Thank you to a nameless but still important guest, AlienGhostWizard14, Glee Clue Rock 1251, ShyMusic, and AllAmericanSlurp for the reviews last chapter! Much appreciated, guys.

Okay, this chapter is where the note in the beginning regarding the plot hole applies. It's not so much a plot hole as it is a missing part. I didn't want to get into the nitty-gritty of fighting (I'm generally squirmish when it comes to violence), so you'll get super quick summaries. I chickened out, I know, but they're not what's important in this anyways, so we'll just focus on the real issue. :)

The third and last chapter.

iii. future

Rest is not something that easily flies away from Chase. Unlike other people, he's fortunate in that regard. That is, until the many troublesome events that unfolded recently came along.

Although he has spent a good part of the past two weeks in sleep after the incident with his stepbrother and the students, he's aware of the significant things that had happened since then. His family didn't know it, but at one time he had woken up to one of their discussions regarding what to do with Leo. He was too tired to lift his head, even open his eyes at that point, so all he did was listen. The words came to him as if they were gibberish, as if his ears were stuffed with cotton balls. He could barely hear anything. He picked up a few things, though, things like 'isolation' and 'necessary' and 'downgrading bionics.' It had worried him, and he wanted to voice his opinion, he really did, but he was too tired.

It was one of those moments where he wished he had been physically stronger.

Another conversation he had woken up to was one between Adam and Bree. Bree had said something a bit too loudly out of anger, and Adam shushed her – which, ironically, was what snapped his brain into consciousness. Chase knew, though, that whatever they were talking about was highly upsetting to them, especially to his older sister. Instead of letting them know that he was aware of them being there, however, he pretended to be asleep. He was not one to eavesdrop on others, but something told him that the best move at that time was to do that.

And he did. And he suddenly regretted it.

From what he could piece together, Bree was angry at Douglas for some things that he had told them. Adam was trying to placate her, telling her that what the inventor said was really not fair, but he also admitted that Douglas was right: what they did to their stepbrother was wrong. Chase almost felt inclined to break the silence at that moment, wanting to know what it was that they had done to him, until something worse came out from one of his siblings' mouths: Krane. Alive. Leo. Taken.

Still, he was too weak to act, so the best he could do was hope that his little brother would be alright.

The next one he had woken up to was his father furiously typing in something at the computer. Worried by the urgent expression on his face, he had called to him almost too softly, but his father still heard him. When he asked him where his siblings were, his father told him that Adam and Bree were helping Douglas secure the student dorms. He then asked where Leo was, if they had found him.

He's gone, Chase. Leo's betrayed us to Krane, his father had replied with a hurt and angry expression. He's with them now. He's not with us anymore. After Chase expressed his refusal to believe what he had said, his father explained what happened, how Leo had fooled them into thinking that he had escaped from Krane so they would let him in, only to take down the upgraded version of the protective wall that prevented anymore unexpected visits from the madman from the inside, and, with the help of S-1, to take Sebastian away.

Chase still took it as a lie. He knew that maybe seeing what his father said happen may have changed his mind, but he couldn't—wouldn't—accept that his little brother would do something like that. Leo wouldn't. His stepbrother loved them too much to do it. It must not be true. So, he didn't buy into it.

He was right not to. In the following instance he woke up to, he saw Krane walking towards his capsule, eyeing him like a vulture eyeing a prey. It had terrified him because he read murder in his eyes, and though his instinct was to defend himself, unlike other times, he wouldn't be able to because his energy had only halfway come back to him. Any attempt was futile, and the best he could do was hope that Adam and Bree would come to save him.

Yet, they never came.

Chase, Krane had said with a bone-chilling quiet laugh, his hands glowing intensely from the deathly electricity building up in and around them. I'm not one to take my victories easy, but I guess I can make an exception this time.

Stay away from my brother, Leo had said, walking in and standing in between him and Krane before he could get any farther.

The words said after that had been forgotten, and the battle that ensued had taken long, most of it escaping his mind now, too, but Chase does remember that he was right in trusting his brother. Leo had protected him, and he had forever ended the chances of that madman coming back to turn their lives upside-down again.

Chase has figured that by this time, his mind should be at peace. There is nothing to worry about anymore (he hopes), so his concentration should be towards getting better instead of his surroundings. However, his mind always running through different scenarios keeps him half-awake most of the time. He's easily stirred into consciousness whenever he feels somebody entering the quarters. He jumps at the slightest of sounds.

Perhaps it's why, when he hears footsteps near his capsule at that moment, though they're barely audible, he rouses, his eyes alertly locating the source of the noise.

Leo looks up at him with widened eyes, pausing in what he's doing as he meets his gaze. "Oh. Sorry," he says as he finally moves, draping the folded clothing he has in his hand on the sofa. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"No, you're fine," Chase says with a small, tired smile. After scanning the empty quarters where the bright Pacific sunshine is streaming in, he asks, "Where's everybody?"

"Oh, uh, they're with the students. Classes. Adam and Bree are with their groups, and Big D's substituting for you for your class," Leo says. "Douglas went back to Mission Creek to finish packing."

Chase frowns. "Packing?"

Leo, however, doesn't respond. He only smiles half-heartedly, which tells Chase to not press for more.

So Chase decides to move onto something else. He notices then his stepbrother's attire of jeans, blue shirt and a gray checkered hoodie. His features wrinkle as he asks, "Why aren't you in your uniform? Shouldn't you still be in class?"

A look of discomfort overcomes Leo then. Still, he strives to put a smile on his face. "Uh, no, actually," he says. "I'm not going to be in the classes anymore."

Chase is set to ask why until he catches a glimpse of the clothing hanging on the sofa. Student uniform, with bright, yellow patches on the shoulders. Leo's size. When he understands, he looks at him out of surprise, as if asking him why.

Again, Leo doesn't answer. Instead, he says, "You know, Chase, I've never really had a chance to apologize to you. I'm the reason why you're in there. I hurt you. I'm sorry."

Though the sight of the uniform still bothered him, Chase says with a sigh, "I'm getting better now, so it's okay." Then, he asks, "Why did you do it anyways? Why did you do that to them?"

"They wouldn't stop." Leo looks at him contritely and almost pleadingly. "It just happened."

Chase takes pity on him because he understands; he's had his fair share of bullies while they were in Mission Creek High after all. "If they were bothering you so much, why didn't you just tell us?" he asks kindly.

Leo smiles sadly. "I did. Several times. But no one listened," he says. "You know, that's the worst feeling in the world. To talk so loud to the point that you're screaming only to find out that no one's listening. It's bad stuff." He chuckles, "Maybe even worse than that time when we had to be Adam's errand boys for a week to make it up to him after we played that awfully planned prank on him."

Although he's laughing, Chase doesn't laugh along with him. "I'm sorry," he tells him seriously, because he truly does regret not being there for him.

Leo shrugs. "Well, like you said, I'm getting better now so it's okay," he says.

Chase knows there are still more things they had to talk about regarding that, but he decides against it for the time being. Instead, he just smiles and says, "You defeated him. You did it."

Leo has to think about it for a while before he remembers. "Oh. Oh, yeah, I did," he says. He smirks. "Don't be so surprised, Chase. I was born to save the day."

Chase shakes his head and rolls his eyes, grinning. "Good to see that your sense of humor is left unscarred."

Leo laughs. "Seriously, though – I thought I was going to die," he confesses.

Chase chuckles. His brows wrinkle despite the grin on his face. "How'd that happen? I mean, how'd you do it?" he asks.

He hitches his shoulders. "Krane and I double-crossed each other, which," he narrows his eyes thoughtfully, "I guess makes it a quadruple-cross. Krane offered me a spot on his team, promising me you guys, and I took it. I knew he was bluffing from the beginning, and I knew he knew that I had something up my sleeves, too, so both of us just played along. But I think he really thought I was sold into being one of his minions after I broke in with S-1 and destroyed the Davenwall. Taking Sebastian back to him was a bonus, too."

"Wait. So you did do those things."

"Yeah. I had to sell it. I needed his trust."

Chase thinks back on the memory of his father talking to him. "You seemed to have sold it good. Mr. Davenport really thought you've switched sides," he says. Leo says nothing in reply. "But what about Sebastian? How'd he handle everything?"

"He was scared at first, but I told him everything was going to be okay," Leo says. "Before we got out of here during the break in, I told him to do everything that Krane says and pretend he's siding with him, but in the case that our psycho temporary boss decided to activate our Triton app, I had him attach a localized signal jammer on him at all times. That way, he can still be conscious of everything that's happening even while we're just following the pull of the strings."

Chase's brows knit. "You said our Triton app?"

"Oh, yeah." Leo turns his head far enough to the side for his brother to see the scars left by the microchips and the wires. He turns his eyes back to him then says, "I had to prove to Krane that I won't suddenly turn against him, so he had me wear these dumb chips designed especially for the app." He grins. "Who knew bad guys could be insecure, too?"

"Did he ever activate it while they were on you?"

"I don't really know. Maybe? I didn't really try to find out if he'd do it," Leo says. "I disabled it while I was here. Like Sebastian, I kind of just winged the mindless henchman role by following everything he says."

"What'd you use to disable it?"

Leo smirks. "A good ol' magnet," he says. "Run it through any gadget enough times, and it's bound to mess it up to the point it's useless. Good thing I don't have a real chip back there."

Chase grins, amused. "You thought all of this through, didn't you?"

"Nope. Just banked in on New School tech forgetting Old School tech," Leo says.

Chase nods. "Sebastian. He's okay?"

"Yeah. He's back with everybody now. I think it's good that he got to see what Krane's really like. He saw firsthand why he had to be brought down. After everything that happened, he definitely doesn't want to be like him," Leo says.

"What about you? Are you okay?"

"Eh, I'm fine. I don't like having this ugly scar, but Douglas said it should heal soon," he says. "I guess it's better than having useless pieces of metals attached to me the rest of my life."

Chase nods again. "Thank you. For what you did," he says. "For saving my life."

Leo smiles at him. "There wasn't a chance he'd get to hurt you," he says. "Not if I can help it."

A smile tugs at an edge of Chase's lips. After a pause, he asks, "So did being a bad guy for a few days get you in any trouble?"

The bright-like expression on his brother's face dims down. "Depends on who you're talking about," he says, and Chase quickly picks up on the sadness. "Mom and Douglas, they're happy to see me. They didn't get upset or anything. They're just glad I'm back. As far as everybody else... they're mad at me, especially Bree and Big D. Adam and Bree still don't trust me, I think, and I have a feeling that they're still upset with me because of what I did to you."

"Look, Leo, don't worry about them. They're going to come back around," Chase assures him. "I'll talk to them. They need to get over it. It wasn't your fault."

Leo only looks more uncomfortable. "Big D," he continues, "he's mad at me because of what I agreed to. I don't think he even wants to talk to me right now. He doesn't say it, but I know he blames me." He expels a breath then grins weakly. "So yeah. Like I said, everybody else is mad at me."

Chase frowns at that. It doesn't seem like his father to get upset over something that was part of a plan. Granted, Leo may have deceived them, but it was a ruse. It wasn't real. However, instead of saying something about it, Chase just tells his brother, "Not everybody's mad at you, Leo." He smiles. "I'm not mad at you."

"I know. That's why I came to you. I want to say goodbye."

The smile slowly evaporates from Chase's face and is replaced by a soft frown.

Leo explains, "Douglas told my mom about what happened. He showed her everything, told her about the isolation room and the plan and – she got really angry. She agreed with Douglas, and she's pulled me out of the Academy." He smiles sadly. "She said she knew it was too good to be true. She said it was too ambitious to believe that we're going to have this perfect little stepfamily. She and, uh, Big D had this big argument about it. Actually, all the adults did. In the end, Mom has the final say, and she's decided that maybe it's a good idea for me to stay with my Aunt Janice in Vermont for a while."

Chase stares at him. "You…You told her you didn't want to go, right?"

"No. I didn't say anything," Leo says. "I just packed my bags."

"You agree with her."

Leo nods. "It's not such a bad plan, really," he says. "I'm going there, start a new life. I'll finish high school, maybe even go to college there? Aunt Janice knows this nice university I can go to. She told my mom she can get me in. Douglas said he needs a new start, too, so he's coming with me. He's going to continue my trainings so I could get better. Less destructive unless it's necessary."

Chase, now seeing that all that's been done has resulted into something final, asks, "We really hurt you, didn't we."

Leo smiles. "It's been a fun three years, Chase," he tells him. "Meeting you guys is definitely one of the top highlights of my life. But, things are different now. You guys have your own Adams, Brees and Chases to care for. That was my purpose before. It's not anymore. You guys don't need me, so I guess I have to go."

Chase looks away. He feels inclined to assure Leo that they still need him, but as he thinks about it he realizes that it wouldn't be exactly true. They need him there because they're family, yes, but the three of them seemed to have replaced him in that unique place he had in their lives of being their friend before with the new students. These kids are the ones who occupy their time now, and if he was to be completely honest it showed through their actions that they had pushed their stepbrother's importance to them to the backburner.

In a degree, he also feels upset. Can't Leo stay just for the reason that he needs to be there for them? However, he knows that won't be fair for him. His brother has supported them since the first time they met. It's unkind to obligate him to stay in their shadows. He has his own life to live. So, he just asks quietly, "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow night," Leo says. "This is my last day here, though. I'll be at the mainland from tonight onward." Chase tries to step forward to get out of the capsule to walk towards him, but Leo stops him by holding up a hand. "No, Chase. You have to stay in there. Big D said you need to."

Chase wants to forego the instruction, but he senses in his body that it will not be such a good idea.

Nevertheless, Leo understands his brother's intentions, and he's grateful for it. "You can always visit me on the weekends when you're not busy. You can take Adam and Bree with you if they want to come. If not, that's okay, too. Hopefully by then, I'll know my way around town. We can find a place to hang out in," he says with a grin. When he sees his brother refusing to look at him, the smile on his face falters. He nods. "Goodbye, Chase," he says. Then, he walks away.

After his little brother vanishes into the hall, leaving behind his uniform, the Academy, leaving them behind, a question quietly and belatedly issues out of Chase. "Is there anything that we can do to make you stay?" he asks, the words echoing against the glass of his capsule.

Only silence answers him.

Thank you again, Slurp, for being so nice and supportive and just overall super cool. I hope you enjoyed your prize!

Thank you to everybody, too, who had gone in this short ride with us! Please leave a comment and/or favorite. Hope to hear from you guys soon. :)