Capítulo XXXI- Rumores

     Patience turned the handle to the Davenport-Dooley household. She let Leo pass through with the cardboard box in his right hand. Leo captured Adam, Bree, and Chase's attention, "Good news my famous bionic peeps." He set the box on the glass table. Your new PR guy came through big time." They spun on their stools to face the duo.

     Chase threw his arm and dropped it in annoyance, " Please tell me it's not another celebrity game show. We always lose."

     Bree huffed, "Probably because one of us always hits the buzzer too soon and doesn't know the answer!"

     "In my defense, I thought hitting the buzzer was the right answer," Adam stated, facing Bree and Chase. "And Patience kept interrupting me every time I tried to speak."

     Patience pursed her lips, "Adam, we agreed to use the earpiece to help you with the answers."

     "Well, how was I supposed to when you wouldn't let me think."

     Agape, Patience's dropped what she was going to say. His siblings merely gave him a look. Leo dug the magazine out of the box, "You remember that big magazine interview I got you guys? The article just came out thanks to yours truly, Leo Dooley of Dooley Entertainment the subsidiary of Leo Corp."

     "Awesome!" 

     "Cool!"

     "Wait, I want to see!"

     Patience did the favor of giving them their own magazine. "We haven't read them yet, we wanted to read them with you guys. It was difficult not trying to get a peek," she grinned, alternating each shoulder to move up and down.

     "Wait. The reporter interviewed all of us. Why is Adam the only one on the cover?" Bree asked. Adam chuckled flipping through the pages.

     Patience shrugged, "I don't know. You know how the media works, they always put the strongest-looking people on the cover. I think they should let that go because half of the time it doesn't even work. You want to know an example of that, Loki and Thor."

     Bree put her finger in between the pages she was reading, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. He even tried to kill the human race."

     Chase glanced up from his magazine. "This whole article makes it sound like he's in charge." Patience flipped the page to the interview. He quoted, "Adam Davenport is the bionic team's leader, strong man, and all-around superstar."

     "Ah, finally, someone gets how things work around here," Adam smiled, plopping down on the couch. 

     "Hold on, listen to this." Bree read the paragraph underneath a photo of Adam, "Along with Adam's little brother, the girl helps him on missions." She threw the magazine on the glass table, "It's like you and I barely even exist!"

     "What are you talking about? You guys are mentioned right here. See?" Adam's finger traced the line as he read, "Bree and Chase Davenport not pictured."

     Patience grimaced, "Okay, I may have been mistaken."

     Mr. Davenport strolled into the great room. He took note of the displeased teenagers in the living room. "Hey, guys. What's going on?"

     Bree and Chase walked up to him. He pushed the article to Mr. Davenport, "This article totally misrepresents how our team works. People are going to think that Adam is the only one who does anything."

     "Oh, don't worry," Adam called from the couch. "I'll set the records straight and tell them the girl does stuff too."

     Bree rolled her eyes, resting her hands on her hips. "Guys don't worry about it. The media distorts everything. I mean one time, an article said that I was self-absorbed," Mr. Davenport laughed. 

     Patience put an arm on Bree and Chase's shoulders, "And sometimes they tell the truth."

     Mr. Davenport pointed at her, "Okay, I'm gonna let that one slide. Look, the important thing is that you know the truth about who you are and what you do."

     "We also spoke to Leo Dooley, the bionic team's brilliant mastermind," Chase read.

     Mr. Davenport seized the magazine from Chase, "What? That's it! I'm calling my lawyer!" He spun around and stomped to the hallway.

     Patience assured, "The media often tells the truth and often doesn't, you just got to make sure you contact the right people. Right, Leo?"

     Leo glanced from the article, "Right, I'm on it and I think I know the perfect way."

     Patience turned the knob on the faucet, water poured down to her plant waterer. An unknowing smile rested on her lips as her music played through her earbuds. She shut the tap and made her way to her desk. Leo had his legs propped on his desk, leaning on his chair as Patience watered her plants. 

     Her eyes drifted up to find Adam, Bree, and Chase entering the lab. Chase went around Leo's desk to stand in between Him and Patience. She furrowed her eyebrows placing her waterer down and removed her earbuds. "Guys, look at this. It's bad enough that magazines are twisting the facts, but now gossip sites are now writing all sorts of lies about us."

     Bree crossed her arms, one held her bicep and the other rose in the air to point at herself, "Yeah, like I can't keep a boyfriend or girlfriend." 

     Chase gestured to himself, "And that I'm a nerd."

     "And also a bunch of stuff that isn't true," stated Adam, glancing at the floor in annoyance. 

     "Guys, look. This is the price of fame. Now you see why I've chosen to live my bionic life out of the spotlight... and take my modest 25 percent cut as your manager," Leo elaborated.

     Patience put a hand on her hip, "Mr. Davenport told you not to give away your bionics."

     "Yeah, and I'm glad he did. Who knows what they could've said about me," Leo glanced at the tablet.

     Chase turned to Leo, "This is exactly why it's wrong. The world is not seeing us for who we really are."

     Bree agreed, "Yeah. People need to know that I'm a humble, down to Earth, bionic supermodel."

     "Look, I have a fix," Leo led them to the section behind them. He took a seat on the stool with a teapot and cup in front of him. "When you guys first went public, a production company wanted to do a live reality show about you, but Big D turned them down."

     "Why?" Chase asked.

     "One hint, guess who wasn't going to be the star?" Leo's eyebrows rose. The group of four looked at one another shrugging as to why it made sense. Leo dipped the teabag in and out of the hot water, "Davenport is going away on a business trip, so I'll call the company and let them know we've reconsidered. They'll send in camera crews to follow you around."

     "I don't think that's a good idea. I mean a reality show? People will be twisting things and it could make things far worse than they already are," Patience disagreed. She slid on a chair next to Leo.

     "It'll be fine." Leo sipped his tea. "The whole thing will be live-streamed, they can't spin anything if it's live. And you said to contact the right people, so I did."

     "Yeah, but I didn't mean a reality show."

     Chase put an arm around Patience's shoulders. She leaned her head on him looking up. "Come on, Patience. Then the whole world will see how things really are." 

     "I don't know-" 

     Bree reminded her, "And it'll be live, so they won't be able to manipulate the truth. People need to know how things actually work here."

     Patience sighed, "You guys can do whatever you want. I'm just saying it's not a good idea." 

     "Oh, it'll be fine. How bad can things actually get?" Patience's mouth twisted, they hadn't had the best luck over the years on having normal days, but then again, nothing about their lives was normal. Adam nodded to Leo, "Great idea, Leo."

     "Well, as the article says," Leo set down his cup of tea and plate, "I am the bionic team's brilliant mastermind."

     "Really? 'Cause according to this website," Adam picked up the tablet, "you're our, 'adorable eight-year-old sidekick, Lee Clooney'." Adam reached out to show Leo the screen.

     Leo set his elbow on the table leaning toward the screen, "That's your blog."

     "Huh, should've known," Adam smiled. "I spelled my own name wrong."

     Patience merely glanced at the four siblings in doubt. They weren't supposed to be having people down at the lab either way. Someone could touch the wrong equipment or mess with the controls. The cameras would be following them everywhere and Patience didn't know what it could lead to.

     The next day, Patience quietly shifted back and forth on her chair. Adam and Chase fixed their mission suits, Bree touched up her makeup next to them, and Leo stood still as the makeup artist applied powder to his face. 

     They were the only ones in the reality show, Patience was only going to hang back to make sure nothing in the lab was messed with because she still didn't think the show was a good idea. It might've been a day, but she still wouldn't have changed her mind even if it was weeks or months.

     "Okay, people, we go live in two minutes!" The makeup artist stopped patting Leo's face with powder. He turned to her, "Oh no, that was for them. You keep puffing that powder sweetheart."

     Mr. Davenport marched into the lab and straight to Leo, "Leo, why is there a camera crew in here?"

     He stuttered, "Uh, It's for a new TV show we're filming called, What happened to your business trip?"

     Mr. Davenport glanced back at Adam, Bree, and Chase in disbelieve. In sync, they threw their hands in the air, mimicking the voices of game show guests, "What happened to your business trip."

     Patience hopped off her chair and ambled to the family. Mr. Davenport pulled Leo aside from the hairstylist, "Leo, I don't want people seeing our private lives. The more people see, the more they'll start criticizing every move Adam, Bree, and Chase make, and it'll start messing with their heads."

     "Thank you," Patience gestured to Mr. Davenport. 

     "But people are already criticizing us, that's why we're doing this so that they can see the truth." Bree ran her hands over her curled hair, smiling, "And my new highlights."

     Mr. Davenport furrowed his eyebrows, "You have nothing to prove. And by doing this, you're just feeding into the frenzy."

     "That's easy for you to say. You aren't dragged through the mud on a daily basis," Chase pointed out. He gestured between himself and Patience, "There are rumors online that we're expecting twins!"

     Patience grasped Chase's shoulder, "What! Oh my god, if my dad hears about this he'll freak out!"

     Adam put a hand on Mr. Davenport's shoulder, "We're getting them a double stroller. Let me know if you want in." He smiled and stalked off to the other side of the lab.

     Chase put his hands over her, gently taking Patience's hands off of him, "Don't worry, he'll know it's completely bogus when he finds out I'm the one carrying the supposed twins." 

     "Really? That doesn't make any sense."

     "That's what I said."

     "Look, for the record," Mr. Davenport restated, "I think going on television is a huge mistake."

     The cameraman had the camera resting on his shoulders as the crew held the microphones in the air. "We're live," Leo informed. Patience walked out of the shot. 

     Mr. Davenport spun on his heel and approached the camera, "Hello! Hi. I'm Donald Davenport, brilliant, genius inventor who-"

      Leo stepped in front of him, "Was just leaving."

     "No, I'm not," Leo's eyes widened as Mr. Davenport pushed him back. "Excuse me. Sorry about that. You know-"

     Leo crossed his arms, "You do know the camera adds ten pounds?" Mr. Davenport's mouth twisted and glanced at the ground. "And in that outfit, it's more like twenty."

     "Excuse me, while I change into something a little more flattering," he chuckled. Mr. Davenport zoomed out of the room.

     Patience's hair fell to the side of her face as she facepalmed. Leo's grin dropped and chased after Mr. Davenport, "Wait, stay out of my closet!"

     Bree was about to speak but Chase cut in, waving at the camera, "Hi, everybody! I'm Chase. This is the lab where we train for missions, well, actually, they train for missions. I'm always mission ready."

     Bree hummed, "Uh, your shoe's untied." 

     "Awe, man," he dropped down to tie his laces.

     "Uh, just to set the record straight," Bree hopped over Chase to get closer to the camera, "I can keep a boyfriend or girlfriend. I just can't get one. Uh, uh, no, I mean, I can get one, I just- You know what, I can run 500 miles an hour, what can you do? Hmm?"

     Chase popped up and leaned against the console. Grunting caught the cameraman and crew's attention. They focused on a shirtless Adam, posing and flexing behind them. Patience asked, "Adam, what are you doing?" 

     Adam deepened his voice and shouted, "What I do every day at this time, leading the bionic team by doing strength poses!" 

     Patience pursed her lips, as positive as she tried to be at the moment, she knew what was happening was going to lead them to their doom. A fanfare sang out from the wall monitors. The cameraman's attention flew to Bree, she explained, "That means there's an emergency somewhere."

     "I'm guessing it's," Adam flexed his bicep, pointing to the monitor, "that way."

     Bree pushed him to the console and Chase smacked his arm to make him stop. They faced the screen, Chase answered the call, "Mr. President, we got the alert."

     "Listen, there's a power surge at a major electrical tower, and it's too dangerous for anyone else to handle. I need you to fix the broken transformer before it blows and starts a nationwide chain reaction," Mr. President demanded.

     Chase nodded, "We're on it."

     "Good luck. The country is counting on you." The president's eyebrows knitted, pointing at Adam, "And would also like you to put a shirt on." He hung up.

     A smug smile crossed Bree's lips. Her head turned back to the camera, "Hear that? The President is asking us for help. Does the President ask your girlfriend for help?" She mouthed inches away from it, "No, I don't think so."

     Patience reminded, "Guys, the mission. You have to go now." She opened the drawer in her desk and grabbed the small box. She pushed an earpiece to her ear. "Take these, I'll help you through the mission from here."

     Bree whispered, "Wait, but what about the cameras?"

     "Bring 'em with us." Chase added, "That way, people can see what really happens when we save the world."

     Bree and Chase put their hands on their hips, heroically posing. Adam placed his elbow on top of Chase's head, "Good, idea. Little brother." Chase grimaced, waving off the horrid scent of Adam's armpits. "It's mission time!"

     Patience waved at the camera and pulled Chase aside, "You can't bring civilians to a mission site. They could get hurt."

     Chase assured, "It'll be fine. We'll keep them a distance from the tower. It'll be quick and easy, nothing we can't handle." 

     Patience blankly stared at Chase before her eyebrows knitted together, "What? No. Think about this-"

     "I already have. We'll be careful, we've stopped a bionic sociopath and fixed enough electrical towers." Before she could speak, Patience looked at the cameras live-streaming their argument. Chase faced his siblings, "We're wasting time, let's go."

     Patience avoided the camera and paced to her mission specialist desk. Adam, Bree, and Chase ran out of the lab with the crew trailing behind. She plopped on her chair and read over the mission details sent by the government.

-

Surprise everyone I'm back from the dead! First off I'd like to apologize for not posting for two weeks. My computer screen broke and I managed to find a computer to substitute for it. And second of all yes I made Bree queer, I got plans for season four and hopefully, they will work. I won't tolerate any hate!!

-Aithusa