A Different Kind of Family

Crush, Chop, and Burn Part 1

We sit in the backseat of my Mom's SUV as we watch the houses get bigger and bigger. I looked over at my best friend Leo who was sitting in the seat next to me. We were sandwiched by boxes of Leo and his mother's stuff as we made our way to their new home.
"Leo! Are you excited to move in with your new step-dad?" My mom asked, looking at us in the rearview mirror.
"I'm so excited! I mean he is a billionaire!" He exclaims happily. He looks at me and I give him a look that says "really". "But you know I'm going to miss living next to you guys." He says in a high pitch fake voice. I roll my eyes and jokingly punch his arm.
"No your not. You are moving in with a super-rich tech genius. You won't miss us at all." My older brother Alex said from the passenger seat.
"Ya and don't think we won't be over all of the time," I say giving him a teasing look. "You can't get rid of us that easily Dooley." We start laughing.
"Ya especially since you two are staying with us for the next two weeks." He says nodding at my brother and me.
"Not that this isn't a nice moment but look we are here!" My mom says as she hits the button to open the very large gates. We pull up the driveway and we are all blown away.
"Wow! This place looks so cool!" I yell as I climb out of the car.
"Mom!" Leo yells as he runs and hugs his mother.
"Leo!" She greets her son lovingly. "Hey, guys." She greets us as she pulls us into a hug as well.
"How was the honeymoon, Tasha?" My mom asks greeting her best friend.
"It was great! We had so much fun. And I can't wait for you to see the house." Tasha gushed with her best friend. Alex gestures for Leo and me to follow him to the car. He loads us up with bags and boxes as we make our way to the door.
"Mr. Davenport? Where would you like this?" Alex asks as we approach the front door.
"I'll show you when we get inside but first." Mr.Davenport says as he tries to pick up his bride. He struggles a little but does eventually lift her up.
"Wow, I'm kind of surprised those little arms can carry an actual person," I whisper to my brother and best friend.
"Stop." My mom reprimands me but also is holding back a laugh. We watch as the older man carries Tasha through the door.
"Welcome home Mrs.Davenport." He says spinning his wife around in the living room.
"Why thank you, Mr.Davenport" Tasha replies dreamily.
"Absolutely Mrs.Davenport." Mr.Davenport replies dramatically as he leans in for a kiss.
"We get it. You got married. It's getting old." Leo deadpans as we carry in the bags and boxes.
"Wow, this place is so cool!" I remark as we set the items down.
"You got this big house just from inventing things?" Leo asks his Stepfather. The older man nods and Leo turns to his mother. "Now that's a husband." He whispers to her.
"I know! Way to add the one thing this family was missing. A guy with loads of money." I add.
"Mara!" My mother scolds but as soon as she turns away Aunt Tasha fistbumps Leo and me.
"What's this?" My brother asks pointing at some machine next to the couch.
"That's my latest creation." Mr.Davenport informs Alex as he comes up to the machine. "This is Davenport Industries' first completely interactive 3-D TV." He explains as he turns the device on.
Suddenly a 3-D baseball diamond appears in front of us. We hear what sounds like a ball hitting a bat and a crowd cheering. Suddenly, a real-sized baseball comes flying from the image right towards Leo. The younger boy runs back to catch it but hits the wall before he can.
"Hey! Watch the face, termite." The wall yells back. I look around and see a screen on the wall light up with a big e that has a face.
"Mom, I think the little voice in my head is back," Leo says slightly freaking out.
"No, this is Eddy. He's my smart home system." Mr.Davenport laughs at his stepson. "Eddy this is my new stepson Leo, Tasha's best friend Cheryl, her son Alex, and her daughter Mara who happens to be Tasha's Goddaughter." He says pointing at all of us individually. "Remember, I told you Leo and Tasha are moving in today." He tells the A.I.
"Hey welcome." The computer exclaims. "Everything here is mine." It says before it turns off.
"Did you design him to be a complete jerk on purpose or no?" I ask the older man crossing my arms. The older man looked at me unamused and leaned in between Leo and me.
"Why don't you two go check out Leo's new room." He says looking between both of us. We nod excitedly and he laughs. "Ok just go straight down that hallway, and when you see the room with the video games and action figures and the 50 foot TV Screen, keep going, that's mine." Leo and I look at each other annoyed but start our way down the hall. After a little while of us looking in different rooms we get frustrated.
"This place is huge!" I say to Leo as we come across another sitting area.
"I know!" Leo complains. "I'm going to need a GPS just to find the bathroom." He comments leaning against the wall. Suddenly, a door with the Davenport industries logo appeared on the opposite wall.
"Huh, you must have hit that panel when you leaned back," I comment pointing at the keypad behind him. The doors open and we exchange looks and shrug. We walk forward into the room and look around.
"Hello?" Leo calls into the room. I look around and realize that it was actually an elevator. However, before I can voice that thought the door closes, and the elevator drops suddenly and extremely fast. This causes Leo and I to scream loudly. When we stop and the doors open Leo and me stick our heads around the corner and peer out the door. We see some sort of layer with all of this high tech stuff in it.
"This must be a layer of some sort," I say as I walk out of the elevator.
"You know what this means?" Leo says grabbing my shoulders and I shake my head. "My new Dad is Batman!" He yells gesturing to the rest of the room.
"Ya I don't think that's it," I say patting his shoulders. Suddenly, the door on the opposite wall starts to open and I grab Leo's arm and pull him behind some yellow barrels that were in the room. We hide just in time to see a boy around our age with the ugliest haircut I have ever seen comes running into the room. He then shuts the doors behind him.
"Good luck getting in! That steel door is thicker than your head!" The boy yells to someone on the other side. Suddenly the door bent almost as if someone had punched it. Then after another punch, the doors go crashing to the ground with a loud clang. A much taller boy walks through the now broken door almost as if what just happened was normal. "Well, there's another way to get in." The shorter boy responds.
"Holly..." Leo starts but I quickly cover his mouth before the other boys could hear him. It was a good thing I did because the larger boy picks up the smaller one by the back of the weird suit that he was wearing.
"Give me back my ePod!" The larger boy demands as he shakes the smaller one.
"I don't have it!" The smaller one shouts just as a girl walks in with the said device.
"Hey." She greets as she clicks through the ePod. The tall boy lets out a long gasp.
"You took my ePod!" He shouts as he drops the smaller boy with a large thud.
"Taylor Swift Mega Mix? Really?" She asks laughing.
"I find her soothing!" The tall one defends. The girl just shakes her head and turns to walk back into the other room. He however stops her by shooting lasers out of his eyes.
"Did he just?" I whisper to Leo who nods back with wide eyes.
"Oh, I know you didn't shoot that laser at me." She snaps seemingly unbiased that he was able to shoot lasers in the first place.
"Oh, sorry. It was a terrible mistake." The larger boy says faking the apology. "Just like your face." He adds back. It reminded me of the way Alex, Leo, and I tease each other, sibling-like. She obviously was not amused by the comment because the next thing I know she was in front of the boy and was pushing him into the tubs Leo and I were hiding behind. Leo and I duck to avoid being hit by the falling objects and come face to face with the three mysterious people.
"Ahhhhhh!" The three of them scream at the sight of us.
"Ahhhhhh!" Leo and I scream hugging each other.
"Ahhhhhh!" We all scream together. I then grab Leo's hand and run into the other room with him squealing loudly behind me. However the other three follow behind us and corner us behind some sort of computer console.
"We don't tend to play this card that much but." Leo starts to say.
"Mom!" We cry at the same time. Soon our parents and my brother come off the elevator and make their way into the layer.
"Leo." Aunt Tasha calls. "There you guys are."
"Mara." My mother does the same as we run into our respective mother's arms.
"What is this place?" my brother asks looking around the odd room.
"Who are they?" Aunt Tasha asks confused, pointing at the three other people in the room.
"Oh, them. There, uh, a boy band I have been working with." Davenport says trying to play it cool but obviously failing.
"One of them is a girl." My mom points out unamused.
"Well that's the twist, Cheryl," Davenport says like she is stupid. "One of them is a girl." He adds half-heartedly. The girl tried to help by giving us a thumbs up but none of us were buying it.
"How stupid do you think we are?" I ask him, crossing my arms.
"Ok." He sighs "They are a part of a top-secret project I've been developing. Genetically Engineered superhuman siblings." He says geeking out.
"Cool!" Leo, Alex, and I shout at the same time as our mother's shout "Excuse me?"
"Tasha, Leo, Cheryl, Alex, and Mara, meet Adam, Bree, and Chase, the greatest combination of biology and technology ever developed. I don't want to brag but I am incredibly smart." He says taking a little bit of an ego trip. Aunt Tasha turns around and looks at us with a look that says 'can you believe this?'.
"Hey don't look at us." My mother says to her.
"Ya, we told you to stay away from internet dating," Leo says as we all nod in agreement.
"So they're robots." Aunt Tasha says to her husband hesitantly.
"Whoa!" Chase gasps.
"Hey!" Adam yells offended.
"Oh no she didn't," Bree says pointing her finger at the older woman.
"No, Tasha, they are human, I've just given each of them a unique set of bionic abilities controlled by a microchip implanted in their necks. It sounds a lot more complicated than it is." Mr.Davenport says biting his finger waiting for our reaction.
"Ya cause that's not complicated at all." My brother replies, rolling his eyes.
"What kind of abilities do they have?" I ask excitedly. I have always been a bit of a closeted nerd so to find out that my best friend would be living with superheroes was exciting.
"Well, I'm glad you asked Mara. See Adam has brute strength, and Bree has speed and agility, and Chase has super senses and a superior intelligence." He says proudly pointing to each kid.
"Cool!" Leo and I yell at the same time. However, my mother was not amused and she gestured at Tasha as if to say 'deal with this.'
"Donald." Tasha says as she approaches her husband. "Hi." She says nervously as she walks by the strange teens. "There are children IN OUR BASEMENT!" She whispers yells at her husband.
"This is a scientific habitat!" The scientists defends his actions.
"Is this place even suitable for children?" My mother pipes up looking around the lad.
"I mean look around! It has a game room and a rock wall, anything a kid could ask for!" He says showing us around the room. "I've created this place so that they can train in the utmost comfort and technology." You can tell he was really trying to sell this place on us.
"It's true!" Adam pipes up. "The toilet seats even have warmers that talk!" He laughs.
"What do they say?" Leo asks walking up to the boy.
"Well, it depends on..." The tall boy starts.
"No," I say stopping him with my hand.
"Donald, I don't know what to make of this," Tasha says with a sigh. "Some wives get surprised with a trip to Hawaii or a curse. Bionic teenagers were not on our wedding registry."
"Honey, they have to stay down here for their own safety. This is all very top secret. But as soon as their training is complete, they'll be able to handle any crisis or problem the world throws at them." Mr. Davenport reassures us.
"I want to go to the pyramids," Chase says raising his hand.
"I want to go to Paris." Bree adds dreamily.
"I want to go upstairs," Adam says bluntly.
"Aw, you have never been upstairs?" I ask, looking at them. They shook their heads no and I instantly felt sad for them.
"Hey what are those?" Alec asks as he crosses to stand in front of these three tubs that stood on the back wall.
"Are they time machines?" Leo asks his stepfather excitedly.
"No, they are not time machines. The time machine is in the shop." He jokes looking at us. He stops laughing when none of us join. "These are my biologically regulated atmospheric chambers where my bionic creations live and sleep and eat. Which reminds me it's dinnertime." He says turning to the bionic teens.
"Yes!" They shout running to their respective chambers while putting on a pair of googles. The rest of us follow Davenport over to the computer desk as he gets ready to feed them.
"Ready?" He asks them as they nod enthusiastically. Suddenly these brown pellets come dropping from the top of their chambers. The boys try to catch the falling pellets with their mouths while their sister was catching them and taking small bites.
"These are my patented protein pellets," Davenport explains. "Whatever they don't catch now they get for breakfast." He says enthusiastically. My mother takes a step back away from it all.
"I don't know if I feel comfortable with the kids staying here anymore." My mom says to the other two adults.
"Cheryl." Aunt Tasha says taken aback.
"Please, Tasha." My mom says turning to her best friend. "He has children with superpowers living in his basement!" My mom yells pointing at the scientist.
"Cheryl, please! They are not dangerous. I would never put the children in danger like that." He says begging my mother. "When I first started talking to Tasha she explained that you and the kids were a package deal. I need you to trust me. My creations are meant to help people." My mom looked at him very intently and then let out a sigh.
"Oh alright." She gives in. "However any funny business I am coming straight home!" She tells the older man harshly.
"Yay! I get to stay." I whisper to Leo as we do our handshake.
"Come on, let's go get the rest of the stuff," Tasha says, coming to stand by her husband and best friend. "Why don't you guys stay and get to know each other." She says turning to us younger kids.
"I'll help get our bags." My brother offers following the adults out. At some point during the conversation, the food pellets stopped dropping, and the bionic teens exited their capsules.
"Girl!" Adam yells suddenly and the next thing I know I am being swarmed by the bionic teens.
"I saw her first!" Chase says before Adam pulls him back.
"Well, I'm the one who crashed into the barrel's she was hiding behind." Adam fights back. However, Bree pushes her way between them.
"This is my first chance at a BFF and I won't let you idiots ruin it for me,'' she growls. All the while I am being cornered.
"Wow, there bionic people. Back away from the teenage girl." Leo yells, putting his hand up to stop them from getting any closer. "Are you alright?" He asks, turning to me.
"I'm fine," I tell him before turning back to the other. "I'm assuming that you don't get to meet a lot of people so I'll let that slide. However, you should know for the future that is not how you interact with people." I say laughing.
"Sorry, about that. We just got excited." Chase says bashfully.
"Ya, I just always wanted a friend who was a girl since it has always just been my brothers and Mr. Davenport," Bree says coming up to me.
"Well, I'll be your friend," I say with a shrug.
"Really?" She asks. I nod in response and the next thing I knew I am being lifted off the ground in a bone-crushing hug. "Best. Day. Ever." She squeals. "We can give each other makeovers and tell each other secrets. And we can be best friends that stand behind each other no matter what!" She tells me.
"Um, sure?" I say not so sure.
"So I know that Leo is our new brother but who are you and the other guy?" Adam asks me as his sister sets me down.
"Ooo. Bestie give me all the deats. Are you two dating?" Bree asks motioning between Leo and me.
"Ew! Gross!" Leo and I yell at the same exact time.
"Mara is my best friend. We grew up together. Our Dads were best friends growing up and did everything together." Leo starts to explain.
"Ya, they were best men in each other's weddings, and then our Moms became best friends too. Leo's dad was my brother's godfather, my father was Leo's and Aunt Tasha is my godmother." I add. We stop suddenly and take a breath.
"Then when we were six and Alex was nine our Dads went for a drive and were killed by a drunk driver." Leo says sadly. I grab his hand and give it a gentle squeeze.
"After that Mom and Aunt Tasha moved next door to each other and practically raised us together," I explain.
"So when Big D was talking about knowing that we are a package deal that's what he meant." Leo finishes. However, suddenly we hear someone let out a huge sob. We look over and see Adam with tears in his eyes.
"That was so touching. I'm so sorry." He says pulling us into another bone-crushing hug.
"There, there, big guy," Leo says patting the tall boy's back.
"So why are you staying with us?" Chase asks. "Not that I am complaining." He adds hurriedly.
"My mom is going away on business for two weeks and doesn't want Alex and me to be home alone that long." I say with a shrug. The conversation would have continued but we are interrupted by the elevator opening.
"Mara your mom is leaving and Tasha wants you both upstairs for dinner." Mr.Davenport informs us.
"Aw, do we have to? I want to hang out with Adam, Bree, and Chase more." Leo complains to his stepfather.
"Yes, you do. But how about this, why don't you two help me with their training tomorrow morning?" He asks us. We both nod in excitement and say goodbye to the bionic siblings.
"This is so cool!" Leo says to me as soon as we are in the elevator. "I have bionic siblings. Now I have actual friends! And they are ones who are obligated to like me like you are." He says gesturing to me.
"Leo I could not explain our friendship better than myself." I say with a laugh as I throw my arm around his shoulder.