Capítulo XV- Guarida Escondida

     The school day had just finished and Chase bet that he could defeat Adam in an arm wrestle match. Adam did lunges preparing himself as Chase was ready beside the circle bench in the main hall. Leo said, "Chase, there's no way you can beat Adam arm-wrestling. It'd be like a chicken wrestling an alligator. All we hear is a cock-a-doodle crunch."

     "He's right, bro. Your spaghetti arms are no match for these meatballs," Adam kissed his biceps five times doing lunges.

     "Hey," Chase nonchalantly said, "When you're done kissing your girlfriends, let's do this." Adam and Chase leaped on the bench, putting their elbows on it.

     Bree backed away, "Better back up, Leo and Patience. You're in the splatter zone." Chase rolled his eyes as Bree smugly grinned.

     Leo stated the rules, "Okay, I want a clean match. No whining, screaming, crying, or tap-outs. I'm looking at you, Chase." Chase gave him a bored look. "Three, two, one, go!"

     Chase licked his hand, clasped it with Adam who groaned, and pinned it to the flat surface. Bree and Leo shared looks of disgust, Patience merely laughed. Chase hopped off the bench, while Adam grimaced wiping his hand on Bree's shirt, "Hey! No fair! He licked his hand!"

     "Exactly. Clever beats strong any day," Chase bubbled, pointing at Adam.

     Leo raised Chase's hand, "Chase wins. Wait, which hand did you lick?"

     "That one," he smiled, pointing at it.

     Leo dropped his hand wiping it on Chase's shirt. Patience rose Chase's other hand, "Chase wins!" The two smiled at the group. She dropped their hands back to their sides.

     "Hey guys, how's it going?" Marcus greeted coming down the stairs.

     Patience's smile collapsed but quickly picked it up again. She had managed to avoid Marcus the past few days. Unfortunately, her luck had run out today. "Ooh, bundle up, everyone. It just got partly creepy with a hundred percent chance of annoying," Leo deadpanned.

     Adam asked, "Oof. Am I gonna need my umbrella for that?"

     "So, you guys wanna hang out at my house after school?" Marcus asked. "We just got a sick new flat screen."

     Leo forced a smile, "Is it as sick as you make me? 'Cause, that'd be pretty sick."

     "We'd love to hang out today," answered Chase.

     Leo placed an arm on Chase's shoulder, "Chase is too polite to say it, so I'll say it for him. You're a lunatic, and we're leaving." Adam, Bree, and Chase groaned, complaining to Leo. He pushed them to go outside, "Yeah, and we're walking. Go. Go on. Go. Out." Patience stayed behind with Leo. He faced Marcus, "Nice try. See you later, captain eyebrow."

     Patience smiled at him, "Bye, Marcus." Leo and Patience halted in their spots. The doors shut in front of their faces. 

     "What the? How did you?" Leo pointed at the closed door, Patience tried to open the doors but they wouldn't budge.

     Marcus leaned on the pillar, "Chase isn't the only one who can move things with his mind. You know, I'm surprised you hadn't blabbered to each other about me."

     "Why would I, you threatened me," Patience chided.

     "He threatened you, too?" inquired Leo. Patience nodded. He yelled, "Help! Somebody! we're trapped! Principal Perry?" Leo and Patience rushed to Perry's locked office. "Who am I kidding? She's not here. It's five-cent-rib night at the Buffalo Barn."

     Marcus stepped towards them, "Looks like it's just you guys and me. Man, it is fun to mess with you when you can't tell anyone I'm bionic."

     Leo's eyebrows pinched together, "Yeah, it's a real party over here, too. I should just turn you in," Leo walked away. Patience stayed in her spot.

     "Go ahead. Then I'll expose Adam, Bree, and Chase's bionics, and the government will swoop in and take them away," He patted Leo's shoulder.

     "Not if I turn you in first," Leo jogged to the entrance. Marcus used his molecular kinesis to throw a trash can at Leo. He yelled and ducked.

     "You are gonna be like Patience and keep your mouth shut. Or next time, I won't miss." Marcus opened the doors with his ability, leaving them behind.

     Leo whipped his phone out of his pocket and spoke to it, "Voice log, Monday, 3:23 PM. Gathering evidence on subject Marcus. And I will not give up until I prove once and for all that-" Leo's phone rang. He pressed it against his ear, "Hello? Oh, hey Mom. Yeah. can I call you back? Thanks. All right. I love you, too. Bye." He continued his log, "That Marcus is evil and always has been!"

     "Wait, wait," Patience grabbed him, "How long have you known?"

     "Since that two-faced psychopath tried to drown us in the pacific ocean. He came to my house and threatened to expose Adam, Bree, and Chase. How long have you known?" Leo asked.

     "Me too. He threatened to expose them and threatened by dad."

     "That's why you've been acting weird?"

     "Yeah and that's also why we can't turn him in."

     "Like I said, not unless we turn him in first."

     Patience pursed her lips. "How? We break into his house and gather evidence?"

     "I wasn't being serious!" Patience sharply whispered. "Great, we're gonna go to jail for lying and breaking and entering. Forget that, your families secret will be exposed and my dad will be killed-"

     "Okay, Patience, you need to chill," Leo grabbed her shoulders.

     "Right. Right." She took a deep breath and exhaled.

     "I promise, we're just gonna go in there and come back out, once we have everything we need."

     Patience glanced at Marcus, he was a couple of feet ahead. The risk they were about to take affects everyone's life, not just the Davenport's. "Fine, but if Marcus finds out we were in his house, I can't say anything to anyone. I can't take any more risks than this."

     And Leo did too know the risks they were taking today. In Leo's words, they were following a psychopath home. There could be any outcomes and he did not want to risk Patience losing Dante. "Got it. You're not telling anyone about it if we fail."

     "Thank you, Leo."

     "Don't mention it. He might try to kill us anyway."

     "What!"

     Leo crept behind Marcus. Patience took another deep breath and advanced as well. They hid behind cars, bushes, thick wood utility posts, or anything where Marcus wouldn't find out they were following him home. It was easier to track Marcus because of the sun setting that afternoon. 

     Marcus's phone rang, he picked up the call as Leo and Patience hid in the bushes in his backyard. "Yes, dad. Everything is under control. Yes, I took out the trash. Yes, I set the DVR to record Funeral Mishaps."

     Leo voice recorded himself. He muttered, "Suspect is still on the phone with a man called 'Daddy.' Also, note to self, record Funeral Mishaps."

     Leo and Patience spread a section of leaves, to reveal Marcus opening his grill. They couldn't tell what he was doing because his back blocked their vision and they feared if they moved too much, they'd get caught. 

     The house's wall glowed blue, unveiling a secret door. Leo and Patience let go of the leaves to hide. Leo's voice pitched high, "Suspect has a morphing wall!" He cleared his throat to deepen his voice, "I mean, suspect has a morphing wall."

     Marcus entered the building. "Come on," Patience and Leo jogged in as well before the door closed behind them. Patience's heart thumped against her chest, she was sure Leo was able to hear it in the dark quiet room.

     Marcus was on the phone again. Leo and Patience crawled into the lab when his back was turned to them. They lurked behind a couch, listening in to Marcus and his dad's conversation. "Dad, it is gonna be so epic when I capture Adam, Bree, and Chase. Fine, when we capture them. Just like when we forgot my birthday. Oh, I'm sorry. Are you angry or are we angry?" he said, shuffling out of the lab.

     Leo and Patience popped out of their spot. Leo questioned, "What is this place?"

     "I'm guessing it's their lab," Patience examined the control panel on their right. 

     Leo documented their location on his phone, "We're in some sort of weird underground lair beneath Marcus's house. It's incredibly grim and smells like sewer water and... sweaty dudes."

     "Uh, Leo," Patience pointed at two boards. It had pictures of the Davenports, Leo, and Patience of their locations, abilities, and photographs of them at school and inside the lab.

     The board next to it had more information about Patience and Dante, photographs inside their home, of Patience at school, and Dante in his workplace. Even photos of the days Adam, Bree, Chase, and Leo came over to her house.

     "He's been stalking us since day one," Patience's complexion was filled with worry. "When he broke into my house he must have set those up."

     "Photographic evidence that Marcus knows about your bionics and wants to capture you and has been stalking Patience and her dad," Leo snapped a photo of the boards. Patience followed him as he took pictures of the lab. "Bam. Evil lair. Bam. Marcus's capsule." They turned around, "Bam. Marcus. Marcus!"

     Leo and Patience tried to run away but Marcus grasped the back of their shirts. Patience took off the sweater she was wearing. When she slipped out, Marcus's grip loosened on the article of clothing. She threw it on Marcus's head, making him lose his line of sight.

     Patience kicked his abdomen sending him back. Leo was free and the two bolted to the door. However, Marcus super sped in front of them blocking their exit.

-

Are you really best friends if you don't share the same four brain cells?

-Aithusa