xlviii. spider island

——

~Beach~

Freya sat upon a rock on the beach watching Chase as he was teaching a group of dolphins to say hello. Freya's mind has been racing ever since her mother was taken to the ER this morning with Tasha and Juliet. Freya wanted to go, but Juliet suggested she stay here. Freya protested but gave in after realizing how panicked she would have been if she had been there with them. Being here with Chase helps keep her calm and at ease, he is her safe haven.

Freya's appointment to get her boot off is on Saturday, and she is ready to be free of it. She is still scared to see how she will walk and train without it, but she knows Chase will help her however she needs. She trusts him but is scared she could get injured again.

Freya was smiling softly as she watched Chase teach the dolphins, finding it endearing and adorable. Even when her world is crashing down, being with Chase always helps her rebuild her world stronger than it was before.

Every day, her love grows stronger and stronger for him.

"Rey," Chase beckoned to his girlfriend, who snapped out of her trance and sat up. "They want to say "Hi."

Freya chuckled as Chase helped her up, and gently held her near the shore. Freya waved to the adorable dolphins that were swimming near the shore.

"Hi," Freya greeted and a few of them squeaked in return at Chase's command. "Aw! They are so cute!"

"I know," Chase agreed. "But, not as cute as you."

Freya blushed, looking away and Chase kissed her cheek.

"I lo-" Freya looked back up, stopping midsentence and Chase tilted his head. "I loved watching you teach the dolphins."

"That's why I asked you to watch." Chase grinned. Freya nodded, smiling softly, and let out a silent breath. Every time she wants to say it, she panics and can't.

"I'm glad," Freya played with the hem of his shift, chuckling faintly. "But, let's head inside. I'm cold."

"Alright." He smiled and the couple looked at the dolphins. Chase waved. "Goodbye!"

The dolphins squeaked in return and Freya waved, chuckling as they swam away.

Chase and Freya walked off the beach, towards the academy.

——

~Common Area~

Chase and Freya walked to find Leo, Bree, and Douglas. Leo approached the couple.

"Hey Chase, Rey, wanna hang out?"

"Sorry Leo, gotta make the most of my day off. I already organized the weapons vault, alkalized the island's water system and Rey watched me teach a cute little group of dolphins to wave hello!" Chase explained, imitating a dolphin wave.

"It was adorable," Freya smiled, grabbing his arm. "And to answer your question, uh... no." She smiled at Leo, who frowned.

"Next up, some light reading," Chase said and grabbed Bree's book. "Oooh."

Chase sped-read through the book and gasped. "She ended up marrying the vampire? I did not see that coming!"

Bree glared, snatching her book back.

Adam walks in with a giant rock.

"Oh, hey, Adam." Leo greeted, getting immediately ignored by him.

"No." Adam dismissed, turning to his siblings and Freya.

"I didn't even ask you anything yet." Leo frowned.

Adam turned to him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"Thank you. Would you like to han-"

"No." Adam denied him and showed off the giant rock. "Guys, check out this rock I found on the shore. I had to dig it out from under a wooden box of old yellow coins and jewelry."

"Like a treasure chest?" Freya asked.

"No... that's not it." Adam shook his head, and Freya shrugged it off.

"Adam, this isn't a rock. It's a fossil. Let me see that." Chase grabbed the rock from his brother.

"No!" Adam protested and they tussled for it, until Chase got the rock. He laid it on the console and scanned it with his bionic eye.

Chase gasps in amazement, looking at everyone. "This is a prehistoric sea spider! It went extinct millions of years ago."

"Really?" Freya asked with a faint grin, intrigued.  Freya wasn't a big fan of spiders, but she still loves biology and anything related to science.

"Way to go, Chase. You made my rock boring." Adam sighed and walked into the training area.

"Cool, I love spiders! You know, back in high school, they used to call me 'Spider Legs!'." Leo smirked, and this got like from the others. Freya grinned, stifling her laugh. Leo realized. "And now I'm realizing that's a bad thing."

"Wonder where that nickname came from," Freya muttered, looking around and Leo gave her a wide-eyed look of shock.

"It looks like it's from the Cretaceous period," Douglas informed.

"The period that had the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs," Freya added. Everyone looked at her, shocked by how she knew that. "What? I'm dating Chase, I listen sometimes."

She listens all the time. She'll never get tired of her boyfriend being nerdy.

Chase rubbed her back, smiling softly. "Well, you're both right. It's from the Valanginian subdivision. I would have loved to have seen this spider while it was alive."

Dougkad smiled, patting Chase's shoulder. "Well, maybe you can. You know, before I got into bionics, I dabbled in biology. I was trying to use fossils to bring extinct species back to life."

"And that explains why Cassie didn't become Mrs. Davenport," Bree remarked and Freya scoffed.

"There are many more reasons why," Freya grinned, glaring at Douglas, who shrugged.

"This specimen is almost perfectly preserved." Chase examined the fossil.

"You know, I was never able to crack it on my own, but maybe with your help, I can," Douglas told Chase, and Freya looked at the two with hopeful eyes.

"Can I help? I like spiders and biology," Freya smiled.

Freya didn't like spiders. She just wanted to be with Chase.

"You want to help them?" Bree asked Freya with disbelief, who nodded and Bree shrugged, not judging.

"More the merrier, Rey." Douglas put his arm around the blonde, who smiled.

Chase was giddy about Freya. He will never get over the fact that his girlfriend loves biology like he does.

"Always welcome, Rey." Chase kissed her cheek and she blushed.

Leo pointed to himself. "I'm pretty sure you're not looking at me, but I am in."

"Let's do this, Rey and Douglas." Chase declared and Freya beamed up at her boyfriend.

Adam rides over on a tandem bike. "Hey Leo, it was rude of me to just say no when you asked if I wanted to do something earlier."

"Well, it's nice to see you've come to your senses." Leo politely smiled and tried to get on the bike.

"Yeah, what I should've said was 'no thank you." Adam rides away and Leo stumbles, frowning at him.

——

~Training Area~

Chase, Freya, and Douglas were in the training area with the fossil and other supplies, trying to find a way to bring it back to life. Freya was surprisingly helpful, she was up out of her seat and working. Even with her boot still on, she was able to walk a bit without her crutches.

She wanted to impress Chase. And this also helped her get her mind off her mother.

Douglas was drilling at the rock with the help of Freya using her electrokinesis. "Almost there. Got it."

Leo walks in. "Oh, you guys started without me. I must have missed the memo. Where we at, compadres?"

"First, we have to extract a sample of its DNA." Freya began and Chase got up, joining them.

Chase's hand found her lower back. "Oh, great, we can map out its genetic structure, and recreate it exactly."

"Or make it better. There's a reason this spider went extinct. This time we can give it a better shot at survival." Douglas explained and smiled. "After all these years of killing things, I can finally help something live."

"Uh, what'd you have in mind? Elongating its chelicera?" Chase asked.

Leo blinked twice, lost. "Elongating the who to the what now?"

"Maybe we can increase the strength of its carapace," Freya suggested.

Leo smiled, nodding at her. "Oh, good idea."

"Babe, but to do that we'd have to alter the dimensions of its trochanter." Chase reasoned and Freya nodded, understanding.

Leo shrugged. "Mm, bad idea."

"Right, to properly distribute the weight..." Douglas began.

Leo nodded. "Yes, the weight."

"Of its altered exoskeleton." Chase continued.

"The exoskeleton. Of course." Leo repeated.

Freya frowned at Leo. "You're just repeating everything we say."

Leo scoffed. "No, I'm testing you to see if you're both listening, and you are. Now, can we please get back to our tree panthers and our carrot pizzas?"

"Carrot pizza sounds awful," Freya scrunched her nose up.

"Leo, look. You're a great tech guy, but this is more of a biology thing." Chase reasoned and Leo looked at Freya, who shrugged.

She couldn't argue with Chase on this one.

"Are you icing me out?" Leo asked, insulted.

"Well... uh," Freya trailed off, sheepishly and poked Chase, asking for help.

"Finally. Something you do understand." Chase smiled and he and Douglas stepped closer, almost squishing Freya in the middle, and now blocking Leo out.

Leo looked at them in shock and Freya sighed silently, before moving on and focusing on the spider.

——

~Common Area~

After hard work and determination, Freya, Douglas, and Chase finally were able to reanimate the sea spider. Freya was freaked out by the creature, not to mention the awful way it smelled. She hated looking at it, but she felt proud of herself for being able to bring a creature back to life. Paying attention to biology class and her boyfriend for once paid off.

Adam, Bree, And Leo were here, awaiting the exciting announcement Chase told them about. There was a tank covered with a tarp in front of them.

"Behold! One of the greatest achievements in the history of science!" Douglas announced and unveiled the spider to everyone.

Adam yelled out in fear. "Aaah! Spider! I'll get it!"

Chase held back his brother, yelling. "No! Stop. Stop."

"Reasonable reaction," Freya shrugged with a grin.

Adam calmed down and Chase sighed. "Douglas, Rey, and I were able to extract the DNA from the fossil and reanimate the sea spider."

Bree was impressed. "Wait, so you brought a million-year-old creature back to life in one day?"

Chase grinned cheekily. "What'd you do with your day off?"

"When you take a lot of shortcuts and conduct dangerous experiments without any safety precautions, you can do anything in a day." Douglas smiled proudly.

"Can you believe it?" Chase asked.

"That you'd spend your whole day off with your weird uncle playing with a dead spider? Yeah, I believe it." Bree scoffed. "It's Freya that I'm surprised by.

The blonde shrugged. "There's a lot about me that you don't know. I sometimes do pay attention to Chase."

Freya leaned her arm on her boyfriend, who gave her a frown in response and she smiled up at him. "Thank you?"

"This is just the beginning. Think of all the other extinct animals we can bring back to life. Dinosaurs. Ooh, dodo birds..." Douglas started to name off.

"Camels," Adam added.

Freya chuckled. "Adam, camels aren't extinct."

"Oh yeah? Then how come I've never seen one?" Adam reasoned and the blonde rolled her eyes.

Leo leaned closer, his nose scrunching. "Ugh, that thing is nasty. Can I touch it?"

Douglas shook his head. "No."

Leo raised his eyebrow. "Oh, but you guys can touch it?"

"Did you bring it back to life?" Freya folded her arms, glaring at him.

"I tried to help-"

"Exactly, you didn't. So, no touchy!" Freya interrupted Leo, smacking his hand away. Leo grabbed his hand, leaning away from her.

Chase stepped between them. "Look, we can't risk anything happening to it. The spider's very existence can change everything."

Douglas smiled smugly. "And make me famous around the world."

Chase touched Freya's lower back. "And what about Rey and I?"

Douglas waved them off. "Oh, I'm sure you'll end up on somebody's blog."

Freya rolled her eyes, exchanging an annoyed look with Chase.

Douglas places an electronic lid on the tank, locking it. "There. That should keep our little friend safe."

"As long as we can't smell it, we are good," Freya remarked and Chase stifled a laugh.

"Well, I'm gonna go somewhere quiet and enjoy my day off." Bree turned to leave.

"I'm gonna go somewhere quiet and make noise." Adam added and followed Bree out.

Adam and Bree walk off together, Adam annoyingly trailing her.

Bree groaned in irritation. "Stop following me!"

Adam mocked her back. "Stop walking in front of me!"

Chase kissed Freya's cheek before he and Douglas went into the hydroloop.

"Where are you guys going?" Leo asked them, following them.

"To the mainland. We still have to pick up a few things for its terrarium." Douglas told him as he sat with Chase. Freya started to walk away, heading for the mentor's quarters.

"Mind if I-" The hydro loop had taken off and Leo sighed. "Join you..."

Leo turned to Freya, expecting her to be there. "Rey, you wanna-" His smile faded when he saw her turn a corner, disappearing. "Hang out..." He huffed. "Well, if you guys are gonna blow me off, then I'm gonna play with my new pal Spidey." He tried to take off the lid, but it didn't budge. "Oh, great. I forgot they locked it." Leo smirked, lifting his bionic arm. "Good thing I have the spare key." He used his bionic arm to take off the lid and leaned his face in. "Well, hello there-" He gasped lightly at the horrific scent that emitting. "Oh, mmm. Anything that smells that bad deserves to be extinct."

Leo put the lid back on poorly, before walking away. Forgetting to lock it, allowed the sea spider to open it and stick a leg out.

——

~Mentor's Quarters~

Freya, Leo, and Bree were chilling in the mentor's quarters. Frye hasn't gotten any update on her mother, and she didn't know whether to be worried or relieved. No news, is good news possibly. She was happy to not get a phone call about her mother dying, so she will take it.

Adam walked in. "Hey, Leo, Rey, I have a question."

"What's up?" Leo asked.

"Oh boy..." Freya sighed.

"Is this annoying?" Adam blared the airhorn and Freya jumped, covering her ears at the loud noise.

"Yes, it's annoying!" Bree glared at him.

"Well, I'll tell you what's annoying. People who interrupt conversations." Adam snapped. Leo. Rey." He blared airhorn again and Freya cringed, plugging an ear.

"Adam, that is-"

Leo put his hand up. "Rey, shush." Freya glared at him. "Let me hear it one more time." He airhorn blares again and Freya groaned, covering her ears. "Yeah, that's annoying."

"That's awful!" She yelled, removing her hands from her ears.

"Then we might have a problem, 'cause this thing, it's like candy to my ears." Adam smiled and blared airhorn continuously, closing his eyes in peace.

"Ahhh!" Freya yelled, closing her eyes and covering her ears. "Stop!"

Bree slams the book in anger. "Adam, why do you keep pestering me?"

"I'm not pestering you. I'm just trying to relax on my day off. This is my Zen." Adam blares the airhorn continuously again. Freya got up and went over to him, grabbing the air horn from him.

"Stop!" She yelled and threw it in the pool.

"Hey!" Adam yelled

"That's it." Bree super speeds Adam over to the pool and pushes him in. "Try to toot your little horn now."

The air horn blares muffled from underwater and Bree, Freya, and Leo roll their eyes at him.

Douglas and Chase walk in, pointing at Leo.

"You messed with our spider." Douglas accused.

"You can't bring an extinct spider back to life and expect me not to play with it." Leo reasoned. "Besides, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is, you didn't put the cover on right, and it escaped," Cher explained and Freya yelped, leaping into Chase's arms.

"What?!" She gripped Chase and he gave her a look.

Leo was taken back, nodding. "Oh. Well, that is a big deal."

Chase put Freya down, who kept her arms around him.

Adam gets out of the pool and starts screaming in pain.

"Adam?" Freya asked, rushing over to him with the others following.

"You okay?" Chase asked. Freya knelt down, helping him out.

Adam grunted in pain. "Oh, I don't know. Something bit me in the back when I was in the pool."

Bree mumbled with a grin. "Hmm. that's called karma."

"Oh, no, I bet it was the spider," Douglas said with worry as Freya helped him sit on the chair.

"Oh no." Freya sighed.

Chase sighed. "Well, if it was, it's gone."

Adam groaned. "Ah, it really hurts. How's it look?"

Adam turns around to reveal a massive boil on his back and everyone screams in fear. Freya leaped in Chase's arms again.

"Nope! We need to burn his place down!" Freya yelled out and Chase sighed, putting her down.

"Rey, we are fine." He assured her. "I better scan the wound." Chase scans the fine boil to reveal it has poison inside. He gasped, lowering his voice so Adam couldn't hear. "Guys, his spider bite shows lethal levels of poison."

"What?!" Freya yelled and Chase covered her mouth as this got glared from Bree, Leo, and Douglas.

Adam looked at them with concern. "What? Is it bad?"

"No!" Freya scoffed loudly and Chase nudged her arm.

Bree chuckled nervously. "Uh, no. Just stay calm, and think of your happy place. Better yet..."  Bree picks up the air horns and blasts it. Freya covered her ears, along with Chase, Leo, and Douglas.

Adam sighed happily. "Ahhh."

——

Adam was lying on the couch in the Mentor's Quarters, getting worse by the second. His face was pale with bags under his eyes.

Chase was checking his vitals. "His vitals are dropping by the minute."

Leo checked his temperature. "He's burning up."

"Whatever you do, do not tell Juliet. She will freak out," Freya told everyone.

Bree shook her head in disbelief. "I cannot believe this is all because of a spider bite."

"If we don't do something soon, he's gonna..."Douglas made a throat-slitting gesture and a thumbs-down gesture. Freya's eyes grew.

"What are we gonna tell my sister?" Freya asked, panicking internally.

"She won't find out, because we will save him," Chase assured her sister.

"Hopefully," Leo added and Freya yelped quietly, biting her nails.

Adam weakly called out. "Chase. Chase. Where's Chase?"

Chase quickly bends down next to him, taking his hand. "I'm here, Adam."

"Take my hand. There's something I have to tell you." Adam told him. "If I die--"

"I'm not gonna let that happen." Chase sincerely told him.

"No, listen to me." Adam sternly told him. "If I die, I want you to know...even when I'm dead..."

"Adam..." Chase shook his head, burying his head in his hands. Freya and Bree exchanged a look of suspicion. They weren't buying this from Adam.

"I'm just a pile of bones..." Adam continued and sighed. "I'll still be taller than you."

Chase jumps up immediately, groaning. "Ahh!"

Freya laughed, covering her mouth.

Adam laughed weakly, pointing. "You should've seen the look on your faces. Wait. Why do you have so many tiny faces?"

Leo bent over Adam. "Oh, no. The venom must be making him hallucinate."

Adam smiled up at Freya. "I love what you've done to your hair, Freya."

"Maybe we shouldn't fix him," Freya shrugged. "For once, he likes my hair."

"I never would've brought that spider back, had I known that it was poisonous," Chase remarked and Freya rubbed his shoulder.

"It's okay-"

"Why didn't you know it was poisonous?" Douglas asked, cutting her off.

"Why didn't you know it was poisonous? You're the fossil expert." Chase protested and Freya backed away from their argument.

"You're supposed to be the smartest man in the world." Douglas reasoned

Freya smacked their heads, glaring at them. "Hey, stop! Blaming each other is not gonna help Adam."

"Yeah. Besides, I'm the one who pushed him in the pool." Bree admitted.

"Oh, so it's your fault." Douglas pointed accusingly at Bree. "She admitted it."

Bree pointed to Leo. "Well, he let the spider out."

"Hey, I'm not even here right now. I'm in Gettysburg." Leo objected.

"I'm not being blamed, this is great," Freya grinned.

"We have to find that spider. If we can make an antidote by extracting the venom from its sac, it should reverse the effects." Chase explained.

Adam starts groaning and Freya gives him a sad look. "We'll save you, Adam. If not, Juliet will murder us all."

"Oh, Juliet, you look so lovely today," Adam reached his arms, making kissy noises toward Freya, who backed away to Chase.

"Don't worry, Adam. We're gonna find that spider and save you, I promise." Leo promised Adam.

Adam smiled goofily at Leo. "Okeydokey, Mr. Corn Dog." Leo suddenly appears as a giant corn dog in Adam's vision. "Oh, don't be afraid. I just wanna bite your head off."

Freya moved Leo back, both getting big eyes.

Chase beckoned the group. "Okay, come on."

——

~Common Area~

Chase, Bree, and Freya snuck into the common area, trying to find the spider. Chase was holding a newspaper, Bree had a plunger, and Freya had a bat. Freya was walking without her crutches, now feeling stable enough to move without help. She still was limping, but could still walk around.

She felt relieved she could walk better.

"Now, the spider is really dangerous, so we have to be very careful that we don't get bitten," Chase told the girls.

Bree and Freya nodded. "Right."

Chase walks directly behind Bree and Freya, trying to use them as a shield, and they stumble forward up the platform. Freya shoved her boyfriend gently, glaring at him.

"What are you doing?!" Bree asked him.

Chase pressed his lips together, feeling guilty. "Protecting you?"

"Really?" Freya asked, folding her arms.

"Oh, come on, I'm the bigger loss and we all know it," Chase confessed and the girls gasped at him as Chase went by them.

"You are bionic, and you're afraid of a spider?" Freya scoffed at him.

Freya was judging him, even though she was scared of the spider herself.

Chase leaned his hand on a pillar. "Of course not. I made it. I'm not afraid of it."

Bree and Freya grinned at each other before they ran their fingers in a walking motion across Chase's arm to mimic a spider.

Chase jumped up, screaming. "Ah! Get it off me, get it off me!" Chase runs out of the room and the girls laugh, high-fiving.

——

Leo and Chase ran into the Common Area from opposite sides.

"Did you find it?" Chase asked him.

Leo shook his head. "No. Did you?"

Chase lowered his newspaper. "Why would I ask if you found it if I found it?"

"I was being polite." Leo reasoned.

"At a time like this?" Chase protested.

"There is never a bad time for good manners." Leo sternly remarked.

Douglas ran in from the Training Area.

"Hey! Did you find it?" Chase asked him as Bree ran in from the hallway.

"No. Did you?" Douglas asked.

Leo grinned at Chase. "See? No, we did not, but thank you for asking."

"Where's Freya?" Bree asked.

"Right here." The four turned to find Freya sitting on top of the hydroloop. "And no, I didn't find it. Thank goodness."

"Rey, get down from there." Chase sighed and the blonde shook her head.

"I'd rather not." She chuckled sheepishly. "I'll just stay here."

"It's just a spider." Douglas reasoned.

"I know," she remarked.

"If you were scared of the spider, why did you help us reanimate it?" Chase asked her.

"I don't know!" Freya cried out and sighed. Chase went up to her, putting his hands up.

"Come on," Chase gestured. Freya hesitantly slides off the side of the hydroloop, allowing Chase to help her down.

"If this spider gets me, I'm taking you down with me." Freya threatened him and Chase chuckled, kissing her head.

"Oh I know."

Bree sighed, "Okay, the spider could not have just disappeared." A rumbling noise shook the whole room, making everyone stumble. "Wait. What was that?"

"I think it's coming from outside." Douglas pointed. The five rush to the window, staring out it with horror.

"Oh my gosh," Freya cried out, grabbing Chase.

Leo frowned. "Is that..." A shadow of a spider shape casts over the group, making them lean back. An audible gulp was heard from Freya.

"I think we just found the spider," Chase said with wide eyes.

"Really?" Freya sarcastically asked him.

A gigantic version of the sea spider is shown walking around the island's exterior, and then peers into the window letting out a ferocious roar.

The four of them scream fearfully and Freya jumps into Chase's arms. They run into the training area panicking.

"That spider did not look like that this morning. What happened?" Leo asked as Chase let Freya go, now pacing the room with visible panic.

"I don't know," Chase replied.

"Why is it so big?" Bree asked him.

"I don't know," Chase replied again, still panicked.

Freya grabbed his arms, freaking out. "Why don't you know?!"

Chase grabbed her shoulders. "I don't know!!" Douglas tries to sneak off, but the group catches him. "Douglas."

Douglas pauses, sighs, and turns back to them. "Okay, fine. Remember how you wanted to make the spider more resilient so that it wouldn't go extinct again?" He started to play with the goggles nonchalantly.

Chase and Freya exchanged a look before Freya sighed. "We remember you wanted to do that."

Douglas cleaned the goggles and cleared his throat. "And, uh, we talked about giving it growth hormones."

"And I said, DO NOT do that!" Chase exclaimed at him.

Douglas shrugged. "Which could be interpreted in many different ways."

Everyone groans in response and Freya smacks her forehead. "Why would you do that?!"

"Well, I didn't know it would get this big!" Douglas protested.

"Oh, yeah! Who knew growth hormones would make something grow?!" Chase exclaimed with sarcasm and irritation.

Douglas pointed at him. "You're just mad 'cause I didn't save any for you and Freya!"

Freya let out a gasp, hold her chest offended and Chase put his hands on his hips, angrily.

"Ooh." Leo and Bree said together.

"That was unnecessary and rude!" Freya pouted, folding her arms. Chase put his arm around her, squeezing her shoulder and glaring at Douglas.

"Below the belt, Douglas! Below the belt." Chase sneered and Freya nodded, glaring.

"Okay guys, stop, there is no need to kill each other." Bree interrupted and then grinned at Douglas. "Although, that was a good one, Uncle Dougie."

"No, it wasn't!" Freya protested before the room rumbled again and loud noises came from outside.

"If we don't stop that thing, it's gonna destroy the entire academy." Chase protested, stabilizing Freya.

"No, wait. We can't kill it yet. The venom's no good to Adam if we extract it when the spider's dead." Douglas explained.

Leo shrugged, sarcastically. "Great. Now we just need to find someone. who knows how to milk a 50-foot spider."

Douglas grabs a harpoon from the other side of the room. "No, no, we don't have to milk it . We have to extract the spider's venom with this. He puts a needle into the harpoon-like device. "This should be sharp enough to puncture the venom sac."

"Check the security feed to see if it's still out there," Chast told his sister and Leo.

Bree and Leo checked the footage and looked up at the others. "Okay, it's by the living quarters."

Chase patted Douglas's back. "Great. Let's go."

Douglas stopped them "Remember, we have to get as close as we can to make sure we get a good shot."

"So you want us to sidle up next to a giant, angry, deathly spider and poke it with a needle?" Leo asked him with disbelief.

Douglas nodded. Yep. And if we can do it before my brother and Juliet return, that would be great."

"Yeah, I don't want to find out how my sister will react if she finds out about Adam's condition." Freya chuckled nervously before the group rushed off the the Mentor's Quarters.

——

~Mentor's Quarters~

The group snuck into the mentor's quarters, where Adam was still sleeping at. The spider was circling the area they were in.

"Why is it trying to attack us?" Bree whispered.

"It's not. It's trying to eat us," Douglas informed.

"Why is it trying to eat us?!" Freya asked him, still holding Chase's arm.

"Because we forgot to bring back its food source." Douglas explained.

"We"? Leo asked and scoffed. "Oh, no. There is no we. This is all you. You are a terrible scientist!" Leo pointed accusingly at Douglas.

"Hey, I'm not the one who let the spider out." Douglas protested and shrugged.

"You are the one who made it a 50-foot-tall man-eater!" Leo exclaimed in frustration.

"I wish we just kept it as Adam's rock!" Freya exclaimed, resting her forehead on Chase's arm.

"Chase. Chase. Where's Chase?" Adam weakly cried out.

"Oh, knock it off!" Chase impatiently yelled.

They go outside, but Freya stays behind and the three look back at her.

"Rey?" Leo asked.

"Oh, we are all going?" Freya gestured to the four of them.

Leo grabbed her arm, pulling her along and the blonde groaned.

Freya stayed behind Chase, holding his arm with fear in her eyes. Leo grabs the harpoon, trying to angle it at the sea spider.

"Okay, all right..." Leo was struggling to find the angle. "Ha!"

"Leo, what are you doing?" Freya asked him, standing straight up.

Leo lowered the harpoon, putting his hands on his hips heroically. "Saving the day. You know, doing my Leo thing."

"Leo' and 'saving the day', don't go together," Freya remarked and he glared at her.

"Not like that, you aren't. Your angle's all off." Douglas berated before a spider leg struck Douglas and he got flung several feet away from them. The four gasped, looking over the corner.

Leo laughed. "Now that's karma."

Chase grabbed the harpoon. "No, stop. Douglas was right. Your angle is completely off."

Leo pulled the harpoon back, frowning. "Oh, I am not giving the harpoon to somebody who started all this."

"Again, you started all of this!" Chase protested, and Leo and him started to fight over the harpoon.

"Oh my gosh, stop it!" Freya exclaimed and shocked the boys with her electrokinesis. They yelped in pain, making them drop the harpoon and she picked it up.

"Let a lady handle this," Freya handed it to Bree, who grinned.

"Thanks, Rey, Now, I'm about to end it" Bree takes the harpoon from them and starts to approach the spider.

"You know, suddenly, I feel sorry for the spider," Chase mentioned and the three followed her close behind. Freya grabbed Chase, who put his arm around her.

"Come on, Bree." Freya encouraged.

Bree gets the perfect aim at the spider's venom sack. "Here goes."

After a few seconds of anticipation from everyone, Bree shoots the spider in the venom sac and it screeches, releasing yellow goo all over Bree. Bree groaned in disgust, and Freya covered her mouth, feeling herself gag.

"Oh gross!" She groaned.

"Got it," Bree said unamused as Douglas approached her.

Everyone watched the spider fall into the ocean, dying in the process.

Douglas smiled at Bree, who stared at him. "Perfect. This should be more than enough venom."

"It smells revolting," Freya coughed, walking away. "I'm gonna go puke."

Bree raised her eyebrow. "Ya think?" Douglas scrapes goo from her face with a vile. She groaned. "Ugh."

"Well, let's go make that antidote." Chase declared, and the boys left Bree alone standing in goo.

"Hey, Bree, you need a towel? No, it's okay. I'd rather just stand here covered in spider goo." Bree spoke to herself before she started gagging from it dipping in her mouth. "And it went in my mouth. Okay."

——

~Training Area~

Freya walked into the cafeteria where, Leo, Chase, Bree, and Douglas were playing cards.

"Guys, I got off the phone with Juliet, our mom is going to be okay." Frey smiled with relief, and the four smiled at her. Freya leaned against Chase. "She was diagnosed with stage 1 Breast Cancer, but they caught it early and can treat her easily."

"That's great, Rey." Chase put his arm around her waist, the couple shared soft smiles.

"What a great way to end the day. First, we kill a deadly giant spider and then we get good news about Cassie." Bree smiled.

"Is she coming home?" Douglas asked her.

"Yes, she will have at-home chemotherapy," Freya told him, giving him a genuine smile. This was the best day Freya had heard, and it was making her day better. Not to mention, she was walking without any pain and did not need her crutches.

"Does that mean she will lose her hair?" Leo asked.

"I'll take a bald mother over a dead one any day," Freya reasoned and the others nodded in agreement.

"You see, this is what I'm talking about. A little family bonding." Leo mentioned as Freya sat down next to Bree and Chase, picking up some cards.

Bree scoffed. "Funny how it takes a giant killer spider going after our loved ones to remind you what's really important. Sitting around with the same people you see every day." She sighed with annoyance in her eyes.

"Too bad we had to destroy Spidey. I'm gonna miss him." Leo admitted.

"I'm not," Freya chuckled. "This is what I get for expressing I like biology."

"You at least got to work with me, right? That's good." Chase asked her, rubbing her shoulder.

Freya's eyes shifted to Chase, and she tapped his cheek. "Yes, honey."

Chase looked away, and Freya pressed her lips together.

"On the bright side, we're the only people to make a species extinct twice." Douglas pointed out and the group nodded.

Adam walks in with a smile and a healthy exterior.

"Adam, you look great." Freya smiled.

"Thanks." Adam frowned in confusion. "You look like you always do. Weird hair."

Freya threw her arms up, shaking her head.

"Wow, that antidote worked quickly," Chase mentioned.

Leo's eyes grew at the sight of the giant boil still on his back. "Then, why does he still have a giant boil on his back?"

Chase, Leo, and Douglas get up to look as Bree and Freya stay back. Adam glanced at the giant boil on his back and Douglas waved him off.

"Eh, it's just excess fluid. Should be gone in a few days." Douglas informed, touching the boil.

"Or I can just pop it right now." Adam lifts his shirt and pops the boil, spraying pus all over Chase, Leo, and Douglas, who scream in disgust. Bree and Freya shielded themselves with a snack plate, sitting there in shock and Freya covered her mouth.

"Oh, I feel better already." Adam exhaled with relief. The girls shared a grin, chuckling.

"So do I." Bree said.

"And it went in my mouth." Leo froze in disgust and Adam looked back at him in horror.

——

~The Next Day: Common Area~

The next day it was back to training. Bree, Chase, Freya, Juliet, and Douglas were in the Common Area. Cassie was back in her room, resting, and had started chemotherapy. If all goes well, she should be healed in no time. No one had mentioned anything about the spider chaos to Juliet, and they did not plan to.

Adam ran into the common area with an egg. "Hey, guys, check out this funny-looking egg that washed up on shore."

Chase grabbed the egg, examining it "That's a dinosaur egg."

Leo and Freya's eyes grew.

Bree sighed. "Oh, boy."

"You know, this time, if we don't give it growth hormones, we could..." Douglas began

"Or..." Leo interrupted him, grabbing the egg and crushing it with his bionic arm. Freya folded her arms, her eyes raised. "You can get a new hobby."

"Why did.." Juliet asked in confusion.

"If you need me, I'll be in Gettysburg!" Leo snapped and got in the hydraloop.

"I don't understand," Juliet shook her head.

"You see, babe, they let a giant spider roam loose and almost kill me," Adam told his girlfriend and the others groaned at him.

"What?!" Juliet yelled, and Freya slowly backed away, her eyes bugged out. "Rey, you told me everything was fine!"

"It is! Adam is alive, and the spider is somewhere in the ocean!" Freya awkwardly chuckled but stopped when she saw her sister's heavy glare. "Let's just hug it out, huh?" Freya put her arms out for a hug, and Juliet shook her head. "Okay..."

Juliet started to chase Freya out of the room, and Freya yelled, rushing out. The other four exchanged looks for a moment, before shrugging and going back to what they were doing before.

——

Up Next: Spike Vs Spikette

Thank you for being patient. Updates are getting slow, but will happen don't worry. Cassie will be okay! She does have cancer, but it's in the early stages! All is well...

Hopefully-

But! Next chapter will involve a certain red head having the commando app