The Traitor || Chase Davenport

05

Harley enters the Davenport house to be greeted by Tasha who was setting up for the movie night. She smiles at the woman before asking where the rest were at. Tasha points in the direction of the lab, and Harley nods making her way down.

As she enters the lab, she hears Davenport's voice.

"But now, Davenport Industries introduces the world's first proton fuser!" He pulls off the white sheet that was covering the object to reveal two cone-like objects on small carts. The four teens look at each other with a blank expression.

Harley walks behind Chase, wrapping her arms around his waist. He slightly jumps but soon relaxes once he saw his girlfriend with a small on her face. He smiles back as he leans down to peck the top of her head. Adam, Bree, and Leo wave toward the Johnson girl before turning back to Davenport.

"You know, for a scientist, you'd think your payoffs would be proportionate to your buildups," Leo tells him.

"Uh, the payoff is that it allows us to see the origin of the universe. This thing fuses sub-atomic particles, so we understand how planets form."

"Well, we already understand how boredom forms," Bree says, and Harley gives her a fist bump.

"Haven't you ever wondered where stuff comes from?" Davenport asks, now noticing Harley was there. "Galaxies? Stars? Planets?"

"Well, no," Harley speaks. "But if I ever did, I wouldn't ask you."

"This stuff, no. Onion rings, yes." Adam says, and Harley chuckles.

"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, 'cause it can happen."

"What a sap," Harley mutters.

"Um, Mr. Davenport, isn't it dangerous to tinker with the fabric of the universe?" Chase asks, and Adam laughs.

"He said 'tinker'."

"Yes, technically, it could destabilize the earth, or open up a wormhole into a parallel universe," Davenport explains. Harley didn't miss the glance Leo gave to the machine.

"But I made it and I want to play with it, so..." He pauses as he runs over to his machine and types a few buttons on the keyboard. The profuser turns on and two blue lights emit from the two cones, meeting in the middle. Once it did, a small blue ball formed.

"Prepared to be amazed!" Davenport exclaims.

"Or gravely injured," Chase says, and Adam pushes his siblings and Harley behind him.

A few moments later, the profuser died down and the ball sparked away.

"Once again, big buildup, teeny, tiny payoff," Leo says from behind him.

Tasha enters the lab, saving the teens from a possible meltdown from Davenport.

"Okay, the popcorn is popping and the movie is uploaded," Tasha says. "Or downloaded. Oh, whatever, the red thingy is blinking green. Just head upstairs, it's movie time!"

The five teens smile, and the four run to the elevator, Chase grabbing gripping his girlfriend's hand, and Leo tries to run behind them, but Tasha stops his son.

"Hold it, mister. No movie for you until you finish your chores. Your room is a mess and you haven't washed the dishes in days."

"But I've been looking forward to this movie all week," Leo says.

"And I've been looking forward to cleaning dishes all week." She counters, rolling her eyes before heading upstairs, and Leo right behind her.

What they didn't realize was the profuser started to work.