In the morning, Adam, Bree, Chase, Leo and Harper were going to the lab to see Mr. Davenport's new invention.
They all entered the elevator and descended. Harper leaned against the wall as the elevator swiftly moved down and dinged to a stop.
The teenagers followed Mr. Davenport into the lab.
"Inventing the wheel? Boring. Discovering electricity? Snooze. Sliced bread? Lame." Mr. Davenport dramatically said. "But now, Davenport Industries introduces the world's first..." He pulled the sheet off to reveal his new invention. "Proton Fuser!"
Harper pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her stomach as the five teenagers just stood there without showing any excitement.
"You know, for a scientist you'd think your payoffs would be a bit more proportionate to your buildups." Leo told Mr. Davenport.
"Uh, the payoff is that it allows us to see the origins of the universe. This thing fuses subatomic particles so we can understand how planets form." Mr. Davenport explained.
"Well, we already understand how boredom forms." Bree simply said.
"Haven't you ever wondered where stuff comes from? Galaxies? Stars? Planets?" Mr. Davenport wondered.
"This stuff, no. Onion rings, yes." Adam honestly replied.
"Guys, I have always wanted to build this thing and now, it's a reality. It's an important life lesson. If you have a dream, believe in it because it can happen." Mr. Davenport encouraged.
Harper pursed her lips. "Um, Mr. Davenport, isn't it dangerous to tinker with the fabric of the universe?"
Adam laughed. "She said 'Tinker'."
"Yes, technically, it could destabilize the earth, or open up a wormhole into a parallel universe. But I made it and I want to play with it." Mr. Davenport simply explained and jogged over to his invention.
"This isn't going to end well." Harper muttered under her breath.
Mr. Davenport typed on his keyboard. Not even a few seconds later, the Proton Fuser turned on and shot out a blue light from each side. When the light met in the middle, a small ball was formed in-between the Proton Fuser.
"Prepare to be amazed!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed excitedly.
"Or gravely injured." Chase added.
Adam reached his arms out, standing in front of the group. Harper grabbed onto Chase's arm as they all watched the Proton Fuser begin to die down.
The blue ball sparked away.
"Once again, big build up, teeny time pay off." Leo said from behind Mr. Davenport.
The elevator doors opened, and Tasha walked inside with a wide smile on her face.
"Okay, the popcorn is popping and the movie is uploaded. Or downloaded. Whatever, the red thingy is blinking green. Just head upstairs, it's movie time!" Tasha announced.
••••
In the living room, everyone was gathered on the couch, engrossed in the movie playing in front of them
Harper sat snugly between Bree and Chase, wrapped in a blue blanket. They all shared a bowl popcorn, eagerly munching on the kernels.
Meanwhile Leo was stuck in the kitchen, diligently washing the dishes.
"Leo!" Tasha voice rang out, startling Leo, causing him to drop a plate that shattered on the floor. "I said no move. First, you won't do the dishes, then you break them?"
"Hey, you said you hate looking at dirty dishes and that's one less to look at." Leo retorted sarcastically.
"That is it. No TV for the rest of the week." Tasha declared firmly.
"That's not fair." He protested. "By the way, I've seen this movie. I wouldn't get too attached to that dog."
Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper gasped in shock and disbelief at Leo's revelation.
"Leo!" Harper groaned in exasperation.
Leo raised his hands in surrender before making a quick exit to the lab, taking the elevator down. As the elevator descended, he braced himself for what awaited him.
Upon reaching the lab, he was met with a startling sit- the Proton Fuser was active, and a blue wormhole had materialized in the centre of the room.
"I'm just gonna go ahead and say it... This isn't gonna end well." Leo muttered to himself.
Before he could react, Leo was pulled into the swirling wormhole, disappearing from the lab in an instant.
••••
Parallel Universe
It had been a challenging morning for Leo. He woke up in the lab, confused about what had happened and in need of a bathroom break.
When he stepped out of the elevator into the kitchen, he was surprised to see all the furniture was white. Tasha, his mother, appeared in a suit engaged in a phone call.
As Leo watched his mother fire someone, he accidentally broke a vase. He immedaitely apologized to her.
To his surprise, Tasha told him not to worry about it, as she could afford a thousand cases, thanks to being a billionaire and the inventor of Tasha Technologies.
As she opened the front door, she asked Leo to toss the keys. He picked up the keys and tossed them to her. Expecting Tasha to catch them, they keys instead penetrated the front door.
Much to his surprise, Leo asked his mother what he had just done. Tasha said that the throw was a good one and that he had taken out the Goldberg's mailbox. She then told her son to remember not to use his bionics at school.
It was revealed that Leo could shoot lightning out of his fingers, had super speed, super strength and super smarts.
This Parallel Universe also had a different Mr. Davenport. He was Tasha's lab assistant and revealed that she didn't allow him to go upstairs without her. He wasn't an official inventor. His inventions either didn't work or burst into flames. But he did mention that he had just finished a prototype of a Proton Fuser.
Leo was now walking through the school hallways of Mission Creek High. He passed through the door frame, entering the busy halls. Principal Perry spun around as she held up a tray filled with fresh chocolate chip cookies; her flowery dress flared at the knees.
"Good morning, Leo!" Principal Perry greeted with a warm smile.
Leo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Leo? You never call me by my first name. And according to legend, you haven't smiled since the sixties."
"I always smile when I see you!" Perry exclaimed, handing the tray to another student. "School board approved air hug?" She hovered her arms around Leo. "Oh, that is good. Oh, no air hug back?" She took back her tray and offered it to him. "Does my little schnookie need a cookie?"
"I suppose your little schnookie could take a lookie at a cookie." He responded, smiling as he grabbed a cookie and took a bite. "Wow!"
"They're from our gourmet cafeteria." She explained, guiding him to the cafeteria.
"Gourmet? This coming from the woman who thinks mold is a vegetable?" Leo wondered. They then walked into the cafeteria, and pointed ahead. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Those are the lunch ladies?"
"Yeah, we tried to find prettier ones, but they'll do." Perry said before she left the room.
Leo's eyes widened at the sight of Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper sitting at the pristine, yellow-clothed tables. He walked over to face them as they stood up from their seats.
"Guys, there you are! This is unbelievable!" Leo said.
That's when Leo noticed the different clothing they wore.
Adam was dressed in full black, holding a pen and notebook with glasses perched on his nose.
Bree wore a black skirt, a pink blazer over her white top. Chase wore a 'Dingos' jersey, his hair all spiky. Harper, her hair was all the way down and wore a cheerleading uniform.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, everyone check it out. We got an exchange student from Nerdistan." Chase laughed, reaching for a high-five, however, neither of his siblings returned it.
Harper's hand travelled down Chase's arm and laced her fingers with his. "Not your best one, babe."
Bree narrowed her eyes at Leo. "Yeah, like, step-off. We don't know you. And FYI, I wouldn't put my poodle in that outfit."
"Come on, guys. It's me, Leo. And you're Adam, Bree and Chase Davenport. Harper, you're Harper Wilson." Leo informed.
"Uh, we're Adam, Bree, and Chase Henderson." Adam corrected.
"By the way, my name is Harper Wilkinson." Harper pointed out as she chewed on her pink bubble-gum.
Adam crouched to Leo's height. "Are you lost, little guy?"
The bell rang, students evacuated the cafeteria leaving Adam, Bree, Chase, Harper and Leo alone.
"I don't understand." Leo muttered.
Adam dramatically sighed. "There's so much to not understand in life, isn't there? Like, what would happen if we all just stopped for a second and just existed. Plus ca change, et les plus c'est la meme chose."
"Plus-ah-what? Okay, what is going on? Bree, help me out here." Leo insisted.
"Okay, it's pronounced 'Breh' Like 'Breath' but without the 'Th'." Bree explained, spitting in his face.
Leo sighed and turned to his best friend. "Harper, please help me out. You're my best friend."
"Wow. You're hilarious. That's actually the funniest thing I've heard all day." Harper responded, chuckling. Chase wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
"Harper, we've been best friends our entire lives. You seriously don't remember me?" Leo wondered. He then motioned towards the uniform she wore. "And why are you wearing that? You hate cheerleading."
Harper gasped, bringing a hand up to her mouth in shock. "How dare you?! I'll have you know that I love cheerleading and I am captain of the squad. I don't know who you are, but your accusations are stupid."
"Stop talking to my girl." Chase warned Leo, tightening his grip on Harper's waist.
Leo raised his eyebrows. "Your 'girl'? Wait, you two are dating?"
"Of course, we're dating! He's the love of my life." Harper responded. She turned to Chase, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a passionate kiss.
"We're all best friends. And the best part is, I'm bionic now! See, I didn't even get to show you my lightning fingers!" Leo exclaimed and shot out blue lightning from his fingers. Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper screamed and sprinted out of the cafeteria. "And those are my lightning fingers."
••••
Later in the day at school, Leo walked down the flight of stairs, marvelling at how different things were in this universe.
"Leo." A voice called out.
Leo turned around to see Mr. Davenport. "Hey, what are you doing here?"
"I always pick you up from school." Mr. Davenport replied. "A, your mother insists on it, and... B, it's the few minutes a day I can enjoy natural sunlight."
"This world is so much different from my world." He said, crossing his arms.
"Well, my world is limited to the lab. That, and of course the thrill I get for fifteen minutes a day, coming to pick you up. Stoplights are awesome!" Mr. Davenport responded.
Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper approached Leo.
"Hey, Leo." Adam greeted.
Mr. Davenport pointed at the teens. "Hey, look who made some friends."
"That's Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper. You don't recognize them?" Leo asked.
Mr. Davenport shook his head. "Uh... no."
"Oh, hey, look, it's the dude who gets all excited at stoplights." Chase pointed out with a large grin.
"Um, you guys, uh, take your time." Mr. Davenport said, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm gonna be in the car, playing with the windows."
With that, Mr. Davenport raced out of the school.
"Lenny...." Harper began.
"Leo." He corrected.
"Don't correct me!" She snapped at him. "We have a confession. We believe what you said earlier."
Adam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and we want you to know that your bionic secret is safe within us."
Leo sighed in relief. "Finally. It's good to have you guys back!"
Leo stepped forward and embraced his best friends, smiling as he wrapped his arms around them. Suddenly, he was pushed to the other side of the room when a suspicious agent walked into the school hallway.
"There he is!" Adam shouted.
Chase pointed at Leo. "That's the bionic freak! Get him!"
"Freeze, Dooley. You're coming with me." The agent ordered, gripping onto Leo's bicep.
"Note to self, not a fan of the Hendersons and Wilkinson!" Leo remarked.
The agent dialled someone on his phone, not letting go of his grip on Leo's bicep. The Hendersons and Wilkinson closed in on Leo and the agent.
"Apprehended the suspect." The agent said, monotonously into the phone.
"How could you guys turn me in?" Leo questioned.
Chase half shrugged. "Well, it was easy. We just called that guy."
"And it was hot watching my man call the agent." Harper admitted, biting down on her bottom lip.
She leaned forward and captured Chase's lips with hers. Chase grinned against her lips unable to help himself.
Principal Perry peeked her head out of her office. She crept behind the agent, slamming a tray against his back. The agent fell to the ground.
"Hey! Nobody messes with my rollerblading buddy!" She shouted, detaining the agent by hooking her arms underneath his armpits and pulling him back against his will.
Mr. Davenport strolled into the hallway. "Leo, it's hot in the car and I'm not allowed to use the air conditioning. So, are you coming or not?"
"I used to be a Christmas elf at the Mission Creek Mall. No one cut in Santa's line on my watch. Run!" Perry commanded.
Without warning, Leo super sped outside. Mr. Davenport glanced around the room before jogging out of the school.
••••
"This just does not make sense." Mr. Davenport said as they entered the luxurious Dooley mansion. "The Leo I know would never show his bionics at school."
"I am not that Leo!" Leo elaborated. "I came here from a parallel universe through a wormhole made by your Proton Fuser!"
"Wait, you were serious about that?" Mr. Davenport wondered.
"Yeah!" He replied.
Mr. Davenport began piecing things together. "Wow.It all makes sense, now. Well, don't worry, Leo. As long as you're in my universe, I'll protect you."
Suddenly, FBI agents popped up one by one around the house, emerging from closets and zip-lining down from the ceilings. They surrounded Mr. Davenport and Leo.
Mr. Davenport whimpered and fainted.
Leo glanced down at him, unimpressed. "No wonder my mum keeps you in the basement."
Leo had no choice but to resist. He raised his arms in the air, waiting for them to handcuff him. The agents yanked his arms down to the side, causing him to stumble as they dragged him to a support beam and handcuffed him, hugging the beam so he couldn't escape.
The agents secured him on the same beam as an unconscious Mr. Davenport.
Mr. Davenport regained consciousness and shrieked, asking what was happening. Leo filled him in on all the details.
"Mr. Dooley, I'm Special Agent Gordon, Department of Homeland Special Ops Unit, also known as, D-H-SOU. It doesn't acronym well." The agent greeted. "We don't know how you do what you do, but we're going to find out. Even if it takes ten years in an isolated desert warehouse. Hope you sweat a lot. That's the only water you'll get."
"Well, what if I just break out of these?" Leo asked.
"We heard you were freakishly strong, so those are exploding handcuffs. Links breaks, handcuffs detonate" Gordon explained.
"Yeah, could you, uh... explode that way." Mr. Davenport insisted, pointing to the right.
"Get your hands off of me!" Tasha yelled, ripping free from her detainer's grip. "I am Tasha Dooley of Tasha Technologies!"
Mr. Davenport scrunched his face and hunched. "Please don't yell at me, I know I'm in the living room, but, technically, they changed me here."
Tasha ignored him and strode over to her son. "Leo, honey, are you okay? They haven't hurt you, have they, sweetie?"
Gordon snatched Tasha and pulled her to the door.
"I'm sorry, Mum. I didn't mean to use my.... B-I-O-N-I-C-S at school." Leo apologized.
"We can spell, kid." Gordon retorted. "Well, everyone except for Agent Dorris, here. He lives to sound things out."
"He's not bionic, he's just gifted!" Tasha corrected. "Right, Leo? You were always discovering something new about yourself." Dorris then grabbed Tasha. "Watch the suit, or I am telling your boss!"
"I am his boss." Gordon confirmed.
"Then, he's touching my suit!" Tasha complained. Agents opened the door and Dorris pushed her.
Mr. Davenport's forehead creased. "Something new about yourself. Leo, I think she was trying to tell you to escape using one of your new abilities."
"Hello." Leo said, monitoring his handcuffs. "Boom-boom bracelets."
"No, I mean one of your newly uploaded abilities. You know, like Geo-leaping: Molecularly transferring yourself from one location to another just by thinking about it." Mr. Davenport explained.
"I can geo-leap?" Leo wondered.
"We... yeah. I mean, it hasn't been tested yet, so make sure you-" Mr. Davenport began. Without warning, Leo grasped onto him. In a blink of an eye, they were in Mission Creek High's cafeteria. "Warn me first."
Leo grimaced as Mr. Davenport tripped, holding onto a chair.
"Pumpkin?" Principal Perry called as she rushed into the cafeteria. "What are you doing here? This place is still crawling with government goons. Duck and cover!" She shooed them away. Mr. Davenport and Leo ducked behind a long, yellow-clothed table. "I'll draw them away, you scram. But if you get caught and end up in the clink, text me. I may not have pull with the governor, but I can drive a hatch back through a cement wall." She rose up and pointed the agents in the wrong direction. "Hey, the bionic kid is out front stacking school busses! Get him!"
When the room was clear, Leo and Mr. Davenport crawled out of their hiding spot.
Leo frowned. "This world is not as cool as I thought. I'd give up the bionics, everything, just to get back to my family."
"I wish I could help you." Mr. Davenport said.
"Maybe you can. With your Proton Fuser!" He said.
"Leo, I told you; it will never work. I built it." Mr. Davenport reminded.
"Listen, you always told me, 'If you have a dream, believe in it'. And it's time for you to believe, Big D." He responded.
"What's a Big D?" Mr. Davenport questioned. "Even if it did work, how would we get in the lab with all those agents swarming the house?
"You see, this is where flying would come in handy." Leo chastised.
"Where are you, little guy?" Chase called from the hall. Mr. Davenport and Leo ducked behind a lunch table as Adam, Bree, Chase and Harper walked into the cafeteria. "Keep looking, he could be anywhere."
Adam sighed. "And while we're at it, why don't we look within ourselves for answers to questions that we're afraid to ask?"
Bree scoffed. "This is so ridic. He's not here. Oh, maybe he's at the mall."
"We're not going to the mall." Adam and Chase said in unison.
"We're gonna have to Geo-Leap." Leo whispered.
"Okay, fine, just... you have to give me some..." Mr. Davenport began. Leo touched him and geo-leaped into the school's main hall. "Warning!"
Leo glanced around the area. "I thought 'lab'. This ain't the lab."
"I think my kidneys just switched sides." Mr. Davenport groaned. "Your Geo-Leaping is glitching. I told you it wasn't tested. Now we're sitting ducks!"
"Time for plan B. I'll super-speed us home." Leo insisted.
Mr. Davenport pinched his fingers together. "I get motion sickness. Is there a plan C?"
Harper, Bree, Chase and Adam walked out of the cafeteria.
Adam pointed at Leo. "There he is!"
"Yo! The bionic kid's in here!" Chase yelled.
Leo sarcastically smiled. "Thanks a lot, Chase! You're super annoying in two universes."
He clutched onto Mr. Davenport's clothing and super-sped them out of the school to the mansion.
He opened the front door; they ran into the living room but were stopped by agents blocking their way to the lab.
"Okay, men, apprehend the bionic subject. Use any force necessary." Gordon instructed.
"What do we do?" Mr. Davenport asked.
"You heard the man. Use any force necessary." Leo responded, summoning lightning out of his fingers and shooting it towards the FBI agents. They lunged at Leo and Mr. Davenport.
The FBI Agents tried immobilizing Leo; he used his martial arts skills to defend himself, causing some agents to lie on the ground.
"Quick, get downstairs!" Mr. Davenport insisted.
Leo and Mr. Davenport rushed down the hall. They ignored the elevators fearing it would take too much time to reach their destination. Mr. Davenport unveiled the secret entrance to a set of stairs.
"We don't have much time, fire up the Porton Fuser." Leo said as they ran into the lab.
Mr. Davenport uncovered the Proton Fuser, stretching his hands out in a 'tada' moment. Leo's eyes grew wide, urging him to hurry.
"Now, I would feel a lot better about this if you would sign some release forms." Mr. Davenport said, pulling apart his machine.
"Push! Buttons!" Leo shouted.
Mr. Davenport pushed the buttons on the Proton Fuser. It turned on and shot two lasers at each other, then it stopped.
"See? Told you. It doesn't work." Mr. Davenport said.
The elevator doors opened to reveal the FBI Agents.
"Well, make it work!" Leo snapped before he super-sped to the door and shut the automatic doors.
"Can't some dreams just die?" Mr. Davenport insisted.
"It took a while for the wormhole to reach full size." Leo explained.
"That sounds like a volume threshold problem. I can tweak that!" Mr. Davenport said.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Tweak!" Leo demanded. Mr. Davenport pushed multiple buttons, causing the wormhole to build up quicker. "That's it. You're doing it."
"Wow. Something I made actually works!" Mr. Davenport whimpered.
The FBI Agent began prying the doors open.
"Wait, if I leave, what'll happen to you?" Leo wondered.
"Both universes will reset to the instant you left. None of this will have ever happened!" Mr. Davenport explained. "Except, I'm gonna start believing in myself. Thanks, Leo. I'd tell you I'll never forget you, technically, that-- yeah. You just-- all right. Go, Leo. It's now or never."
Without hesitation, Leo jumped into the wormhole.
••••
Normal Universe
After the movie was ended, tears streamed down Harper's face. Chase had moved closer to her, and she rested her head on him.
Everyone in the room was either sad or crying, which made Harper feel a little better, knowing she wasn't alone in her emotions.
"I was so attached to that dog." Adam sobbed.
Leo burst into the living room, relieved to see everyone returning to normal. Agent Gordon appeared next to him, causing Leo to instinctively raise his fists in defence.
"Relax, Leo. That's Gordon. He's my new head of corporate security." Mr. Davenport explained, getting up from the couch.
"Well, hey there, little buddy! Nice to meet you." Agent Gordon greeted, shaking Leo's hand. He then playfully mimicked Leo's defensive stance.
Leo turned to Tasha and embraced her. "So happy to see you guys!"
"Oh! Nice to see you in a better mood. Now, put that energy into your chores." Tasha said as they separated from their hug.
"Absolutely! I will never complain about my chores ever again. It's so good to be home!" He exclaimed with relief.
"Good to be home?" Harper questioned in confusion. "Where did you go?"
"A parallel universe!" He replied. "Mum was a tech mogul, Chase was an annoying jock, Harper was a cheerleader, Bree was a shallow mall rat and Adam was all introspective and philosophical."
"You don't have to make up words, Leo, just tell us what happened." Adam said.
"It was real, you gotta believe me!" Leo insisted.
"You know what? I believe you, Leo." Mr. Davenport said.
Leo looked surprised. "You do?"
Mr. Davenport nodded. "Yeah. Anywhere your mum is a tech mogul is definitely an alternate universe." He turned around and was faced-to-face with Tasha, who gave him a pointed look. "I mean, you're very smart. It's just not with tech-- I'll be doing the dishes."
______________
PUBLISHED: 24.11.22
DEDICATIONS: Peters_suit_lady omgthatssocrazy