for the lab. Their footsteps were silent as they navigated through the halls until they reached the main entrance. They quietly changed into their mission suits and then made their way for the door. Donald appeared behind the door and stopped them, "Guys, Chase is still grounded and we need to come up with a different take on the next mission since Krane and his army are still out there. 

Douglass knocked on Chase's door, Chase didn't answer so he opened the door and looked around, he saw Chase still asleep on the ground. He walked over, shaking his Chase awake, "Hey! Wake up you're making a mess! Chase abruptly wakes up confused, "You're having a wet dream" he accused, noticing Chase is aroused. Chase sat up quickly, confused, trying to wipe off the dampness from his pajama pants. "What? No! Dad, that's disgusting!" Chase grabs a pillow and covers his bottom half with it. "Don't lie to me," Douglas pulled out his phone, "Then why is your computer open to a picture of Sadie, that I wish I had never seen." Chase ran over cleared his computer and opened his browser. "But I was just researching ways to fight Krane," he lied, knowing it sounded feeble even to his own ears. Douglass shakes his head and walks out of the room closing the door behind him. 

Outside, Bree and Adam discussed strategy without their leader; they missed him terribly. They needed Chase's hacks and knowledge of technology to stay ahead of Krane. They left messages for him, promising justice when this nightmare ended. Bionic GPS tracked their location; they knew where Sadie was being held. Adam used his super-jump to scale walls while Bree cracked safes like nobody's business with her super speed. Inside the building, guards bickered about how ineffective their jobs were these youngsters kept getting away with everything. One picked up his phone, dialing a number. "Sir," he said into it nervously, "we have intruders."