In the morning, Harper made her way to the Davenport mansion, feeling the crisp air against her skin as she walked. She wore a red plaid shirt, paired with ripped black skinny jeans and combat boots - her usual mix of edgy and casual. She couldn't help but feel a little more at ease today as she neared the mansion, the place that had become a second home of sorts ever since she got closer to Adam, Bree and Chase.

When she entered the mansion, she saw Bree and Chase sitting at the kitchen counter, talking in low voices, while Leo stood nearby, grabbing ingredients from the fridge. The atmosphere felt comfortable and familiar.

"Morning, everyone." Harper greeted, approaching the group with a friendly smile.

Chase looked up and smiled nervously. "Hey, Harper."

"After school today is the big spiral smackdown." Leo announced, grabbing milk and orange juice from the fridge before returning to the counter. "Me and Adam are gonna unleash the fury! You guys gonna come watch?"

"We'd love to, but we're gonna go to the mall and check out the escalator. I finally mastered the art of stepping off without tripping." Chase said, grinning like a kid who had just learned how to ride a bike without falling.

"Ooh, um, were we supposed to do that today? Shoot, I... I can't make it. I have a really big test to study for." Bree told her brother.

"What?" Chase asked, a mix of shock and mild frustration in his voice. He slumped down in his seat, sighing heavily. "Okay, fine. I just hope those old ladies are there again to clap for me."

Leo opened a glass container of cereal with a loud pop, peering inside. "Never had this cereal before."

"No, Leo!" Bree yelled instinctively, stopping him from pouring the cereal into his bowl. "Those are power pellets."

Leo raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "I don't care what they're called, as long as they make my milk chocolaty."

"No." Chase interjected, leaning forward with a more serious tone. "They're bite-sized pieces of adrenaline that activate our bionics."

"Yeah, but we don't eat them anymore because we learned how to activate them ourselves." Bree added.

"They taste like dog treats without the livery aftertaste." Chase said, chuckling slightly. His laughter faded as he noticed the pointed looks on Bree, Harper and Leo's faces. "I'm guessing."

"Fine, I guess I'll just have these." Leo said, grabbing a different box of cereal on the kitchen counter.

"Careful, Leo!" Chase exclaimed, snatching the cereal box from his hands. "Those are Powdered Sugar Cookie Donut O's. Studies have shown they slow down your brain activity."

Adam suddenly appeared in the kitchen, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the cereal. "Yummy Powdered Sugar Cookie Donut O's!"

Bree and Chase exchanged a glance, silently agreeing it was time to leave the chaotic kitchen behind. They both stood up and moved toward the living room. Harper, sensing their exit, decided to join them.

"Chase, I can go to the mall with you if you want." Harper offered with a warm, friendly smile. It was a simple suggestion, but there was a spark in her eyes, a hint of excitement at the idea of spending more time with him.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Chase said with genuine enthusiasm. It seemed like a perfect way to spend the afternoon, just the two of them, away from the usual chaos of the mansion

••••

Harper slung her bag over her shoulder as she and Chase made their way through the bustling school hallway. The sounds of lockers slamming and students chatting around them felt distant, as if everything else faded away when they were together.

Chase had never really felt connected to the world. He often felt lost, like there was no place for him. But then Harper entered his life. She had quickly become not just a friend, but his best friend - the one person who made everything feel right. Their bond brought him a sense of belonging, a joy he had never known before and he cherished it deeply. The thought of losing that connection terrified him and he hoped with everything he had that nothing would ever come between them.

"So, Harper what's one of your favorite subjects?" Chase wondered, glancing over at her with genuine curiosity.

"Astrophysics." Harper replied, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Astrophysics?" Chase repeated, intrigued but also impressed by her answer.

"Yeah." Harper continued, smiling as she spoke about something she clearly loved. "It's one of the most popular and renowned branches of astronomy that relies on efficiently employing various principles of physics within the field of Astronomy. I love how the field examines the nature of different astronomical objects rather than just their arrangement or motions in space. One of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics 'seeks to ascertain the nature of the heavenly bodies, rather than their positions or motions in space - what they are, rather than where they are'."

Chase blinked, completely amazed. He had never met anyone who could talk about something so complex with such passion and clarity. "Wow. You really know a lot about astrophysics."

"Yes, I do." She replied with a sheepish smile.

"Why do you like it so much?"

"Well studying Astronomy and Astrophysics helps us understand Physics better. The energy scales and extreme environments in the universe can't be properly simulated in our earth-based labs. By studying celestial objects we can gain a better understanding of Physics at these extreme scales. Plus, it's very interesting."

As Chase and Harper continued walking down the hallway, Chase's gaze drifted toward Bree, who was chatting with a group of girls she had befriended.

"What is Bree still doing here?" He muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "She said she had to study for a test."

"Yeah, she's not studying for a test." Harper remarked with a smirk.

Chase's brow furrowed, and he tucked his hair behind his ear, his eyes narrowing as he activated his bionic hearing to eavesdrop on Bree's conversation. The voices of her friends was heard as he tuned in, and within seconds, a frustrated look appeared on his face.

"She lied to me!" He declared in disbelief.

"Wow. Millions of dollars of technology for you to get a tiny grasp of the obvious." Harper teased, shaking her head.

Chase's lips curled into a mischievous grin. "She thinks she can ditch me and get away with it? Ohh. She is going down. Mr. Davenport gave me an Override App so in an emergency situation, I can take over Adam and Bree's bionics." He tapped the side of his head confidently. "Connect to Bree."

Aif on cue, Bree suddenly started slapping herself across the face - hard. Harper's eyes widened as she turned to Chase, who was gently tapping his own face.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Bree winced with each slap, her hand coming down over her cheek in rapid succession. "Why am I hitting myself? Time to wake up, Bree! Not sleepy anymore! Wake up!"

Meanwhile, Bree's friends looked on with growing concern.

Caitlin, one of Bree's closest friends, eyes widened and stepped back. "I was friends with a self-slapper once. I'm not gonna down that road again!"

With that, Caitlin and the other girls quickly backed away, casting confused glances toward Bree as they left her standing there, now the center of unwanted attention. Bree's cheeks turned crimson, her embarrassment escalating as she stopped slapping herself.

••••

Later that day, Harper descended the staircase with her backpack slung over her shoulder. The familiar clink of her boots echoed in the hallway as she reached the bottom. Her eyes caught sight of Bree, who was walking toward a group of friends in the middle of the hallway, trying to make up for the earlier awkwardness.

"Hey, guys. Sorry about earlier." Bree apologized, her smile sheepish. "It's this new school... It's got me all slap-happy."

Caitlin, one of Bree's friends, shrugged nonchalantly. "That's okay. We all have our moments."

Bree smiled in relief. "Great."

Bree's behavior shifted again as she started babbling in gibberish, her words tumbling out in a jumble, nonsensical manner.

"Bree, you're having a lot of moments." Caitlin pointed out with a raised eyebrow as the group of friends began to walk away.

"No, it's just, um, I speak Swedish." Bree lied, fumbling over the words in a strained attempt at confidence. She then quickly spoke in Spanish. "A-and Spanish." She added, laughing nervously "S'up ladies? How you livin'? And man-ish."

Harper pursed her lips, her gaze fixed on Chase standing by the lockers, a wide grin plastered across his face as he watched Bree embarrass herself in front of her friends. His laughter echoed down the hallway, fueling Harper's frustration.

"Stop it, Chase." Harper hissed, marching over to him, her voice tight with irritation.

Chase looked up at her, completely confused. "Stop what?"

"Chase, I'm serious." Harper replied, her tone sharper now. "Stop this before it gets worse."

In the hallway, Bree turned around, spotted her brother and approached him. "You did this to me. You're using that stupid Override App."

"Yeah, because you lied to me." Chase replied.

"Well, since you used bionics on me, I'm gonna use mine on you. And beware. It's coming when you least expect it." Bree warned, her voice low with menace.

Chase raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by her attempt at intimidation. "Ooh! Those are big words coming from the manly Spanish-speaking Swede."

Unimpressed by their banter, Harper walked away to her next class.

••••

As the bell rang signaling the end of class, Harper quickly grabbed her phone and began scrolling through her messages as she walked down the hallway. The noise of students bustling out of their classrooms filled the air, but she was lost in her thoughts, engrossed in the screen.

Suddenly, a strong hand shot out and grabbed her arm, yanking her into an empty classroom. Harper gasped in shock, her heart racing. Her instincts kicked in, and she screamed at the top of her lungs

"Don't shoot me, I'm pregnant!" She yelled, immediately raising her arms to shield her face, panic surging through her.

"What?!" She heard a surprised tone.

Harper cautiously opened her eyes and to her astonishment, saw Chase standing before her. His clothes were torn and he wore a ridiculous rainbow-colored clown wig, a bright red nose and a tail clipped to his pants. She blinked in disbelief, trying to suppress a smile.

"Obviously I'm not pregnant. I just freaked out. What the hell happened to you?" Harper asked, lowering her arms.

Chase let out an exasperated sigh, crossing his arms. "Bree happened. She used her bionics."

Harper raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "I told you to stop before things got worse."

"Harper, please help me." He pleaded.

"Okay. Let's go to the lost and found to see if they've got anything you can borrow." She said, her tone firm but with a hint of sympathy.

As Chase began to walk out of the room, Harper quickly snapped a picture of him, the absurdity of his appearance too good to pass up. She smirked at the image for a second before slipping her phone back into her pocket.

••••

After school, Harper couldn't stop laughing as she and Chase walked to the Davenport mansion. Chase dressed in a ridiculous blue and white band costume from the school's lost and found, looked less then thrilled with his outfit.

The only option left in the lost and found was the band uniform, completely with a large, silly hat.

When they reached the mansion, Harper opened the door and stepped inside, still chuckling. She spotted Leo standing nervously in the middle of the living room, pacing back and forth, clearly lost in thought. He stopped when he saw them and raised an eyebrow at Chase.

"Hey, it's the little Drummer Boy." Leo remarked sarcastically, eyeing Chase from head to toe, unable to hide his amusement.

"It's all that was left in the lost and found." Chase explained, trying his best to defend himself but sounding utterly defeated.

Leo looked him up and down, scrutinizing every detail. "And the hat?"

"It's part of the ensemble. You can't break up the set!" Chase responded as if it was the obvious thing in the world.

"Maybe should keep an extra jacket and pants in your locker from now on." Harper suggested, clearly enjoying the moment more than she probably should.

Chase shot her a look, but there was no denying that he, too, found the humor in the situation, despite his frustration.

••••

The next day, the gym was buzzing with excitement as students gathered to watch the highly anticipated Spiral Smackdown finals. Harper sat on a bench near the edge of the crowd, her eyes scanning the room.

Her attention was quickly drawn to Bree, who was standing across the gym, wearing a neck brace made entirely out of aluminum foil. Harper barely had time to process that when Chase walked into the gym, dressed in layers upon layers of clothing. He looked like he was ready for a winter storm, with jackets, scarves and shirts all piled on top of each other.

Bree's eyes lit up with mischief the moment she saw her brother. "All those clothes, and you couldn't find something to cover your face?"

"Go ahead, try to humiliate me. I have thirty-six items of clothing on." Chase responded.

"Why would I try? You're humiliating yourself!"

"Oh yeah? Well, the tin man called. He wants his neck back!"

"It's to deflect your stupid app from connecting to my chip! It's the heavy duty kind they use in restaurants." Bree shot back, clearly not backing down from the exchange.

As a group of students passed by, laughing and pointing at the bionic siblings, Harper could only shake her head in frustration. The gym had become a stage for their ongoing sibling rivalry and she'd had enough. With a sigh, she stood up from her seat and made her way over to where Bree and Chase were continuing their verbal sparring.

"What are you guys doing?" Harper asked, her voice rising just enough to catch their attention. "This isn't the way to solve things."

Bree immediately pointed an accusatory finger at Chase. "It's his fault! Everyone thinks we're weirdos."

"Hey, it's your fault for lying and ditching me. You're the one who started this whole mess!" Chase argued.

"Please stop arguing!" Harper exclaimed, her patience starting to wear thin. She turned to Chase first, trying to get him to understand. "Chase, I understand you're upset that Bree lied to you and ditched you, but you need to realize that Caitlin is one of the first real friends she's ever had." She turned to Bree, her voice softening. "I get that you want to hang out with your new friends, but that doesn't justify lying and ditching your own brother. This situation has gone too far, and it's time to resolve it."

For a moment, neither sibling spoke, the weight of Harper's words hanging in the air.

Bree sighed, her expression softening. "Harper's right. I-I didn't want to hurt your feelings. Caitlin's the first real friend I've ever had. Just cause I want to hang out with her doesn't mean I like you any less."

Chase hesitated. He shrugged, trying to play it cool but failing to hide the unease in his voice. "Yeah, well, I have other friends too now, so...."

"That's great! I mean, you should go hang out with them sometimes."

"Yeah, I don't really have other friends. But I'm gonna go get some."

"Good. Oh, and before you do that, you might want to lose a layer or two." Bree advised.

"Yeah, and you might want to lose the baked potato neck." Chase suggested, laughing.

Harper chuckled and quickly got to work, helping Chase peel off his layers. She started with his outermost jacket and worked her way down, trying to avoid looking too much like she was dressing him. The layers came off in a flurry of zippers, buttons and scarves, leaving him wearing a much more reasonable outfit underneath.

At the same time, Bree yanked the aluminum foil from her neck, giving a dramatic tug as if she were a diva shedding a costume.

Harper stood back, surveying the siblings, now looking much less ridiculous. The three of them stood side by side as they watched Principal Perry and Leo standing on the Spiral Smackdown platform.

Leo looked slightly nervous as Perry held the trophy high, ready to announce the winner.

Principal Perry sighed. "It pains me deep to my core to say this, but the winner by default is...."

"Adam!" Grodo shouted from the sidelines.

Adam, who had been mysteriously absent until now, finally made his grand entrance. He rushed into the gym and stood proudly on the platform. The sight of him only seemed to make Leo more anxious, his eyes widening as Adam's imposing figure loomed over him.

"Sorry I'm late, Principal Perry. Somebody locked me in my cap- bedroom." Adam explained, throwing a pointed glare at Leo. "But I just had a gigantic bowl of my favorite cereal, so now I'm ready to compete, crush, and destroy."

"That's the Dingo spirit! Bring on the pain!" Perry cheered, her enthusiasm only intensifying.

Leo, who had been jittery the entire time, shook his head desperately. His nerves were beginning to show and he turned to Adam with a concerned expression. "But wait, no! We're like brothers."

Adam paused, a moment of hesitation flashing across his face. He seemed to genuinely consider Leo's words. "Oh. Good point. Um... well, then, I guess I will crush and destroy you as gently as possible while still crushing and destroying you."

Principal Perry, having waited long enough, blew the air horn with all the force he could muster

"I bought a new one!" She bellowed, sounding way too excited for anyone's good.

"This is not going to end well." Harper stated.

Principal Perry stepped off the platform, her air horn still echoing in the gym as she signaled the start of the match.

The tension was palpable. Leo, clearly not ready for what was coming, tried to make a run for it, attempting to dart off the spiral that moved clockwise, while Adam remained still.

Leo let out a loud, terrified scream as Adam spun straight towards him.

"Let's go! I'm paying these paramedics by the hour! Break something already!" Perry's voice rang out, sharp and excited from the sidelines.

Leo quickly tried to make another run for it, his panic rising. But just as he moved, the smoke jets on the platform suddenly activated, spewing a thick cloud of mist into the air.

Leo coughed, his eyes stinging as the smoke swirled around him. He stumbled, trying to find his footing. Adam, unfazed, swiftly lifted Leo by the back of his shirt.

"Tickle-tickle." Leo managed to say through his fear, before his hands shot out and began to tickle Adam in the ribs. To Leo's surprise, Adam let out a short laugh, releasing his grip on him and dropping Leo to the floor.

"Faster! Faster! Aah! Stupid thing's broken!" Perry cried out, throwing her shoes onto the platform in frustration.

Leo dodged the shoes, clearly too distracted to worry about the incoming projectiles. "You're not helping!"

Perry, who was now frantically waving a trash bag around, attempting to get something - anything - into the action and swung the bag uselessly at Leo. "I'm not trying!"

"No, no, no!" Leo screamed as Adam grabbed him once more, this time by the shirt and shorts, lifting him off the ground. "Not again! Not again!"

"Countdown to launch in ten.... Nine... Eight... Seven...." Adam began, swinging Leo back and forth with exaggerated force.

"Eight! Nine!" Leo countered, attempting to mess with Adam's timing.

"Ten!" Adam shouted, but then he stopped suddenly, realizing something was off. "Wait, stop! You're messing me up!"

Bree's face twisted with worry as she turned to Chase and Harper. "Adam ate a whole bowl of Power Pellets! He's gonna turn Leo into a human wrecking ball if we don't stop him from finishing his countdown!"

"Nineteen! Twenty!" Adam's voice echoed across the gym as his countdown continued, his grip tightening on Leo, who was still helpless in Adam's grasp..

"Quick, use your Override App!" Bree urged.

"It's only for emergencies!" Chase protested, clearly reluctant to intervene.

Harper, watching the chaotic scene unfold, pointed urgently at Leo and Adam. "This is an emergency, Chase!"

"Twenty-four!" Adam called out.

Chase, realizing that they had no other choice, quickly tapped his temple, activating the Override App. "Connect to Adam!"

"Twenty-five!" Adam mumbled, suddenly feeling dizzy. The next thing he knew, he was mimicking Chase's actions, gently holding Leo like a baby and placing him carefully on the ground. "Wait, why.... why aren't I destroying you?"

"I.... don't.... know... but... what I do know is...." Leo stammered as he got up and pushed Adam off the spiral and grinned. "I win!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, celebrating Leo's victory, while Bree, Chase and Harper rushed to check on Adam to make sure he was okay. Adam was still groggy, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Once everyone had cleared out of the gym, Chase revealed to Adam that Leo had given him Power Pellets to use his bionics to win.

"Hey!" Adam called to Leo, who was standing a few feet away. "Chase told me about the Power Pellets! Leo, I told you, I didn't want to use bionics. You took advantage of me, Leo."

"I'm sorry." Leo apologized, approaching him. "I just... I really wanted to win. I didn't mean for it to hurt our friendship."

Harper sighed and turned to Chase. "Want to go to the mall?"

"Sure, let's go." Chase replied, giving her a playful smile in return.

Harper linked her arm through his, and together, the two of them walked out of the gym, ready to leave the chaotic day behind them and head for some much-needed relaxation.

_______________
PUBLISHED: 27.05.22
DEDICATIONS: Peters_suit_lady omgthatssocrazy