Agent Graham led Maeve, Chase, Adam, and Bree into their high school. Students chattered as camera crews shuffled around, bodyguards milling about.

"Students of Mission Creek," said Graham, "please welcome your bionic superhumans!"

The students cheered as they walked in.

"And our trusty little mascot Chase," Adam grinned, patting his brother's chest.

In a whirlwind of noise and motion, the bionic teens spent the next ten minutes greeting excited students and singing autographs. It was strange - the same people who sat in Maeve's classes, who did group projects with her, all of a sudden losing their minds at the mere sight of her.

"Wow, this is amazing," Chase grinned. "It's like we're celebrities."

They looked over to see Adam signing a girl's forehead.

"We are," Graham said, appearing behind Chase. "And this is just the beginning."

"I can't believe that people are so shallow they only like us because we're bionic," said Bree. "This is awesome!"

"One girl gave me a fan letter," Chase said excitedly.

Bree scoffed. "You?"

"Let me see this," Maeve said, grabbing the letter as Chase held it out to her. It was a pink envelope, decorated with hearts and flowers. She looked back up at him. "Really?"

"What?" he asked.

"You sure this isn't a love letter? I'm pretty sure she even sprayed it with perfume."

"No, it's clearly a letter of admiration for my superior intelligence and leadership abilities," he said, taking the envelope back and opening it. "See? It says, 'Chase, you are my world. You inspire me every day with your work. You are the most... handsome man... I want to be with you forever'-"

He crumpled the letter in his hand and tossed it out, looking back at Maeve sheepishly.

She smirked knowingly at him. "Good choice."

He smiled softly, brushing his arm against hers.

Leo approached them, frowning.

"What's wrong, Leo?" Maeve asked.

"That." He gestured behind them.

They looked over to see Adam and Janelle, talking excitedly about something.

"I can't believe this. Now that she knows Adam's bionic, it's all, 'can I do a project on you?' and, 'let's meet after school, teehee!'" Leo exclaimed. "Like Adam's that cool anyways. Sure, he can pick up a car, but... I could explode the car! So..."

Chase patted Leo's shoulder. "Why don't you just tell Janelle you're bionic too?"

"I did. She didn't believe me."

"Leo, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I doubt Janelle actually likes Adam, she just needs something for her project," Maeve said. "Besides, if having bionics is all she cares about, she's not the right girl for you. You deserve someone who likes you for you."

Leo thought about this, then sighed. "You're right. Besides, if Chase ended up with you, I guess there's hope for me!"

-

That afternoon, Adam, Chase, Bree, and Maeve walked with Agent Graham into the lab, laughing at a joke he had made. Donald stood there, carrying a huge metal barrel.

"What's so funny?" Donald asked when he saw them.

"Oh, nothing," Chase smiled.

"Agent Graham said the most amazing piece of technology in the whole lab is your hair!" Adam laughed.

Donald frowned, seeing everyone laugh at him. "Ha-ha. Hysterical. You're 15 minutes late for training."

"Actually," said Graham, "their training's been put on hold until further notice. Didn't you read the memo?"

Donald shook his head.

"Oh, that's right!" He laughed. "You're not on the memo list."

"They need their training to maintain their bionics, not to mention their missions-"

"Yes," Graham interrupted, "but right now, the most important mission is getting our faces out there. That's why we're going on an international press tour."

"Wait," Bree blinked. "No training and we get to travel? Can we go to Paris?!"

"Only after we go to London!"

Bree squealed, grabbing Maeve's arm. Maeve smiled back.

"Look," Graham continued. "I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot with the whole me-arresting-you thing..."

"Hey, just tell me we're going to Des Moines and all is forgiven," Adam grinned.

"Then I guess we're going to Des Moines!" He said.

"Yes!" Adam cheered. "I love being owned by the government."

Maeve grimaced. In full honesty, this whole thing was weird. The stares from strangers, the sudden fame - but then again, maybe it would just take time to adjust to?

She hoped that was all it was.

"Woah, woah, woah," Donald said suddenly. "Guys, this is completely irresponsible."

Bree stepped forward. "Mr. Davenport, we've been training our whole lives. Don't we deserve just a little bit of fun?"

"I think you do," Graham shrugged. "I also think you deserve a little thanks for all you've done for mankind. Don't you agree, Mr. Davenport?"

"Yes, of course I do," Donald stammered. "But- Chase, tell him how important training is."

"Well," Chase frowned, "Mr. Davenport does have a point."

Maeve nodded along. She could always count on Chase to keep everyone grounded.

"I can show you where they keep Einstein's brain," said Graham.

"Training schmaining!" Chase scoffed. She looked at him.

"Go pack your gear. Wheels up to New York in 15 minutes!"

"Ah, New York," Adam breathed. "The Des Moines of the east."

Agent Graham gestured for them to follow him as he strutted confidently out of the lab. Maeve looked for Chase's eyes as she turned to leave, but he was looking excitedly ahead. She tried to shake her head of the anxious thoughts.

Come on, Maeve. This is supposed to be fun.

Right?

-

The next few days were a whirlwind of traveling, autograph signings, meet-and-greets, you name it. It felt weird, like she didn't have a place or a time to relax. Maeve had always dreamed of being a celebrity, but this was... not what she expected. She never thought she'd miss the rigorous training sessions or Donald's arrogance, but she did.

Even Chase - level-headed, rational, predictable Chase - was leaning into the celebrity treatment. This was the first time she had felt disconnected from him like this.

And Agent Graham was the worst. He was a narcissistic, egotistical capitalist who didn't actually care about their wellbeing if it meant more money and fame for himself. Maeve didn't like being under his control one bit - being his puppet, having no freedom.

"Maeve?"

She looked up. Bree, Adam, and Chase were staring at her from opposite seats on the private jet.

"What?" She asked.

"I asked what your favorite place we visited was," Bree frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Oh. Yeah, um..." Maeve sighed and looked over at Chase. His gaze was soft, slightly concerned. "I just... don't know how I feel about all of this."

"What, the touring? It's awesome," Adam grinned. "Des Moines was even better than I thought it was gonna be."

She laughed a little. "Yeah. I mean, it's fun, but... weird."

"You can't seriously be upset about traveling the world and getting to skip training," Bree said.

"I know. I'm just conflicted. I mean..." she peered over to Graham, busy doing something at the front of the plane. "I don't trust it. Graham doesn't actually care about us, he's just using us to become more popular."

"I understand that, but I also think we deserve a break. We've been working to protect everyone our whole lives. It's about time we got a little recognition," Chase said.

Maeve nodded. "Yeah, I agree. It's just getting a little... I don't know. Weird."

"How can you say that?" Chase showed her a notification on his phone. "The New York Times just wrote an article about us. Isn't that awesome?"

She took his phone, clicking into the article and reading off of it. "Adam, Bree, and Chase have been working tirelessly to protect this nation..."

Chase and Bree nodded.

Maeve kept reading. "The bionic triplets are joined by... Maeve Krane, Adam's girlfriend." She raised her brow.

Chase jumped up, snatching his phone back. "Why does no one have a problem with this?!"

-

When the bionic teens arrived home, they were ready to sleep in their capsules. The tour had definitely taken a toll on them. They entered the lab to see Donald unpacking a duffel bag in corner, dirty and hair disheveled.

"Oh! Hey, Mr. Davenport," said Bree. 

"What happened to you?" Asked Chase.

"Where have you been?" Donald said sternly. "I've been calling for hours."

Chase looked at Maeve and his siblings. "I didn't even notice you called. We've been too busy flying around the country doing meet and greets."

"Yeah, we kissed a ton of babies," said Adam. "Their heads are delicious."

Chase pulled out his phone. "Here it is. Seventeen missed calls and a text message with a... mission alert."

They all looked at Donald in concern. He nodded angrily.

"Well," Chase said nervously, "how can we help you? Yesterday?"

"I had to go by myself."

"Oh, that's terrible," Adam frowned. "You should've called us."

Chase glared at his brother as Graham walked in.

"Good news, team!" Graham said, checking his phone. "This weekend we're off to Paris."

"Alright," Donald said, storming up to Graham.  "Enough with the press tour. They have important work to do. Because of you, they missed a mission and people got hurt."

"Well," Graham said, his lips tight. "That's unfortunate, but they have other priorities right now."

He walked off.

Donald paused before turning back to them. "Oh, so getting your faces in front of the camera is more important than saving lives."

"We didn't say that," said Chase. "It's just... things have changed."

He nodded. "Well, I'm glad we had 16 years of bionic training so you could do the weather for A.M. San Diego."

Bree looked up. "That's tomorrow."

"You know what?" Said Donald. "I'm really disappointed in you guys. All our hard work and all you care about is being famous."

He started walking off.

"Mr. Davenport-" Chase started.

"You know what? Save it. I thought you guys were heroes... but I guess I was wrong."

He left. The bionic teens turned to each other, expressions sad.

"Wow," said Adam. "Are we really doing A.M. San Diego tomorrow?"

Maeve rolled her eyes at Adam's comment. "See, this is what I was trying to tell you guys. We got carried away."

Chase nodded solemnly. "We really messed up."

"I know," Bree nodded. "We got so caught up in our own hype that we completely lost sight of who we are."

"I can't stop tasting baby shampoo," Adam grimaced.

Graham approached them. "There's my bionic team!"

They stood up.

"Agent Graham, we need to talk," said Bree. "We're done with your press tour, okay? We're going back to training and focusing on missions."

"Excuse me?" He glared.

"Mr. Davenport was right. People need us," Chase explained.

"Well, unfortunately, he's not the boss anymore," Graham said. "I am."

"Why are you still so caught up in this?" Maeve frowned. "You already got your promotion."

He stared. "At first, it was about the promotion. But now that the world loves you, there is no limit to how far I can take this."

"Well, we're done with your dog and pony show," Chase said.

"Woah, hold on," Adam said. "Nobody said anything about dogs and ponies."

Graham rolled his eyes. "Look, I don't have time for this. The White House called this morning. The president is making a special trip to meet you."

"Wait, the president is coming here?" Chase asked. "Today?"

"Yes. And if you don't show him that things are running smoothly, I will make sure you end up in a warehouse sitting in cages like the circus freaks you are. Any questions?"

"Yes," Adam said. "Will there be dogs and/or ponies at said warehouse?"

Graham scoffed and walked out.

"What are we gonna do? We can't just let this go on, but Graham is gonna lock us up if we don't do it," Bree exclaimed.

"Don't worry," Chase said. "I have a plan."

-

The next day, the bionic teens met in the lab to prepare for their meeting with the president. Bree brought Donald in with them.

"I don't care if the president is coming, I don't want any part of it," he was saying.

"Yeah, well, you were demoted so you don't have a say."

Graham hurried in. "He's here! Everyone in position!"

He took his place next to the bionic teens and fixed his hair. Two bodyguards followed by the president walked into the lab.

"Mr. President," Graham grinned, "welcome to the home of the world's first bionic superhumans."

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. President," said Chase. "I'm Chase-"

"Good tidings, my lordship!" Adam exclaimed in a British accent, pushing Chase aside to curtsy.

The president stared. "You must be Adam."

Bree smiled. "And you must be disappointed. I'm Bree."

"I'm Maeve," Maeve said.

"Very nice to meet you," he nodded. "I just wanted to say thank you for all the lives you've saved."

"It was our honor, sir," Chase responded.

"Okay, team!" Said Graham. "It's time to show our Commander-in-Chief how your bionics work. Bree, you're up."

Bree and Maeve exchanged glances, ready to put Chase's plan in action.

She smiled, stepping forward. "Absolutely, Agent Graham. This is my super speed!"

She ran a short distance forward, then back towards Graham and started running circles around him. He spun around and fell over, dizzy from Bree's running.

"What's the matter with you?" He hissed as two of his agents helped him up.

"I don't know," Bree frowned, mocking confusion. "I guess I've spent so much time being a celebrity instead of training that I can't control my bionics."

Donald stepped up to her. "Bree, would you stop messing around? The president is standing right there!"

"I know the president is standing right there," she replied, sending him a look.

Donald quickly understood and nodded.

Graham cleared his throat. "Sorry about that, sir."

Chase stepped forward. "Mr. President, how about I demonstrate my molecular kinesis?"

"Sure," the president nodded.

Chase held out his hand, turning to a smoothie on one of the desks. He lifted it up, and up... and over Graham's head, until it dumped over and spilled it all over him.

Chase grimaced. "Oopsie!"

Maeve stepped forward. "Oh, no! Agent Graham, let me help you. Actually," she turned to the president, "this will also give you a chance to see my elemental abilities."

She faced Graham, lifting her hands into the air. She generated a soft stream of water that ran over him, rinsing off some of the smoothie. Suddenly, she feigned stress and froze the water, covering Graham's hair and jacket in ice.

Maeve gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

"Graham, what is going on?" The president frowned.

Nervously, Graham smiled. "It's fine! Everything's fine. Adam, why don't you show the president that thing you do with your breath?"

Frowning, Adam stepped forward until he was face-to-face with the president. He looked at him and breathed in his face, causing the president to grimace and step back.

"Not that," Graham hissed. "The big force thing."

"Ohh, you mean this!" Adam stepped forward and blew a strong gust of wind at Graham, pushing him backwards. 

"Okay, that's enough!" He yelled. Adam didn't stop.

"His bionic breath must be stuck!" Chase exclaimed.

"Davenport! Do something!" Graham said, holding onto a cyberdesk to avoid falling over.

"Oh!" Donald grinned. "Look who finally needs my help!"

"Don't worry, Mr. President! I'm sure one of these buttons will take care of everything!" Graham looked towards the cyberdesk.

"No, no!" Donald shouted, but it was too late. Graham had already pressed a button that caused the floor tile the president was standing on to sink rapidly into the ground. He and his bodyguards screamed as they disappeared into the floor. Everyone turned to look, Adam stopping the gust of wind.

"Uh oh!" Graham scrambled up to the hole.

"Get me out of here!" The president yelled.

"Nice going, Graham," said Donald. "That's one way to get noticed by your boss."

Donald rushed to bring the president back up to them. He brushed off his suit, sighing in annoyance.

"So, uh, Mr. President," said Graham nervously, "anything else you'd like to see?"

"Yes," he said, straightening his tie. "Your qualifications for this job. Call Washington. Have them send a replacement for this clown immediately."

"What?! No," Graham frowned.

"Mr. President, we have a replacement," Bree spoke. "Him."

She pointed to Donald, who smiled awkwardly.

"The smoothie guy?" Asked the president.

"He's not the smoothie guy," said Chase. "He's mine, Bree's, and Adam's father. And our real leader."

"Agent Graham doesn't care about our missions or helping people," Maeve said. "He just wants to make money off of us."

The president turned to Graham. "Is this true?"

Graham frowned. "Sir, with all due respect, we can't let a civilian control the world's most powerful weapons."

"Weapons?" The president echoed. "They're not weapons. They're his children. You're done, Graham. Get him out of here."

The president's bodyguards grabbed Graham and started ushering him out.

"Mr. President!" Graham stammered.

"Wait," Adam called, looking at Graham. "I just want you to know, we'll always have Des Moines."

They dragged Graham out. The president turned to Donald.

"Mr. Davenport," he said, "the government owes you an apology. We had no right to come between you and your family."

"And Mr. President, we owe you an apology too," Chase said. "Our bionics didn't really glitch. We just had to expose Graham and show you that he wasn't qualified to lead us."

"I figured something was up. I've seen the footage of your abilities. They're quite impressive," said the president. He turned back to Donald. "Listen, if you can keep me briefed, I see no reason why you shouldn't resume control here."

"Thank you, Mr. President," Donald smiled, shaking his hand.

Maeve and Chase shared excited glances.

"Oh, before I leave, I need to do one more thing," continued the president. He stepped forward and took a quick selfie with the bionic teens. "Bam! Bionic selfie. It's... for my daughter."

-

hi cuties! thank you for being so so patient as i have taken literal months to write this. i have just been so busy with work and school! sorry if this chapter is rushed, i just wanted to get something out. now that im back i will be working on getting a few more chapters released in the next week or so! thank you for reading <3