In the common area.

Leo and S-1 walks up to Adam, Bree, Chase and McKayla "Well, guys, it took a while, but we finally came up with S-1's new name." Leo says.

"We went through hundreds before we came up with the perfect one." S-1 says "What is it?" Bree asks "Charlotte." Leo says "Taylor." Taylor says simultaneously and they both look at each other confused

"Right, Taylor. My...second choice." Leo says "It's a beautiful name" McKayla says "I like it." Bree says "Yeah, great name." Chase says.

"Eh, it doesn't really matter to me. I didn't remember your other name and I'm not gonna remember this one either." Adam says "How kind" McKayla says sarcastically "Aw thanks napkin girl!" Adam says and McKayla rolls her eyes.

Donald walks over "Hey guys. I have some very exciting news." Donald says "You're finally eligible for senior citizen discounts?" Adam says "No. Maybe. I don't want to talk about it. Look..." Donald says annoyed.

"...the President called and he is honoring you guys with a prestigious award for completing mission number 1,000." Donald says "Woah!" McKayla says "That's awesome! Congratulations, guys!" Taylor says.

"Thanks, but technically, if you count all the missions where our bionics were still a secret, the number is actually 2,604. But who's counting?" Chase smiles with a shrug "You are. That's all you do is count." Bree says.

"It's not all I do!" Chase says "Oh yeah I forgot you've been doing a few extra things lately" Bree mocks "And he's probably been counting these too" she thinks.

Chase frowns "Wait what do you mean by that?" McKayla says, Bree scoffs "Oh like you don't know" Bree says "What?" Chase asks, Bree rolls her eyes and McKayla and Chase look at each other with confusion.

"This is going to be great! It's about time I got honored for something. So, when is this little shin-dig?" Leo says excitedly "Uh, in a couple weeks. There's going to be a big fancy ceremony on the mainland. But the President's only honoring the original team, Adam, Bree and Chase." Donald explains.

"What?! How can he do that? I go on missions with them all the time." Leo says "Aw poor thing" McKayla says "I'm sure when they hand out awards for completing 32 and a half missions, you'll get yours." Donald walks away.

Chase goes to Leo "It's actually 31 and a half, but who's counting?" Chase says "It's not helping baby" McKayla says "Sorry" Chase says and pats Leo on the shoulder

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

In the common area.

Chase walks up to Adam, whit Bree and McKayla "Hey, Adam, how's the fire prevention training going?" Chase asks "Wait, did you say fire prevention?" Adam says as a blast and alarm sound from a distance.

"Ooh, well, it's too late to prevent that one." Adam says, Chase rolls his eyes. "Could you guys go put that fire out and prevent the other 15 we set?" Adam tells his students

Logan runs in "Guys, you have to come see this. Leo just did something super amazing!" Logan says, everyone follows Logan into the training area where Leo and Taylor are holding hands while Luke who was sitting in the background gets up and walks towards them.

"Aww. Leo's holding hands with a girl. That is amazing." Bree says "And very cute too" Luke says "It's not a girl, it's Taylor." Leo says, Taylor squeezes his hand "A girl with very sharp finger nails. Ouch, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Leo clears his throat.

"The point is, we found a new ability. Check this out." Taylor and Leo hold hands while a sphere of energy accumulates in their hands "Woah!" McKayla says "Now!" Leo says, an EMP files forward and knocks out the power.

"Aw, man, now I can't see what the new ability is." Adam says "That was the new ability." Leo says "Turn off the light? I do that too" McKayla says sarcastically.

"Well, do you have another that turns you into a nightlight?" Adam says "Hold on, I'll bring the backup system online." Chase looks at the tablet in his hand and the power comes back on.

"This is really cool" Luke says "We accidentally found it when we locked hands during combat training." Leo says

"Technically, I was helping him off the floor after I body slammed him." Taylor says "Oh makes sense" McKayla smirk, Leo turns to Taylor.

"Body slam? It was more like a somersault."Want me to show them?". Taylor says "No, no. We're good." Leo says.

"How exactly does this work?" McKayla asks "When we join hands, our laser spheres combine to create one large sphere that is so powerful, it sends out an electromagnetic pulse!" Leo explains.

"EMP's disable any piece of electrical technology they touch." Taylor says "Woah that's amazing" Luke tells Taylor "Eh I could do that too" Bree says putting her hand on Luke's shoulder "You don't have laser spheres" Luke says "Uh but I'm more likely to do that than you" Bree says nervously, Luke agrees slightly.

"Dude, that was incredible! One day, I'm going to be just like you." Logan tells Leo "Thank you, son. Now move along." Leo smiles "Uh, no offense, Logan, but when did Leo become your hero?" Bree asks.

"Are you kidding? Talk about an underdog. He was just a regular guy. And all of a sudden he got bionics and became an inspiration to the whole world." Logan says "Well, that is my story." Leo says "That's the Leo I know" McKayla smiles sarcastically "Please M.C, less. your boyfriend is standing right next to you" Leo says convinced.

McKayla and Chase look at each other confused "And I love how he didn't let his scrawny body and inferior skill set stop him from...""We got it, Logan." Leo interrupts Logan annoyed.

Chase steps forward "I'm a little worried about this new ability. EMPs are very, very dangerous." Chase tells Leo "But if we'd had this when Krane was around, we could have shut down his Triton App in a second." Leo says.

"It doesn't matter. It's still dangerous. Don't use it again until we've had time to study it in a controlled environment." Chase says "Come on, Chase." Leo says "No." Chase says more firmly "If we just...You heard me!" Chase shouts

"Woah" McKayla's eyes widen slightly. "No more EMPs!!" Chase says angryly starts to walk away "Damn, I've never seen him like this. I'm not going to lie, I have goosebumps" McKayla thinks with an akward smile

"Boo" Logan says quietly, Chase turns around to look at him, Logan looks away and then Chase leaves the room.

"All right, guys, let's get back to work. Next up, CPR training. Uh, no, wait. CPR Prevention." Adam leaves with group of students "I think you better supervise this" McKayla points to Adam "I agree" Bree leaves.

"I hate this. I've worked so hard to prove myself but it doesn't matter. They're always going to see me as their little brother whose "barely bionic."" Leo says, McKayla and Luke look at each other.

"Aw Leo that's not true" McKayla walks up to him "Yeah Man, Chase only said that because he's worried about your safety regarding this new ability" Luke says "Which means he doesn't think I'm capable of controlling it" Leo says.

"That's not what he meant," McKayla says, "Yes, it is M.C. You don't need to console me, I know the truth" Leo says "If it makes you feel better, I think our new ability is super cool." Taylor says.

"Yeah, they're just jealous because they were born perfect and you were born a teeny, tiny, weakling who had no...""Shut it!" Leo stops Logan "Dude, I know you mean well but sometimes silence helps more" Luke tells Logan.

"I'm so sick of them not treating me seriously. It's time to prove I'm as much a bionic hero as they are." Leo says "I don't know if it's a good idea. This may not end well. But if I say something, Leo will think I don't take him seriously either" McKayla thinks.

"I hear you, Leo. And we've got your back." Taylor says, Leo smiles at her and looks at Luke and McKayla "Eh, right Mack?" Luke says unsure, McKayla shrugs "Eh" McKayla says in the same tone.

"Thanks, guys. It means a lot." Leo says, Taylor and Leo fist bump, only to set off another EMP and shut the power off "Yeah, we gotta stop doing that." Leo says "Totally" McKayla says.

"And that's why Chase is worried. Why doesn't anyone listen to him?" McKayla thinks.

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

In the common area.

Adam is leaning on a column while talking to Chase who is sitting on the stairs hugging McKayla who is sitting between his legs on the step in front. She lays her head on his chest as they intertwine their fingers.

And Bree and Luke are sitting next to them "We've really been on 1,000 missions? It felt more like six." Adam says "You must have a serious memory problem man" Luke says "He has a serious problem in...Everything" Bree says.

Chase looks at Adam "Nope. It was way more than that, and I remember all of them. Literally. They're backed up on my hard drive." Chase points to his brain and smiles proudly.

McKayla giggles as she sits up straighter, briefly grabbing Chase's thighs for support, making him feel a brief shiver in the pit of his stomach.

"Maybe you should clear a few out. You know, free up some space to add some personality, or a sense of humor. You know, a likeable trait." Bree says "You're more passive aggressive today than normal, what happened?" McKayla says annoyed.

Chase smirks at her, seeing how his girlfriend always makes a point of defending him. Chase blushes slightly as McKayla approaches him and he starts to pay attention to her shoulders in front of him. And he notices the strap on her bra next to the strap on the tank top she wears.

Chase follows her bra strap with his eyes to the final seam on her back, the tight tank top she wears left a clear mark where the bra clasp would be "I wish I could..." Chase swallows hard and blinks twice, trying to get his mind back to reality.

Leo, Taylor, and Logan walk in "Hey, Leo." Bree says "Don't talk to me like I'm a child!" Leo says annoyed "What?" Luke says "All I said was "Hey, Leo."" Bree says confused "Well, I detected a tone." Leo says.

"What's up with you?" Chase asks as McKayla makes room in case Chase decides to stand up "I'll tell you what's up with me. I am tired of everyone treating me like some kind of non-existent bionic hero." Leo says.

"Hey, just because it's true, doesn't mean you have to take it personally." Adam says, McKayla punches him in the stomach, Adam glares at her annoyed.

"Oh, really? Well, guess what. We're starting our own team. That's right. You're looking at the next generation of bionic superhumans." Leo, Taylor, and Logan pose, Luke scoffs.

Leo look at Logan "It's the other way like we rehearsed." Leo whispers "Oh, right." Leo turns the other way "Such a Poser" Luke says.

Chase gently takes McKayla's arm and pulls it away so he can stand up and walk over to Leo "And, uh, who might be the leader of this new bionic team?" Chase ask, Taylor points to Leo "You're looking at him." Taylor says.

Chase laughs "Are you kidding me? Leo?" Chase says "See, right there. There's that tone!" Leo says angryly "It was a really presumptuous tone indeed" McKayla thinks

"Look, you don't just become a leader by saying you're a leader. It takes years of mission experience." Chase says "You named yourself mission leader when you were 14." Leo says "Eh, wrong! I was 12. Good thing someone around here counts." Chase says.

Bree looks at McKayla "Really, Him?" Bree says, McKayla rolls her eyes "He counts. It's much more than my brother is capable of" McKayla says "True, I don't blame you for being impressed by this" Luke says.

"You're not ready." Chase shrugs at Leo and walks away "Oh, yes, I am, and I'm going to prove to you that I'm ready!" Leo says.

"Sold!" Logan raises his hand "You were already on board." Taylor says "And yet he sold me again. He's that good." Logan says

"Is Mr. Davenport okay with this?" Bree asks, Donald walks in "Douglas thinks he's gonna beat me at my own game. I don't think so." Donald grumbles.

"Hey, Big D, is it cool if I start my own team?" Leo asks "Yeah, Leo, whatever. "It's indestructible."" Donald grumbles again and leaves.

"Ha! Victory pose." Leo, Taylor, and Logan pose, Leo facing backwards "Other way, sir." Logan says, Leo turns and faces forward.

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

McKayla and Chase walk through the common area.

"You don't think you got too hard on Leo" McKayla hugs Chase from behind "What do you mean?" Chase asks "He already thinks you guys don't take him seriously, maybe you should approach these issues in a lighter way with him" Chase says.

"I see your point" Chase says, McKayla smiles and she kisses his cheek "But otherwise he won't listen to me" Chase says "I see your point, but have you tried it? Like be serious with him without throwing your years of experience and stuff in his face?" McKayla says walking around him and resting her hands on his chest.

Chase tries to understand what she's saying but he can't "She's so smart and caring, I love how she tries to make me a better person" he thinks.

McKayla snaps her fingers close to his face "Hey. Are you listening to me?" McKayla says "No" Chase smiles, McKayla gasps with a smile "You silly!" McKayla pushes him.

Chase bites his lip and holds her chin "You're so cute" Chase says, McKayla blushes "Focus. you should be teaching him a moral lesson by not getting lost in his beautiful eyes" she thinks letting out a shy giggle and taking his hand away from her chin.

Adam, Bree and Luke pass them towards the training area, McKayla and Chase follow them.

Leo is in the training area with Logan and Taylor "Hey, Leo." Chase says "Break's over. Everybody up!" Leo says.

"How's your new team doing?" Chase says "Great. You see this right here? This is a little something we like to call leading and training." Leo says.

"Really? Looks to me like standing and talking." Adam says "Adam" McKayla lightly pushes his arm.

"We carried him all the way down an imaginary mountain." Logan says "I don't see this as an effective training exercise" Luke says "Yeah, why?" Bree says "Because the guy weighs 60 pounds. Give him a break." Logan says.

"We've been working hard. We found a way to include Logan and make our new ability even better. Check this out." Leo says "Wait Leo..." Luke says, Taylor and Leo hold hands while a sphere of energy accumulates in their hands.

"Leo, I specifically told you not to do that again. It's too dangerous." Chase says worriedly

"Too dangerous, or too awesome?" Leo says as he and Taylor begin to build up energy holding hands "Too dangerous!" McKayla says knowing that based on Chase's concern it is really something dangerous.

"Now I'm gonna use my energy manipulation to guide their EMP towards a target." Logan says "Not yet, junior. These kids came for a show. Amp it up, Tay-tay." Leo says.

Taylor becomes visibly distressed "Uh that doesn't seem right" Luke says "Okay, now I'm gonna...""Not yet!" Leo says, Taylor seems to have difficulty maintaining stable energy "Leo" McKayla says worried "Leo, it's too much for her!" Chase says.

"Oh, please, you're just jealous that your team isn't as powerful as mine." Leo says, energy increases "Leo, stop!" Bree says "I need to do something" McKayla says "Mack is dangerous!" Luke says.

McKayla spots a training shield "Back off! This is my team and..""Taylor!" McKayla grabs the shield and runs in front of Taylor before she being blasted to the other side of the room, They both fall to the floor and they all run over.

"Taylor!" Leo shouts "McKayla!" Chase shouts, Taylor is unconscious "Owch! My head" McKayla says as Chase brushes her hair out of her face.

"Taylor wake up" Bree says "Go get help!" Chase tells Logan to run away and Leo watches the scene scared.

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

In the common area.

McKayla walks in with a bandage on her forehead and her arm "Macky!" Chase runs up to her with Luke "Mack are you okay?" Luke asks "Yeah I just hit my head and I burned my arms with the spheres, buy it's okay" McKayla says wakly.

"What were you thinking?" Chase says worried "about saving Taylor" McKayla says, Chase smirks at his girlfriend's heroism, impressed "Wow you threw yourself in front of her with that shield without thinking twice!" Luke says "Impressive" Chase says and gives her a peck on the lips "But don't do it again" Chase says softly, McKayla smiles.

Donald walks in "Mr. Davenport, how's Taylor?" Chase asks "The good news is, I flew in the best doctors money could buy, so she's in good hands." Donald says.

"Well, how seriously is she hurt?" Bree asks "She was lucky that McKayla pushed her before being hit by the sphere's energy at full power. But the bionics overload affected her human system. We'll know more when she wakes up." Donald says.

"I'm sorry, Big D. I feel terrible." Leo says "You should. What were you thinking making her max out her abilities?" Donald says angryly "I didn't think she'd get hurt. I just wanted to show everyone what my new team could do." Leo says.

"Do you still think I was being hard on him?" Chase asks McKayla "Chase, not now" McKayla says.

"New team? Who said you could have a new team?" Donald says "You did. Earlier today when you walked through here." Leo says "Well, you should know better than to bother me when I'm focused on me!" Donald says.

"Look, I have to get back to the infirmary. I'll let you guys know if there's any other news." Donald leaves.

Chase puts his hand on McKayla's back and as he walks towards Leo "You should've stopped when I told you to. This just proves you're not ready to lead your own team." Chase says angryly.

"I am more than ready. And maybe I wouldn't feel like I need to prove that to you guys if you weren't always looking down on me!" Leo says "Leo, we don't look down on you." Bree says "Yeah, we have total respect for all of your shortcomings." Adam says, "you're not helping" Luke says comforting McKayla, who doesn't look very good.

"When are you guys gonna stop treating me like I'm an idiot?!" Leo says, Chase shakes his head "Maybe when you stop acting like one." Chase seriously says "That was rough" McKayla thinks.

"You know what? Maybe quitting your team wasn't enough. Maybe I need to quit being your brother, too!' Leo storms away angryly.

"Don't worry, Chase. He can't legally do that. Trust me, I've looked into it." Adam says, everyone looks at him and he leaves the room.

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

McKayla and Chase are in the cafeteria in front of the training area.

Chase made McKayla some tea "Here this should help with your headache" Chase says, McKayla smiles "Thanks Babe" McKayla says softly and blows on the tea.

"I'm sorry about your and Leo's argument" McKayla says "He doesn't know what he's talking about, if he had listened to me instead of..." Chase sighs, McKayla looks at the mug in her hand.

"But maybe instead of just criticizing him I should have helped him. We should have helped him if he felt like that" Chase says thoughtfully, McKayla takes his hand "It would be the right thing to do as his sibilings" McKayla says.

"It also wouldn't hurt if you apologized for calling him an idiot" McKayla says, Chase makes a regretful look "Look at you, do you realize how serious this little accident could have been? Especially for a non-bionic human like you. He irresponsibly put you and Taylor at risk..." Chase says, Leo being able to hear it in the silence of the training area where he was talking to Logan.

Leo is reflective about what he heard, knowing it's true "...I freaked out. But I didn't want it to be like that" Chase says sorry "Okay, you guys will make up again" McKayla says, Chase takes a deep breath as McKayla returns to drinking her tea.

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

In the training area.

Several students are gathered when Bree runs in "Chase, what's going on?" Bree asks "Mr. Davenport has another update on Taylor." Chase says.

Leo runs in "Hello." Leo says stiffly "Excuse me, sir. Now that we aren't brothers, what should I call you?" Adam says "Adam, don't push it" McKayla says.

Logan walks in "Hey, Logan." Bree says "Hey, guys. Good to see you." Logan says gently "Ahem!" Leo clear his throat "Oh, right. We're still mad at them. Hey, guys, it is not good to see you." Logan ignores them with the look "Wow how mature" Luke says sarcastically, Chase nods.

Donald walks in "How is she?" Leo asks "Awake. She's gonna make it." Donald says.

"See? Told ya. So, what kind of bionic upgrades did you throw in? Rocket feet or rocket elbows? Rocket hips? Just sayin' the girl could use some rockets." Leo smiles "No, Leo....Taylor made it, but doctors are keeping her under observation due to the critical condition of her retinas, which were damaged by the laser spheres. She could lost her eyesight. If they are unsuccessful, she will go blind." Donald explains.

"Oh no" McKayla says worriedly "What?" Leo says "They are trying everything and thanks to McKayla we have a chance but it's a very little chance of fixing this. Could become permanent." Donald says.

"Permanent for how long?" Adam asks, Chase rolls his eyes "But then you didn't give up?" Luke asks "Not yet but her condition is very serious" Donald says "There's gotta be something you can do. You have to keep trying!" Leo says worriedly.

"I'm sorry, Leo. But I don't want to fill you with false hopes" Donald leaves the room "I can't believe it. She might never gonna see again. It's all because of me." Leo says the weight of the situation falling on him all at once "There's still a chance" McKayla says.

Leo looks at McKayla up and down, seeing a small bruise on her ankle, her bandaged arm and the bandage on her forehead which only made his guilt increase "She's going to be fine. You said that" Logan says. Leo walks slowly out of the room, overcome with guilt.

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

In the common area.

Donald walks up to the bionic trio and the cousin duo "You guys seen Leo? He wasn't at breakfast this morning." Donald says "I don't think he left our dorm" Luke says, Leo walks in

"That's because I was packing." Leo says holding a bag "Leo, what are you doing? You're supposed to be training." Chase says "I'm going back to Mission Creek. I don't belong here anymore. I'm quitting the academy." Leo says in an upset tone.

"What?" Chase sua "No" McKayla shakes her head "Wait, we can do that?" Adam says "Adam!" Bree says as Luke rolls his eyes.

"Look, Leo, I know you're upset about Taylor, but it was an accident." Donald says "No. Chase was right. I'm not cut out to be a leader." Leo says "I never meant for you to leave." Chase says.

"Man, these things happen" Luke says "Part of being a leader is making mistakes. You learn from them, and you move on." Donald explains.

"I mean, look at Chase. Think of all the mistakes he's made as mission leader." Donald says "Yeah. Remember when the particle collider collapsed on us because of him?" Adam says "Or when he told Sebastian about Krane, and started the rebellion." Bree says.

"Or the other time when he was trying...""Mistakes were made! We get it!" Chase shouts. "I bet you don't count those, do you?" McKayla says, Chase glares at her.

"But his never hurt anyone. McKayla had to take a risk because of my mistake and Taylor may need to live with my mistake for the rest of her life." Leo says "So you're just gonna give up and leave? What about our team?" Logan asks "Logan, you deserve a better team. Or at least a better leader." Leo says.

"I'm not gonna put you or anyone else here in danger ever again." Leo takes out mission suit from bag "Leo, I'm so sorry. Maybe if I hadn't thrown myself in front of her or..." McKayla says "No, M.C, you saved her life, unlike me. Hero maybe you're more deserving." Leo gives his mission suit to McKayla.

Leo starts to go to the hydraloop "Leo..." McKayla says upset, Chase gently holds her shoulders to comfort her "Leo, I'm not gonna let you...""Yes, you are, because it's not your choice. It's mine."Leo interrupts Donald.

"Bye, guys. Sorry I let you down." Leo leaves via hydraloop, while everyone looks at each other upset at the boy's decision.

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

In the Mentor's Quarters.

Adam, Bree, and Chase are sleeping in their capsules when Adam presses a button and opens their capsule doors.

"Guys, wake up!" Adam shouts "Ah!" Chase squeals awake "What's wrong?" Chase asks "I can't sleep. Usually, when I can't sleep, Leo would sing me a song." Adam says "He would?" Bree asks, Adam nods.

"He doesn't even sleep here he shares the dorm with Mack and Luke" Bree says, Adam rolls his eyes "And how could you even hear him? Our capsules are soundproof." Chase says.

...

Bree and Chase are in Adam's capsule with him singing.

"♫Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird♫" Bree and Chase signal to each other and start to sneak out of Adam's capsule "♫If that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring♫" They start to sneak out "Still awake!" Adam says with his eyes closed.

Bree and Chase, halfway out of the capsule, return reluctantly and start singing again, McKayla and Luke they stop at the door "Told you weren't going crazy" Luke says "maybe you weren't" McKayla frowns at the three of them inside the capsule.

"I confess that I feel bad for them" Luke says thoughtfully, not about that specifically but about the whole situation, McKayla sighs "I think there's only one thing to do now" McKayla looks at her cousin.

...

Now McKayla and Luke are in Adam's capsule sitting at Chase and Bree's feet singing to Adam.

"♫Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring♫" The four sing until Adam falls asleep.

━━━━━━━ •♬• ━━━━━━━

A/N- Hello everyone, sorry for having stopped constantly posting chapters of this story. But that was because I was too focused on the end of my other story. But now I want to get back on track of this story so...

I want you to comment on what you think and your favorite part so far?

Also, if anyone has ideas or requests about what they would like to see in the story in the next chapters, feel free to tell me, I would love to have your ideas and opinions.

I hope you guys are enjoying it, don't forget to comment and vote and see you in the next chapter 😘