Today, Harper's best friends were being sent away, all because she and Leo couldn't follow simple rules. If she had done what she was told, none of this would have happened.

Harper couldn't shake the guilt gnawing at her as she stepped through the door of the Davenport mansion.

"Hey, everyone." Harper called out casually as she pushed open the front door.

"Harper! You're just in time!" Mr. Davenport greeted enthusiastically, his wide grin betraying the tension that lingered in the air.

"What is happening?" She asked, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

As she made her way into the living room, her eyes landed on a brown sheet draped over something that looked like a large statue, or maybe an oversized piece of furniture. Before she could ask further questions, she noticed Tasha and Leo emerging from the hallway, both of them looking unusually solemn.

"Good morning, happy family." Mr. Davenport said, crossing his arms with an unsettling cheerfulness.

Harper exchanged a concerned glance with Leo before walking over to him. "Is he okay?"

Leo let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know."

"What is that?" Tasha asked, her gaze fixed on the covered object in the center of the room.

"Whatever it is, don't get too attached." Leo told his mother, eyeing Mr. Davenport.

"Look, Leo, Harper, I know you're gonna miss Adam, Bree and Chase. So, I laser scanned their features onto these bio-synthetic robots." Mr. Davenport said with a grin, clearly excited about his grand plan. He removed the brown sheet to reveal three robotic versions of the siblings. "And I programmed them with their core personality traits. Isn't this great or what? It'll be like they never left."

Harper blinked in disbelief as Leo stepped closer and knocked on the robot version of Adam. The metal body made a loud clang. The robot 'Adam' turned toward Leo and flicked him on the forehead with mechanical precision.

Harper couldn't help it- she raised a hand to her mouth, trying to suppress a smile.

"Ah!" Leo winced, rubbing his forehead.

"What do you think?" Mr. Davenport asked, still grinning from ear to ear, clearly expecting praise.

"I think the excitement of having a billionaire Dad just wore off." Leo replied bluntly as he rubbed his forehead.

"Yeah.... no thanks." Harper added with a tight smile.

Tasha, who had been standing quietly, walked towards her husband with a concerned expression. "Donald, I don't know about this. I kind of prefer Leo and Harper to have friends who can't malfunction and tear them limb from limb."

As Tasha finished speaking, Adam, Bree and Chase walked into the living room, dressed in their red, grey and black training suits. They stopped in their tracks upon seeing the robots.

"What are those?" Bree asked, pointing at the robot version of herself.

"Oh, Dr. Franken brain here, is trying to replace you with creepy robots." Leo explained with a raised eyebrow, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Harper gestured around the room. "Welcome to Crazy Town."

'Adam' suddenly came to life, emitting a series of beeps and mechanical noises. "Good morning. The time is 11:22 am and the temperature is currently 68 degrees."

Adam's face lit up with confusion. "You made a robot out of me that just stands around telling people the time and the temperature?"

Mr. Davenport nodded proudly. "Mhm."

"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Adam exclaimed, stepping forward to high-five his robotic counterpart, but the robot stood motionless. Disappointed, Adam quickly withdrew his hand and returned to stand next to Harper.

Bree, unimpressed, stepped forward and examined her robotic double, scrutinizing its features. "Does my nose really look like that?"

"No. Yours has a faint mustache underneath." 'Bree' replied, causing Leo, Adam and Chase to laugh.

The room burst into laughter as Leo, Adam and Chase cracked up at the ridiculousness of the comment.

"Hey, everyone. I'm Chase." 'Chase' greeted. "Let's do, ma-ma-ma-" Mr. Davenport hit the robot on the chest. "Math."

Harper couldn't help but chuckle, and the other teenagers burst into laughter.

Chase frowned. "That's not funny."

"No, you're right. It's fu-fu-fu..." Adam said, mocking the robot in a playful manner until Bree hit his shoulder. "Funny."

But just as the laughter began to die down, the doorbell rang, cutting through the air and silencing the room instantly. The tension shifted from light-heartedness to something more serious.

This was it- the moment they had been dreading and preparing for.

Mr. Davenport, looking unusually calm, moved toward the door and opened it to reveal a man standing outside in black and white, sunglasses shielding his eyes.

"Hey, Fitz. How's it going? How's life? How's Trix?" Mr. Davenport greeted him, trying to lighten the mood with his usual enthusiasm. However, Fitz stayed silent, not acknowledging the series of questions. Mr. Davenport chuckled to himself and redirected his attention to the room. "Alrighty then. You guys should've seen him at the Christmas party. He's a karaoke master."

"Well, I guess this is it. Thanks for everything Leo and Harper." Bree said. Her words carried a deep sense of appreciation, and it was clear that she was going to miss her friends.

Chase nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're the best friends we've ever had."

"No, they're the only friends we've ever had." Adam pointed out.

"Well, don't forget to bundle up on your deadly missions." Tasha reminded as she hugged the bionic siblings.

As they parted ways, the bionic siblings turned to leave, Harper and Leo stood together, watching them head toward the front door. The finality of it all was starting to sink in.

"Hey, remember, this is a good thing. Without any distractions, you might finish your training early." Mr. Davenport said, trying to reassure them.

The words didn't have the effect Mr. Davenport hoped for. Adam, Bree and Chase turned back toward Harper and Leo, offering one last wave before they left with Fitz.

The door closed behind them and the silence in the house was almost suffocating.

Harper and Leo exchanged disappointed glances. It wasn't that they didn't understand the necessity of the situation—it was just hard to accept. They had come so far together, and now, they were parting ways.

Walking down the hall, neither one of them spoke, both lost in their own thoughts about what lay ahead and what they had just said goodbye to.

••••

Later that day, Harper and Leo made their way down to the lab, the elevator doors opening to reveal the usual technological chaos inside. But today, the sight that greeted them was different- standing in the corner were the robots, all silently observing them.

"Hello, insert name here. Would you like to engage in silly, happy, fun time?" Robot Adam asked in his signature monotone voice, his arms slightly outstretched.

"Get lost." Leo hissed.

"You can't replace our real friends." Harper said, her voice tinged with sadness.

"We really loved those guys." Leo muttered. The words hung heavily in the air, the absence of their friends still a raw wound.

"Don't be sad, Mr. Leo and Ms. Harper, friends come and go, but robots are forever." Robot Chase said as he and the other robots approached them. "Dibbly. Dibbly. That is my version of a laugh. Dibbly. Dibbly."

"Will you tin heads get out of here?" Leo snapped, walking toward the control panel.

Harper rolled her eyes as she and Leo walked towards the control panel.

"Sensing human hostility."

"Must exterminate."

"Robots attack."

"Yeah, go robots! Get 'em! Get 'em! Go for the brain!" Eddy cheered in the background.

Leo and Harper exchanged wide-eyed glances as the robots closed in on them, trapping them between the control panel and their mechanical captors.

Despite their best efforts to break free, Leo was quickly grabbed by Bree, while Harper found herself caught in the iron grip of Chase. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her firmly, causing her to let out a surprised scream.

But then, to their shock, the robots burst into laughter, their faces twisting into mischievous grins.

"Leo, Harper. We're not robots. It's us." Bree chuckled.

Chase released Harper, and she composed herself, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Huh?" Harper asked, bewildered and confused.

"We told the driver we forgot something, and then we swapped the robots in our place." Chase explained.

"You said you loved us. You said you loved us." Adam said, mocking Harper and Leo with kissing noises. Leo then slapped him on the cheek. "Ow!"

Leo jumped up and down, a huge grin plastered on his face. "It is you guys!"

He instantly hugged Adam. Bree, Chase and Harper all joined in, forming a group hug. The teenagers spun around in a circle, giddy with excitement, celebrating their reunion.

"What about Mr. Davenport?" Harper asked as she pulled away from the hug, suddenly remembering the man they were all trying to keep in the dark.

"Oh, we just have to act like dumb robots every single time he's around..." Adam responded, sounding remarkably unaffected by the situation.

Bree smirked. "It'll be easier for some of us than others."

"Hey, Leo. Hey, Harper." Mr. Davenport greeted as he entered the lab, his usual energy filling the room.

Adam, Bree and Chase quickly fell back into their robot poses, stiffening up as if they were once again the mindless machines they had just pretended to be.

"Big D, Donny, Man of the house!" Leo exclaimed, emphasizing each word as if it were the most important line of the day.

Mr. Davenport looked at them suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. "What are you guys doing?"

"What are we doing? We are hanging with our robo-fake people friends." Harper replied nervously

"Ain't no party like a robot party, 'cause a robot party don't stop." Leo sang as he danced.

"See, I told you, you would like them." Mr. Davenport told them, walking over to the cyber desk with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Like 'em? We love 'em!" Leo exclaimed.

Adam then lowered himself and made a kissy face as Mr. Davenport faced away from them. Harper quickly pushed his face away to avoid getting caught.

Mr. Davenport turned around, and Adam resumed his robot act.

"You know what the greatest thing about having robots is?" Mr. Davenport asked, his voice laced with excitement as he pulled a sleek, silver device from behind the cyber desk..

"What?" Leo and Harper asked in unison, intrigued.

"They are virtually indestructible." He replied.

Harper blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"Watch this." Mr. Davenport said, pushing a button on the device. A sudden crackling sound filled the air, and before anyone could react, a burst of electricity shot out, hitting Adam.

Adam's body jerked violently, every muscle in his frame spasming as the electrical current coursed through him.

"Quit it!" Leo shouted, his eyes wide with concern. But Mr. Davenport was unmoved, enjoying the demonstration.

"No! It's okay. He can't feel a thing. He's a robot." Mr. Davenport reassured them, chuckling to himself as he moved on and aimed the taser at Chase. Before anyone could protest, a surge of electricity shot through the teenager. Chase shuddered, his body stiffening as if he were trying to regain control. "They are so incredibly lifelike."

Harper and Leo shared a horrified look, their expressions filled with shock. Mr. Davenport then shifted his focus to Bree, who had been silently observing the scene with a composed yet calculating gaze.

"Don't even try it." She warned, blocking him.

"Oh, you're a feisty robot, you." Mr. Davenport commented, amused. He took a step back, clearly impressed by Bree's spunk. Turning to Leo and Harper, he raised the taser once more, aiming it toward them. "You wanna give it a try?"

Leo quickly shook his head. "No, we're fine thank you."

"Come on, do it."

"We're okay."

"Just do it once. It's a lot of fun." Mr. Davenport coaxed, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"Okay, fine." Harper snapped, finally had enough. She snatched the taser from his hands with a sense of determination and without hesitation, she aimed the device at Mr. Davenport and pressed the trigger.

The effect was immediate.

Mr. Davenport let out a startled yell as the electricity hit him. His body collapsed to the ground with a loud thud, his limbs twitching from the shock.

Harper couldn't help but laugh, a bright, mischievous smile spreading across her face. "You were right, it is fun."

••••

The next day, after school, Harper and Leo pedaled their bikes to the recycling center, their hearts racing with excitement and a hint of nervousness. They had just learned from Mr. Davenport and Tasha that Adam, Bree and Chase had been discarded at the recycling facility.

Despite the rules and warnings, Harper had made up her mind: she was going to rescue them, no matter what.

Arriving at the recycling center, the giant industrial facility loomed before them. It was filled with towering piles of trash, metal parts and discarded electronics. The scent of old plastic and oil filled the air.

Leo then had a genius plan that Harper couldn't believe they were going to do.

With that, the two of them screamed in unison as they fell through the hole in the roof of the recycling bin, landing with a thud on a pile of trash bags below. The bags cushioned their fall, but the impact still left them gasping for air.

They sat up, brushing off the trash, feeling a little disoriented but mostly relieved.

"Leo? Harper?" Came a familiar voice.

They stood up, brushing themselves off and trying to make sense of what had just happened. They looked across the room and saw Adam, Bree and Chase standing near the door.

"No. It's Oprah and Beyoncé!" Leo replied sarcastically, throwing his hands up in mock surprise. "Get us out of here!"

The door on the opposite side of the room opened, revealing none other than Mr. Davenport and Tasha.

"Mr. Davenport!" Bree exclaimed, her voice a mixture of surprise and relief.

"Hello, we are robots." Adam greeted, dropping into his stiff, mechanical pose once again. Mr. Davenport gave him a knowing look.

"Dude, I think he knows." Chase told his brother.

Adam groaned. "Well, now he knows."

Suddenly, steam began to billow from behind Harper and Leo, sending a shock of fear through them. The two of them huddled closer, a small scream escaping their lips.

"Get us out!" Harper cried, her voice tinged with panic as she and Leo struggled to push against the rusted wall behind them.

But no matter how hard they pushed, nothing seemed to budge.

As they continued to fight their way out, a loud scream suddenly echoed from above them. They looked up just in time to see Adam, Bree and Chase fall through the hole, landing with a soft thud on the trash bags beside them. They winced, but quickly got back on their feet.

"Ah, it never gets old." Adam exclaimed.

"Leo, Harper, what are you doing here?" Chase asked, his voice full of curiosity.

"We came to save you." Leo explained, his grin a little sheepish.

"Aw, thanks. We're good. Sweet kids." Adam said, pointing at them.

"Come on, let's do this." Bree urged, already moving towards the exit.

"Okay, Leo, Harper, hold on to Adam." Chase instructed. "We're going to surround you and then we'll all go through it together, okay?"

Harper and Leo nodded and clung tightly to Adam. But just as they were preparing to make their move, something caught Harper's attention: a small, shiny red button on the wall nearby. Her eyes widened with curiosity.

"Hey, what's that?" She questioned, her grip on Adam loosening as she wandered over to the button. Without thinking, she pressed it.

Immediately, the entire recycling process came to a screeching halt. The machines whirred and clanked to a stop and everything around them fell eerily silent.

Chase folded his arms and turned to Harper, raising an eyebrow. "That would be the off button."

Adam nodded. "Yeah. Oh, you guys didn't see that."

••••

The car ride home was heavy with an uncomfortable silence. Mr. Davenport, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, was visibly frustrated. Harper and Leo sat in the backseat, both knowing that a scolding was imminent. It wasn't a matter of if, but when.

"Oh, thank heavens! You all made it home and safe and..." Eddy exclaimed dramatically, his voice echoing through the mansion as everyone walked inside and blew a raspbery.

Mr. Davenport, looking less than pleased, swiped the screen off with a swift motion, silencing Eddy. He turned to the group with a stern expression and everyone knew what was coming.

Leo, feeling the weight of the impending lecture, made his way to the familiar red chair, sinking into its plush comfort. Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper, too, found their seats on the couch, the room thick with tension.

"I don't know what you kids were thinking, pulling a stunt like that. You could've seriously hurt yourselves." Mr. Davenport scolded, his tone firm and disappointed. His eyes shifted between the bionic siblings as he spoke, his frustration clear.

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, my robot accent was dead on." Adam said with a wide smile, striking a robotic pose and exaggerating his mechanical movements for effect.

Chase rolled his eyes and pointed a finger at his brother. "Can we please take him back to the recycling center?"

Tasha, who had been quiet until now, turned her attention to Leo and Harper. She placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. "And, Leo, Harper, why didn't you tell us that Adam, Bree and Chase were still here?"

"We were trying to protect them." Harper replied, gesturing toward her friends.

"And we're still going to protect our friends." Leo declared confidently as he stood up abruptly and approached Mr. Davenport. "That's right. You wanna send them away, you have to go through me first." He puffed out his chest and raised his fists in a mock boxing stance. " It's go time, little man. It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. There's a lot of fight in this little doggie."

Leo hopped around Mr. Davenport like a boxer warming up for a match, his fists flying through the air with exaggerated movements. Mr. Davenport glanced over at Tasha and Harper for support, but they just watched, amused by Leo's antics, with nothing but smiles on their faces.

Sighing, Mr. Davenport grabbed Leo by the arm, halting his playful moves. "Leo, calm down. They're not going anywhere."

"Oh, don't you- Wait, what?" Leo asked, completely thrown off guard by Mr. Davenport's sudden change in tone.

Mr. Davenport turned his attention to the bionic siblings, his expression softening. "Watching you guys risk your lives for each other made me realize something. Maybe I've been focusing too much on training the superhuman side of you, and I forgot all about the human part."

"Aw.." Adam said warmly with a grin before looking over at Bree and Chase. "I don't get it."

Mr. Davenport smiled. "You're teenagers and bionic or not, you deserve to experience teenager things like school and classes and cell phones-"

"Yes! A cell phone!" Bree cheered as she shot up from the couch, throwing her arms up in the air. "I'm living the dream! Whoo!"

"Yeah, you're not getting a cell phone. But what I can give you is another chance. Maybe there's a way that you can live here, go to school, and go on missions." Mr. Davenport told them.

Chase's eyes widened with excitement. "Are you serious?"

Leo and Harper exchanged a surprised glance, both of them leaning forward eagerly

"So, they can stay?" They asked in unison, their voices full of hope.

Mr. Davenport nodded, a genuine smile forming on his face. "On one condition, no one can ever find out about your new abilities, and you have to control your emotions so you don't glitch."

"Done."

"Okay."

"Absolutely."

"All right, then, welcome home." Mr. Davenport welcomed with a smile.

Harper and Bree were both so thrilled they immediately hugged each other, jumping up from their seats in excitement. But their celebration was short-lived.

Suddenly, there was a crackling sound, followed by a series of weird static noises. Everyone turned to Adam, his body buzzing with energy. Before anyone could react, a surge of plasma shot out from him, hitting the ceiling with a deafening bang. The lights exploded, and the dining table was obliterated, the remnants of it raining down around them

Bree, quick on her feet, pushed Harper to the floor, shielding her from the blast. The force of the charge left a smoking hole in the ceiling above them.

Adam winced, clearly embarrassed. "Whoops."

"He has plasma grenades?" Leo asked, his voice filled with wonder. He grinned, his eyes wide with amusement. "My life just got a whole lot better."

_______________
PUBLISHED: 20.04.22
DEDICATIONS: Peters_suit_lady mkbucklin2 WerecoyoteWitch97