Lab Rats- Dawn

Bionic Rebellion

The training room buzzed with restrained energy as students practiced and mentors stretched their limbs—Chase included, though his contribution involved stretching his arms in an exaggerated, almost painful-looking twist behind his back. Bree stood at the center of the room, confident and composed, with me positioned at her side. "Okay, Lexi, when you're under attack, use your superspeed as a distraction to catch your enemy—" Bree began, her voice calm and instructional. Lexi met her mentor's gaze, focused and determined. Before Bree could finish her sentence, Lexi vanished in a sudden blur of motion, reappearing a heartbeat later as she swept Bree's legs out from under her in one swift, impulsive move. "—off-guard."

Bree hit the mat with a solid thud. Lexi immediately stepped closer, her confidence vanishing as she looked down at her fallen mentor. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" "Trust me, she's never looked better." I chuckled, extending a hand toward Bree and as she accepted it, pulling herself upright, she fixed both of us a stern, warning look.

"Yeah." she said dryly. "Tomorrow we'll cover timing." After dismissing the students for a break, Bree turned to me, rolling her shoulders and cracking her back. "Where are your students today?" I knew her well enough to catch what she really meant: Why are you standing here instead of doing your job?

"Oh, Mr. Davenport took 'em for a chip extraction." I teased slowly, exaggerating every word.
"Meaning extracting their chip. From their necks—" "—I get it." Bree cut in flatly, not even blinking as I raised my hands in mock surrender. She gave me a tired look and headed for the water station, rolling her shoulders as she went. I immediately decided my next target would be Adam, wanting to cure my boredom more than ever. Across the room, he set up a table, gathering his students around it. "Okay, guys, this is called Bionic Arm Wrestling. Now, it's not really training, but it's fun—so we're doin' it." He clapped his hands together, clearly concluding the discussion simply because he was the mentor.

"Here I thought you were actually going to teach them something useful." I folded my arms and rolled my eyes as my brother shot me a sharp look—go do your job written plainly across his face. "Can't." I said easily. "My students are getting a chip extraction." He paused, confusion flickering across his expression. I sighed, narrowed my eyes, and pantomimed plucking something from my neck, holding it up between my fingers. "Chip. Out. Understand."

"Oh." Adam said, nodding slowly as it finally clicked and turned back to his students, eyes set on his friend. "All right, Tank, you're up first." The group immediately stepped aside as Tank moved forward, his massive shoulders rolling as he cracked his neck from side to side. The sharp sound echoed through the room—final and deliberate—and sent an unexpected shiver up my spine.

I shook my head, snapping myself out of whatever trance that was, and stepped closer as Adam and Tank took their positions. Their forearms locked together over the table, hands clasping tight, knuckles whitening with pressure.

"Might as well spar now that I'm here." I muttered, planting myself between them. "Aaand go!" I called. The moment they engaged, Adam's hand was driven violently toward Tank's side. My eyes widened as the metal tabletop groaned and buckled, denting inward beneath the sheer force of Tank's grip. The vibration rattled up through the floor.

Adam's students erupted into cheers—and, against my better judgment, so did I. "Okay, Tank, you can let go now!" Adam yelled, strain creeping into his voice but Tank did not budge. "Let go!!!" When Tank finally released his grip, the students burst into applause. Adam flexed his hand, wincing despite himself, then forced his posture straight. He glanced between the dented table, his aching fingers, and the very impressed crowd.

"Uh." he said, clearing his throat as he flexed his aching hand, flashing an embarrassed, full-toothed smile. "Since you guys have never arm wrestled before, let me explain what just happened." He swallowed. "I won." The smile he gave was tight and without another word, he turned and walked off. I watched him go, then glanced at the bent table, shaking my head as I rolled my eyes.