The Other Dooley 3: Secrets and Lies - Lab Rats Season 3

Armed and Dangerous

3-6-6-2-5-3

Douglas punched the six digit code into the tiny panel by the heavy, steel door. The light by the panel blinked green, and the door smoothly slid open. I raised my hands, checking the newly revealed room for any signs of government agents. Once I determined the coast was clear, I motioned for Douglas and Leo to follow me in. The door closed and locked behind us, and the lights flickered on.

"How'd you know the passcode?" Leo asked.

"It's the numerical form of Donald," Douglas explained, "You can always count on my brother to let his ego get in the way of security."

"How many of these safe houses does he have?" I asked.

"I lost track, but it's a lot," Douglas replied, "You can also count on my brother to be a bit paranoid sometimes. Sure bit me in the butt."

"Now the real question is, how much would it take for me to turn one of these into a romantic getaway for me and Janelle?" Leo fantasized.

"Leo!" I chastised, "That's not why we're here!"

"Then why are we here?" Leo asked.

"Because the lab is probably still swarming with agents," I said, "And we needed to get to a safe place so I could get some answers."

I glared at Douglas.

"So," I said, "Why, exactly, did it take you so long to tell me that VICTOR KRANE is my FATHER!!"

"We were, uh, waiting for the right moment," Douglas stammered.

"And you think that yesterday was the right moment?" I shot back.

"Well, I mean, it was Krane's secret to tell," Douglas reasoned, "And he made his decision."

"And even when we trusted you to let you live with us, you still respected Krane's secret," I said, disappointedly, "You knew who my dad was the entire time and you never told me."

"Well, to be honest, I never thought of telling you in the first place," Douglas said.

"Oh bull!" Leo interjected, "I know that you thought of that every time you saw her."

"Okay, you might be right with that one," Douglas admitted.

"Okay Douglas, look at me," I said firmly, "Cut. The. Lies. I want to know exactly what happened. No 'forgetting' things or leaving out 'unimportant' bits. I want the whole story."

"Okay," Douglas sighed, "This is what I know. When I met Krane, he was very interested in the idea of building an army of bionic soldiers. He knew that he needed to genetically modify the children, so he needed to have them himself. That's where you came along, but with some changes. For one, the process was much less toxic for Krane's wife, and instead of predetermining your abilities, I left it up for... Interpretation. You were code named "Ember", since while you weren't born extremely special, you had the potential to become the superhuman you are today. That's also why you never got a chip."

"Okay," I nodded, "But why do I have so many memories of Krane abusing me?"

"It's a bit complicated," Douglas continued, "See, after you, Krane's wife had trouble getting pregnant again. Krane got impatient, and demanded I find another way. I figured out how to genetically engineer in-vitro babies, along with how to simulate a pregnancy. Before I knew it, Krane had an army's worth of black market babies in the works. And then his wife found out."

"Oh no, not the wife," Leo groaned, "Wait. What's wrong with the wife finding out?"

"She promptly left him," Douglas answered, "And after that, Krane truly went crazy. He went mad after losing his wife, and he took it all out on you, Zoey."