During the day, Harper stood next to Adam at the kitchen counter, watching Mr. Davenport and Leo working on a new device from the lab. The stress of repeated failures was evident on Mr. Davenport's face, with visible lines on his forehead.

As he prodded the device with his screwdriver, sparks flew, causing Harper to jump back slightly.

Startled, Mr. Davenport recoiled, shaking off his electrocuted hand and retrieving the screwdriver from the floor. "Great. Everything in the lab is officially useless, and I don't have any money to repair it."

"I know my mum didn't marry you for your money, but I haven't been putting up with your antics for nothing." Leo told his step-dad.

Bree and Chase got up from the couch and approached the group. Bree sat next to Adam, while Chase walked over to Harper, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Mr. Davenport, take your time with the lab. I don't mind staying up here. I mean, it won't make up for living in a basement for sixteen years, but it's a start." Bree reassured with a smile.

"We don't have time. Your capsules have regenerative capabilities. They're crucial to your bionic infrastructures." Mr. Davenport informed.

Adam's eyebrows knitted together. "Huh?"

"Let me help you." Chase insisted, resting his hands on his knees at Adam's level and deepened his voice. "Capsule good!"

Adam smiled and nodded in understanding. Chase sighed and pointed at his brother, while Harper tried to hide her smile.

"But I haven't been in my capsule all week, and I feel fine." Bree said.

"Well, it's only a matter of time before your bionics go haywire." Mr. Davenport warned.

"Do you know when exactly, cause I have a haircut on Tuesday, and if I glitch in the chair, I'm just gonna end up lookin' like that train wreck." Adam asked, gesturing towards Chase.

Chase sighed. "Look, I get it. I'm short, I look like a lady golfer, and I have a terrible haircut. What else you got?"

"How long do you have?"

Bree laughed and Leo's mouth opened in surprise. Chase rolled his eyes and looked down at the ground.

"Chase looks fine as he is." Harper defended, running her fingers through his spiked hair.

"Look, the longer you go without your capsules, the more likely you'll glitch. So don't use your bionics until I can get enough money to rebuild the lab." Mr. Davenport insisted.

"Uh-oh, I feel a glitch comin' on." Adam began. He turned to his right and punched Chase on his bicep.

"Ow!" Chase winced, grabbing his arm. "You know? I feel one comin' on, too."

He then pushed Adam off the stool, and onto the ground. Adam quickly stood up, staring at his younger brother in disbelief.

"Hey, it's not funny when you hurt me. It's just rude." Adam said with a frown before walking off to the hall.

With that, everyone went their separate ways. In the living room, Harper made herself comfortable on the couch, looking at her phone with Bree beside her. Chase was by the dining table messing with the guitar

It wasn't long when Leo strolled down the stairs with Adam, while Tasha and Mr. Davenport entered through the hall.

"Okay, everybody, family meeting time." Mr. Davenport announced. Everyone gathered in the living room and Adam raised his hand. "Adam, you don't have to raise your hand to speak. Just talk."

"Oh, no, I've got nothin' to say. I was just airin' out my pits." Adam explained, fanning out his right armpit and raised his other arm.

"The reason I called this meeting is because we have to make some cutbacks in the family budget, starting with losing our cell phones." Mr. Davenport declared.

Adam, Bree, Chase and Leo's eyes widened.

"Did you not hear me? I just moved out of a basement. I need this phone!" Bree exclaimed, tapping on her phone's screen.

"But I don't get it." Adam said in confusion, dropping his arms. "Why is this happening?"

With a bored expression on Chase's face, he deepened his voice. "Phone gone. We poor now."

Adam gasped dramatically.

Leo rose from the other end of the couch and stood by Mr. Davenport. "Guys, stop complaining. This is what you do for family. You make sacrifices."

Mr. Davenport nodded, putting an arm around Leo's shoulder. "This includes you, too."

"I barely know you people. I'm keeping my phone." Leo replied, eyeing his family as he walked off to the kitchen.

"Don't worry, Donald and I will be giving up our phones, too." Tasha reassured, clasping her hands together.

"Well, you will." Mr. Davenport corrected his wife. "Look, the sooner we get money, the sooner we can get back to our regular lives. We need cash." He clapped his hands and pointed at the teenagers. "Ideas?"

"Ooh, I can make some desserts, and we can have a bake sale." Tasha suggested.

"Great, that'll buy us a lamp." He retorted.

Harper pursed her lips. "Why don't you do a stunt like that guy on TV?"

"Yeah, you know, the one who made a whole bunch of money for walking on a tightrope across the Grand Canyon." Leo added returning with a water bottle in his hands.

Adam nodded. "Oh, I see where you're goin' with this. We find that guy and rob him."

"Or.... Big D can do a similar stunt."

"We can't rob Mr. Davenport, he's broke. Were you not listening?"

Mr. Davenport rubbed his chin. "That kind of stunt could attract a huge sponsor that would have enough money for us to build a new lab. That's a great idea, Leo, Harper."

"Happy to help." Harper said with a smile.

"Just give me my cut when you get your money." Leo told his step-dad before sitting back on the couch.

"You know what? I've been working on a prototype fiberglass jet wing. It uses two micro-jet engines to allow a human being to fly like an airplane. Check it out." Mr. Davenport said, showing the blueprints of the jet-wing on his tablet. "This is it. I, Donald Davenport, will attempt the first ever jet wing flight over Mission Creek."

Tasha shook her head. "Oh, no, I am not letting my husband do something that dangerous-"

"You could host the exclusive pay-per-view webcast."

"Up, up and away!"

"Are you sure about this?" Chase questioned. "That thing hasn't even been tested."

"I can't let my family suffer anymore." Mr. Davenport replied sternly.

"Then skip the jet wing and give us our phones back." Bree argued.

"Look, we need to find sponsors quickly."

"Harper and I are on it." Leo said, standing up with Harper. The two wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders. "You're looking at the top donation collectors for the school's 'Save the Gym' campaign."

"At the top with four dollars and sixteen cents." Harper proudly informed before noticing the unimpressed stares from everyone. "Hey, at least we raised money."

Mr. Davenport nodded. "Okay, Leo, Harper, you can hunt for sponsors."

Adam jumped up from the red chair, raising his arms. "Yeah, we're gettin' our lab back!" He exclaimed. Everyone cheered, high-fiving Adam. "No, you guys, again, I'm just airin' 'em out."

Confused glances were exchanged as everyone sat back down.

••••

Harper and Leo tirelessly searched for sponsors for Mr. Davenport, even making calls from Harper's phone, but no one was willing to support the ex-billionaire's desire to fly across the city.

By Saturday, the only sponsor they secured was Go-Go Global Pack and Ship.

In a parking lot of a shipping store, Mr. Davenport stood ready with the jet-wing strapped to his back, speaking to the crowd alongside Chase, Leo and Harper. The team prepared for the launch, with Chase and Harper already wearing their headsets.

Mr. Davenport walked over to the working area, holding his helmet tightly. "I still can't believe you only landed one sponsor."

"You're lucky we got one. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a sponsor for an old guy who thinks he can fly?" Leo replied.

"The best you could do was Go-Go Global Pack and Ship?"

"At least we got a sponsor." Harper interjected with a serious expression. "But there are some conditions you need to know. You only get paid if you survive. If not, they'll ship your remains to your home state for free, Alaska and Hawaii not included."

"You're also contractually obligated to say 'Go-Go Global Pack and Ship' throughout your flight." Leo added.

"That's gonna be hard for him. He's not used to promoting anything but himself." Chase remarked, causing Harper to chuckle in agreement.

"All right, two minutes to launch." Leo announced, holding up two fingers.

Then Harper and Leo noticed Mr. Davenport's labored breathing and blinking.

"Mr. Davenport, are you okay? You don't look well." Harper asked.

"I'm not sure I can do this." He whispered.

"Of course you can do this. You're Donald Davenport, and the Donald Davenport I know doesn't let anything get in the way of protecting his family." Leo reassured him.

Mr. Davenport nodded. "You're right, Leo. I'm doing this for my family. I got this."

Tasha hurried over to them. "Okay, guys, we're about to start the webcast. Tasha Davenport presents, 'Look Out Below: A Jet-Wing Catastrophe'."

"Oh, for..." He muttered, hunching over.

"It's just for ratings." She assured him.

"Your helmet-cam is up and running. I'll man mission control, and cue you when it's time to release your parachute for the landing." Chase explained. Harper made her way over to the table and sat down beside him.

"Okay." Mr. Davenport squeaked.

Leo placed an encouraging hand on Mr. Davenport's arm. "Ready to roll, Big D?"

"I can do this. I can do this." He repeated, putting on his helmet.

Leo positioned himself next to Harper as music started playing. A camera focused on Tasha standing in front of Mr. Davenport.

Tasha smiled brightly. "The world waits with bated breath. As Donald Davenport, husband of witty, yet personable reporter Tasha Davenport, prepares to launch for the first ever jet-wing flight across Mission Creek."

The camera then panned to Mr. Davenport, who nervously smiled and took deep breaths. He gave the camera a thumbs up, raised his arms, and confetti made of packing peanuts erupted from two cannons.

Harper furrowed her eyebrows at the scene, and Mr. Davenport spat out the packing peanuts that had made their way into his mouth.

Mr. Davenport cleared his throat. "Before I launch, I would like to take a moment, maybe longer, and, uh, thank everybody for coming out today. It really means a lot, and I see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. And since I have time, I would like to mention you all by name."

"Why is he stalling?" Chase questioned.

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "No idea."

"Doesn't really matter to me. I have the launch button." Harper said unfazed, motioning to the button next to her.

"Cynthia Forrester. Wow! How are the-" Mr. Davenport was interrupted by Harper pressing the launch button, causing him to instantly boost into the sky. "Kids!"

Harper glanced at the monitor, Mr. Davenport's face stretched on the corner of the screen. The speed of the jet-wing and the diagram of its status were next to Mr. Davenport's face. His initial panic turned into a pleased smile.

"You doing all right, Mr. Davenport?" Harper inquired.

"Yeah, I don't know what I was worried about. This is awesome. But not as awesome as the low, low prices at Go-Go Global Pack and Ship!" He responded.

Chase smirked, adjusting his mic closer to his face. "We are gonna make a fortune. Tons of people are tuning into the live webcast."

"Of course they are. I'm amazing. But not as amazing as shipping your valuables with Go-Go Global Pack and Ship. All right, enough coasting. It's time for some extreme freestyling. All right, world, let's slather up this stunt with some Davenport butter."

"Mr. Davenport, I wouldn't...."

"Whoa, turbulence!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed, followed by an alarm sound. "What was that?"

Harper and Leo's eyes widened at the flashing warning sign on the laptop between them.

Chase placed his hands on the keyboard. "That was your parachute." He drawled out, causing Mr. Davenport to scream. "Not to worry. You'll be fine for the moment. You'll just continue at jet speed until your wings run out of jet fuel."

Leo covered his mic as he leaned closer to Harper and Chase. "What happens then?"

Harper fumbled with her fingers anxiously. "Then we're gonna have a special delivery from Go-Go Global Pack and Ship tomorrow."

"Oh, no. I'm gonna fall...." Mr. Davenport cried. "Faster than the prices at Go-Go Global Pack and Ship."

••••

Chase, Leo and Harper did their best to assist Mr. Davenport. Their initially calm demeanor while reviewing the jet-wings blueprints quickly shifted to a sense of urgency.

"Famed reporter Tasha Davenport here, bringing you one of the most tense moments in television history." Tasha spoke to the camera. "A live jet-wing crash! We have exclusive access to mission headquarters, where I'm sure they have everything under control."

The camera panned on the three teenagers: Chase reading through his notes, Leo frustratingly hitting the laptop keyboard, and Harper attempting to reassure Mr. Davenport.

They abruptly stopped their actions when they realized they were being filmed.

"We're, uh.... we're mulling our options." Chase stuttered into the microphone.

Tasha lowered the mic, covering it with her hand. "Mulling your options? That is my husband up there."

"Hello. Somebody needs to come up with a solution fast. There is jet fuel leaking inside my flight suit." Mr. Davenport informed. He paused for a second. "Nope, not jet fuel."

"This is all Harper's and my fault. We had the idea of sending him up there." Leo admitted, gazing up at the sky.

"Tell me about it." Harper muttered under her breath.

"No argument here." Chase mumbled. Leo and Harper's eyes widened as they looked at him. "Mr. Davenport, we're just gonna have to us our bionic..." He then noticed the camera. "Hi!"

"Chase, you can't show the world your bion-" Leo started, but Harper nudged him and pointed at the camera. He grinned. "Hi!"

Tasha inhaled before motioning for the cameraman to follow her away from the 'mission headquarters'.

"Stop saying bion-a-hi. Call Adam and Bree and get me out of the sky!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed.

"Well, we'd love to, but someone took away our cell phone service." Leo retorted

"Really? Guilt, now?"

Leo sighed and removed his headset. "I'll run to school and get Adam and Bree. Keep his hopes up."

With that, he dropped the headset on the table and took off. Chase and Harper sat down in their seats, fumbling with their hands nervously.

"So, um... what you gonna do tomorrow if you make it?" Chase wondered. Mr. Davenport glanced around him, his skin paling at Chase's words.

Harper lulled her head backwards. "Oh, God."

••••

Harper quickly reviewed Mr. Davenport's notes on the jet-wing, but found no contingency plans in case the parachute was missing. It seemed losing the parachute was not a concern.

She wondered why it took Leo so long to bring Adam and Bree. Perry had asked them to come to school today without explaining why.

In the meantime, Harper and Chase devised a plan to rescue Mr. Davenport from the sky.

Mr. Davenport's calm demeanor was fading as he made suggestions and expressed fear of dying. The couple worked together under the pressure he unintentionally imposed on them.

Harper then noticed Adam wearing something on his face with his belt and holding onto Bree's arm as Leo guided them around.

"Okay, we've got some serious problems. Adam's heat vision's glitching out, Bree's bouncing off the walls, and I saw Principal Perry's bare feet. And can I just say...." Leo covered his eyes and screamed.

"What's on his face?" Chase asked, pointing to Adam.

"It's a hubcap. It's the only thing I could find that would shield my heat vision." Adam replied before glitching, shooting his heat vision, causing the hubcap to redirect it back at him. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Chase, Harper, I can't keep circling above you. I'm almost out of fuel. What's the plan?" Mr. Davenport inquired.

"We're still figuring it out." Harper lied into the mic.

Chase covered his mic and stepped towards Leo. "We've run through every possible scenario, and they all end with the Donald Davenport memorial bridge."

Leo's eyes widened. "We can't just let him fall. Use your magnetism app."

"He can't. The jet wing is made of fiberglass, not metal." Harper clarified.

"Well, we have to do something. The whole reason he did this ridiculous stunt was to get the lab back for you guys."

"Leo's right. Mr. Davenport put his life on the line for us." Bree added.

"Yeah, plus, he's our dad. Wait, technically, he's not our dad. Why are we here again?" Adam pondered, tilting his head.

"You guys are gonna have to use your bionics, but not with all these people around." Leo said before he walked and stood in the center of the parking lot. "Okay, attention. I'm gonna need everyone to clear this space out immediately." The crowd ignored him. "There are free snacks inside."

Without hesitation, everyone evacuated the area and Leo strode back to Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper.

"Hey, guys, good news. If he does crash, we've got this adorable little tote bag we can collect his pieces with." Adam chuckled, showing them the parachute in his hand.

Harper's eyes widen. "Adam, where'd you find that?"

"I found it on the side of the road next to the hubcap." He replied.

"Adam, that's not a tote bag. That's the parachute that fell from Mr. Davenport's jet-wing." Chase informed, grabbing the parachute from his brother. "We gotta find a way to get this to him."

"Why don't we just give it to him when he lands?" Adam wondered.

"Hey, what if Adam uses his strength to launch it back up to him?" Leo suggested.

"Yes. I'll calculate the coordinates, and guide his throw. Here." Chase said, passing Adam the parachute. He then spoke into the mic. "All right, Mr. Davenport, be on the lookout. I'm sending up your parachute."

"Copy that. I'm ready." Mr. Davenport responded.

"All right, here we go." Chase began and helped Adam get his arm in the right direction. He pulled it backwards. "Three, two, one..." Adam then threw the parachute with Chase's guidance. "Adam, great job. It's heading straight for him."

"Oh, cool. Let me see!" Adam said, lifting the hubcap.

"Adam, wait!" Harper shouted, reaching over the table to stop him.

However, it was too late, Adam accidentally shot his heat vision. It sliced a chunk of Mr. Davenport's jet-wing.

"Oops. I think I'm just gonna pull this back down." Adam muttered, covering his eyes with the hubcap once more.

Mr. Davenport's screaming began to hurt Harper's ear. She pulled the headset far from her head.

Chase exhaled as he walked back to the computer. "Relax, Mr. Davenport, I have a plan."

"If your plan was to be fatherless, it's working!" Mr. Davenport shouted.

Tasha's heels clicked on the ground as she rushed to them. "Why aren't you saving him? Can't any of you fly?" She questioned. The five teenagers shared confused looks. "What do you do in that basement all day?"

Perry then ran in huffing, placing her hands on her knees to catch her breath and glared at Bree. "Thanks for leaving me behind. Why'd your use your super-speed?"

"I didn't." She replied simply.

"I can try to use my molecular kinesis to slow his decent, but he's still gonna hit too hard." Chase began.

"We can use the cardboard boxes to break his fall." Harper suggested.

"And tape to put him back together." Adam added.

"You heard him. Let's go." Perry rushed.

••••

Building the makeshift crash pad out of cardboard boxes was initially challenging, but Leo, Perry, Harper and Tasha developed a system to streamline the process. Bree and Chase stacked the boxes while Adam, despite his visual impairment, assisted as much as possible.

Once the boxes were completed, Adam stepped aside as Chase raised his hands to slow Mr. Davenport down.

"Guys, I'm out of fuel. I'm trying not to use my scared voice." Mr. Davenport began, his voice squeaking. "But it's slipping out."

"Mr. Davenport, I'm slowing you down and they're building a crash pad. Try to aim for it." Chase informed.

"It's working. I'm slowing down. I'll release the jet-wing so it won't crush me on impact."

Bree, Leo and Harper made their way back to Adam and Chase.

"All right, we're good to go. Boxes are set up as a crash pad." Bree affirmed. Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh, no. I feel a glitch coming on."

"Got it." Leo insisted.

As Bree struggled to maintain control, Leo swiftly covered her with a box, causing it to shake as she super sped inside, the box jolting side to side.

Adam laughed. "I bet she looks stupid."

Harper rolled her eyes and guided Adam over to Bree. He placed his hands over the box to keep his sister stable.

"Chase, what's wrong?" Leo asked.

Harper instantly peeked over Leo's shoulder to see Chase's lips pressing together and his eyebrows furrowed, barely being able to keep his balance.

"I think my bionics are glitching too." Chase grunted.

"What's happening? I'm free-falling again!" Mr. Davenport's panicked voice came through the headset. "Five hundred feet! Four hundred feet!"

"Do something!" Leo urged Chase, shaking him.

Chase rolled his eyes and raised his arms once more.

"It's working. I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna live-" Mr. Davenport stopped himself by screaming. "I'm falling again, I'm not gonna make it. My life is over!" Chase quickly fixed his posture, pushing more. "What... No, I'm fine. I'm okay, I'm-" Mr. Davenport screamed, flapping his arms and legs. "Nope, I'm a goner!"

"Aim for the boxes, money bags!" Perry shouted.

"One hundred feet!"

"I can't control him anymore." Chase muttered out of breath and his body giving out.

"I got you. I got you" Harper reassured, sliding behind her boyfriend to catch him.

She quickly hooked her arms underneath his armpits and gently lowered them to the ground. Sitting down, she leaned his upper body against hers to avoid the rough concrete floor.

Harper turned her head towards Perry's scream. Mr. Davenport sped down, landing on top of Principal Perry. Adam, Leo and Tasha rushed around the boxes to Mr. Davenport and Perry.

Tasha faced the cameraman. "I think we've learned something today. Nobody covers a story like Tasha Davenport."

Harper looked down at her boyfriend. "Are you okay?"

"I can't tell." Chase responded, his face scrunching up. He sat up and Harper helped him to his feet. "Where's Mr. Davenport?"

"Over there." Harper said, pointing ahead. Together, the two of them hurried to him and Principal Perry.

"Is he dead?" Perry managed to ask, her face scrunching in pain. Mr. Davenport peeled himself off of her.

"No." Chase answered.

"Am I dead?" She wondered.

Leo furrowed his eyebrows. "Unclear, but just to be safe, we should probably proceed with a burial."

_______________
PUBLISHED: 30.6.24
DEDICATIONS: Peters_suit_lady ItchyAgalea