CHAPTER FIVE, bionic dog

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As the bionic group — excluding Adam, stood in the common area, Emilia buzzed with joy at the sight of a dog emerging from the hydra loop, followed by Adam.

"My wish finally came true!" Emilia practically squealed as the dog approached her, instantly getting the girl's attention who sat on the floor to pet him. "This is now one of the happiest days of my life."

Chase looked down at his girlfriend offended who sent him a sheepish smile. "What? I said one of."

His facial expression instantly changed into a soft grin — just taking the opportunity to admire his girlfriend as she stroked the dog along with Bree and Leo.

"Where did you get a dog?" The latter of the three questioned the older sibling. However, before Adam could answer, Bree interrupted — adding in her own groan. "And please do not say from a guy with sunglasses and a cane."

"No." Adam stated. "He started sniffing me when I got on the hydra loop, then he went crazy and wouldn't leave me alone."

Chase finally drew his eyes away from Emilia and the dog as he furrowed his brows at Adam in theory. "And did you by any chance have meat in your pockets?"

"No!" Adam sighed loudly. "Wait, is salami a meat?"

"He can't stay." Chase finally told Adam who was entirely too focused on the action that the dog had just done.

"Whoa. Did you see that?" Adam gasped, walking over to stand beside Emilia and the dog. "You said stay, and he did. He's a genius."

"Otis?" Everyone turned to the sound of Douglas' voice who stopped in his tracks at the sight of the dog, as if he recognised the animal. And at the sound of his whistle, the dog rushed towards him — allowing the man to crouch down and pet him.

"Bubs—" Emilia frowned, her hand raised out in front of her to indicate she was missing the dog's presence. And as she hoped for, Chase came up to help her off the floor, comforting his girlfriend as Douglas informed the group about how he knew the dog.

"He was a stray I took in and nursed him back to health, back when Krane and I bought our first evil lair together. Actually, it was more of an evil townhouse."

"How were we ever afraid of you?

Douglas ignored Bree's question. "This guy got me through some pretty rough times."

Leo sarcastically nodded. "Well, it's nice to hear that you had someone to comfort you while you were plotting to kill us."

"I think Otis ran away because Krane terrified him. He must've been searching for me forever. I bet he smelled my scent on Adam and followed him back here." Douglas reckoned.

"Are you sure it's the same dog?" Emilia wanted to know as she stood in front of Chase who had his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Absolutely. Watch this." Douglas nodded before calling out orders for Otis to follow. "Otis, sit. Look left. Look right. Speak."

The bionic group smiled after Otis let out a bark once he followed every instruction, making Adam grin. "Whoa. I can't even do all that."

"I'll tell you another little secret. Otis has super strength." Douglas pointed out.

"Wait. You gave bionics to an animal?" Chase asked, furrowing his brows in question.

Douglas nodded. "He was injured and I did it to save his life."

"Well, I'm glad you saved him, but I can't believe you wasted bionics on a dog." Chase scoffed in disbelief, finally moving from his place behind Emilia to approach Douglas.

What a mistake that was.

"I wouldn't say wasted." Douglas told him before walking around the boy to stand by his dog. "Do your thing, Otis."

Surprised, they watched as the dog listened to the man's instruction — jumping up before using his super strength to kick Chase, sending him flying into the next room.

"Whoa. Cool. I thought I was gonna have to train him to do that." Adam chuckled, grinning to himself as Emilia was quick to super speed to the next room to get Chase.

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As Chase's sneezes became a lot more continuous throughout the day, Emilia was starting to come to the conclusion that the boy was allergic to dogs, meaning Otis.

But the outcome decision turned out to be harder for Adam, Douglas and Emilia herself as they didn't want to see the dog go but it would be unfair on Chase having to go everyday reacting badly due to the dog's presence.

"Adam." Emilia sighed, turning to the taller boy to remind him. "I know you love Otis, as do Douglas and I, but Chase can't live like this."

"Fine. I have a solution. Chase lives in a bubble."

"I'm not living in a bubble!" Chase declined his brother's suggestion.

"You're right. It'll be much easier if you just leave the island. Thank you for your service, and good luck." Adam continued, ignoring Chase's dismissal as he grabbed his brother to pull him out the room when Douglas stopped him.

"No, no. Emilia's right. Chase was here first, so Otis has to go." Douglas sighed, disappointing the taller sibling more.

"Oh, thank you so much for choosing me over a dog." Chase spoke with sarcasm as he looked at Douglas who scoffed. "Well, it wasn't easy."

Emilia rolled her eyes, giving Otis one last look before her and Chase walked out the room, hand in hand.

Although on their way, Chase stopped — upon the look on his girlfriend's face, assuming. "Lia, are you mad at me?"

"Huh? What would I be mad at you for?" Emilia furrowed her brows at Chase's saddened expression.

"Because I know you love Otis. And I thought you would be mad that he has to go due to my allergies." Chase frowned, although it dropped as soon as the familiar sound of his girlfriend's laugh filled his ears.

"Oh Chase, you are adorable." The brown-haired banshee giggled, slipping her other hand into his. "I may miss Otis but that dog is not more important to me than you are. It's not your fault you are allergic and they are just going to have to accept that."

"I love you." Chase smiled softly at the girl who laughed, responding instantly before he pulled her into a kiss. And as soon as they pulled away, the boy's brows raised slightly. "Hey. If that offer you gave me earlier is still up, I'm more than happy to accept."

"What offer?" The Hunter girl pulled a face at her question, not expecting Chase to respond to her question in a non-verbal way as his lips soon tugged into a smirk — moving Emilia's hands to pull her over his shoulder, carrying her to her bedroom so they can do something to make themselves both feel better.

"Oh... that offer."

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The next day, it seemed that Chase's allergies had started up again or in his case, was getting worse which soon ended up with him coming to the conclusion that Adam and Douglas had kept Otis.

However, his attention was soon brought away from his brother when his girlfriend's eyes had changed colour at the announcement that there was an accident in the explosives area.

"Douglas!" Emilia called out, with her and Chase being first to arrive at the weapons area due to her super speed before Adam and Otis arrived moments after — the three bionic humans not hesitating to pull the barrels off the man to help him out and up off the floor.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I was in here doing inventory and when I turned the corner, I tripped on something and everything fell." Douglas explained through his panting breaths.

"Well, by this trip-wire on the floor," They turned to look at Emilia who piped up, holding a broken string of the trip-wire in her hand. "it's obvious that this was no accident. Someone did this on purpose."

"You're right." Adam chimed in as Chase stood by Emilia to get a closer look — examining the tripwire. "And it was stretched from here to here, which means, it had to have been someone with at least... twelve-foot arms."

Adam simply received strange stares, even Otis covered his eyes with his paw when Chase turned to Douglas and theorised. "Someone rigged that wire to the explosives. If it had worked, the whole place would've blown, with you in it."

Adam grabbed the trip wire from Chase before putting it under Otis' nose. "Otis, sniff. Okay. Go get the bad guy." However, when Adam believed Otis was following his instruction, he was clearly shocked when the dog had approached Chase, making him gasp. "I knew it. It was you!"

"I live here! Why would I want to blow this place up?" Chase exclaimed, reminding his brother with a look of disbelief.

However, Adam still seemed unconvinced. "Don't ask me to explain the motives of a mad man. Let me measure your arms." Chase didn't even get the chance to move before Adam forcefully stretched out his arms, asking the people in front of him. "Got a tape measure?"

"Oh, shoot, I forgot my ruler." Adam groaned to himself as Douglas and Emilia continued their attempt to remind Adam that Chase didn't cause this accident.

None of them aware of the green glow in one of Otis' eyes — that looked quite familiar to the effect of the Triton app, neither did they see the bright blue glow covering Emilia's human eyes as if she could sense something coming that has Douglas being the main target.

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"Adam, stop! No, bad boy!" Emilia scolded as she stood in the common area, finding herself whacking Adam with a rolled up magazine in effort to help Douglas who claimed he couldn't find Otis.

"We found out what happened in the explosives area. Look—" Chase informed Douglas, holding out the tablet for the man to see the footage of Otis setting up the trip-wire. "Yeah. Otis was the one who tried to take you out."

"That's impossible. We've always been best friends." Douglas denied their claim, not wanting to believe his own dog would try to hurt him.

"You haven't seen that dog in ages who is firing his fiery red eyes at us as I speak." Emilia pointed out, the boys following her gaze to see the dog growling at them.

"Red means love, right?" Douglas chuckled nervously, turning to Chase and Emilia before the former of the two stepped forward to take action. "I better scan his chip to see what's going on."

Chase pressed his fingers against his temple — followed by a blue glow covering his left eye to indicate he was scanning the dog's chip. "He's got super-strength, heat vision and an override app."

"Why would you give Otis an override app?" The Hunter girl questioned.

"I didn't." Douglas instantly denied, starting to put pieces together as he continued. "Why would a dog need— Wait a minute. It must've been Krane. After I turned on him, I bet he reprogrammed Otis' chip and gave him a mission— find me and take me out."

"So, that's why Adam is acting like a dog." The banshee figured it out first, the boys following her gaze to see Adam crouched beside Otis, growling at them.

"Adam, stop. You have to fight it." Chase tried to call out to him as Emilia stood in front of them in protection. Douglas then reached his arm out to gesture to the growling boy as he questioned Chase. "Can't you just use your override app on him?"

"No," Chase snapped, giving the man a look of disbelief. "I can't override an override app, guy who built me."

In one swift motion, Adam had lunged for them — ending up with Douglas now holding a broom to use as a defence weapon against Otis as Chase and Emilia was trying to escape from Adam when they finally returned.

"Hey, we've got an idea. Run!" Emilia decided as her and Chase used their arms to motion towards the doorway, only to receive a questionable look from Douglas who scoffed. "Run? That's your idea, Protector and smartest guy in the world?"

"Just go." Chase seethed before running out the room, leaving Douglas and Emilia — the former of the two waving the two broken pieces to the broom. "Who wants a stick? Who wants a stick?"

"Here— go fetch!" Emilia pretended to throw the stick, leaving the two distracted — giving her the chance to super speed herself and Douglas out of the room.

However, they only managed to make it to the training area with Douglas stood behind a punching bag with his two broken broom pieces held out in front of him and Emilia on the platform, watching as Otis growled at Douglas.

"Otis. Adam." Chase drew their attention away from Douglas as he came in holding two balls in his hands, calling out. "Look what I got."

"Oh, it's a ball." Adam gasped, quick to fall to his knees as Chase continued to tease him like the dog he was acting like. "You want the ball? You want the ball?"

"Yes, I do, I do, I do. I want the ball. I want the ball. Give me the ball, give me the ball." Adam repeated happily, instantly running to the next room at Chase's action. But unlike Adam, Otis stayed where he was, even when Chase attempted to repeat the same trick.

"Fine. Um... ahem. You stay here. I'll go get the ball." Douglas piped up nervously, attempting to move from behind the punching bag, only to have Otis bark at him — the man hiding behind the punching bag again in response.

"Who needs to do a 5K when you've got Otis right here just running after you." Emilia sighed in annoyance.

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Chase, Emilia and Douglas appeared to still be struggling on how to stop Otis from eliminating the latter of the trio — even after trying to use balls, toys and bones.

That was until Douglas finally came to the idea in hope that it would help — claiming that Otis was always crazy about peanut butter. Leaving Chase to find it, this left Douglas and Emilia sat on top of the hydra loop with the latter using her forcefield to prevent the heat vision from hitting the man.

"Hey, Otis, look what I got." Chase called out to the dog, returning to the room now with an open peanut butter jar in his hand.

"Look, Otis." Douglas began to join in as Otis was still barking at him. "Peanut butter. It's your favourite."

The peanut butter jar seemed to catch Otis' eyes for a few moments before the dog turned back to Douglas and Emilia, continuing to bark at the former as the banshee sighed. "It's not working. We have to think bigger. Much bigger."

Chase disappeared once again with an idea in his head — only to return back in his new appearance that quite frankly, shocked Emilia as she saw her boyfriend fully covered in peanut butter.

"Oh, Otis. I'm extra chunky." Otis seemed to finally give in to the peanut butter after Chase said that, now running from a hungry Otis, screaming. "My legs are sticking, my legs are sticking!"

Emilia and Douglas dropped down from the top of the hydra-loop and ran into the training area to see Otis trapped in a net.

"Good idea with the net, Chase." Douglas praised the boy who smiled, rambling on. "Thanks. Mr. Davenport installed it—"

"Yeah, no one cares." Douglas interrupted Chase before using the chip extractor on the dog to remove Otis' chip. "There. Got his chip."

While Douglas was over the moon about his dog being back to himself, Adam had came back, dropping the ball to the floor from his mouth, his attention turning away from the ball as he could smell peanut butter — leaving Chase now struggling on the floor as Adam was licking the food from Chase, even if he was back in his own mind.

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MEGAN SPEAKS !

i hope you enjoyed reading this
chapter!
some chase and emilia moments
for you all!
thanks for reading, i love you all!! <33