Never Again

By 88Keys

8/6/13

He had lied to them one more time that night, when he told them it was his sore ribs causing his eyes to water.

The statement wasn't completely false. His whole body ached after his fight with Douglas. Taking down his little brother wasn't as easy as it had been when they were kids.

Still, when Chase had claimed him, not Douglas, as their real father, and the others had nodded in agreement, something washed over him. A feeling of certainty that the impulsive decision he had made all those years ago had been the right one. That every hour of training, every life lesson, every minute he had poured into the children had been completely and totally worth it.

He had not planned on becoming a pseudo-father at the age of 24. He had too much work to do, too many ideas to develop, too many gadgets to build. Not to mention that he wasn't married or even dating anyone. Family would come, someday, but right now there was just too much to do.

But when he accidentally discovered Douglas's plans that night, and realized he was putting technology meant for machines into human beings, into children, all of the pieces had fallen into place and the picture became clear. He knew that Douglas had changed, had become too ambitious, too greedy. There was nothing wrong with making money, even a whole lot of money. But ambition had to be balanced with ethics and character. Douglas had lost the last two in his quest for the first. Donald didn't know how or why it had happened. All he knew for sure was that this is wrong and I have to stop it.

So he had taken them away. Hidden them from his brother, who eventually dropped out of sight and was rumored to be dead. Still Donald had been cautious, keeping the kids hidden not just from Douglas, but from the world itself. Partly for their own safety, but also for the safety of everyone else. He didn't know what all Douglas had programmed them to do, and they could be dangerous weapons if not properly tempered and trained.

His work as an inventor had gradually became intertwined with his new role as a father. Time that could have been spent working was spent training, teaching, providing. Subjects A, B, and C had become Adam, Bree, and Chase. And somewhere along the way, they went from being "the kids" to being "his kids."

He knew he should keep his distance. He didn't want to love them. He couldn't afford to love them. He told himself that lie, over and over again, but he never could bring himself to truly believe it.

And today, when he heard Douglas tell them "I'm your father," he felt fear like he had never known before. Fear for their safety. Fear the Douglas would control them and use them for the evil he had always envisioned. But most of all, fear that they would rather be with their real father than with him.

But they hadn't waivered. Not for one second had they been tempted to join Douglas. To turn on Donald. Of course they had won the battle. They always did. But more importantly, they clearly knew right from wrong. Despite the wishes of their creator, Adam, Bree, and Chase recognized good and evil, and knew which side they should be on.

And I'm the one who taught them that.

And when it was all over, and they were safe at home and he was pulling them into his arms, it became impossible to hold back the tears. They had come for him without hesitation. Had fought for him. Had quickly forgiven him for the lies. They understood why he did what he had to do all those years ago.

They loved him. He loved them back.

And he would never, ever lie to them, or to himself, again.

THE END