Author's Note: This is a sequel, in a way, to "New Management" at the request of several readers. Enjoy the story!
Note: If you are reading this before New Management, then you most likely won't understand what is going on or you will receive spoilers if you do plan on reading New Management.
Disclaimer: Do I really need to say this? I don't own Generator Rex.
"HARDER!" One demanded.
Rex punched the pads on the Agents hands harder. Bobo sat off to the side with Noah who was now out of the wheelchair and walking around small distances. Six stood at the doorway in the shadows where no one could see him watching One work with the young EVO.
Rex's face was wet with sweat as he punched in the various combinations of techniques that his new mentor had taught him. One aimed a kick for Rex's head. Concentrated on his hits making the pads he didn't notice the change until it hit him.
He was knocked to the ground. Pushing himself up he glared up at the other Agent.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"To teach you to keep your guard up," he replied with a smirk written all over his face.
He rolled his eyes and stood up, brushing off the dust from his pants. Six chose that moment to interrupt.
"Agent One, could I talk to Rex for a minute?"
One shrugged, "Why not? Go ahead. I'm sure he wouldn't be unhappy for a break."
Rex smiled and walked over to Noah. He grabbed the towel next to his friends and wiped the sweat off his face and neck. Draping the towel around his neck he followed Six out of the room into the empty hallway.
"There is something I haven't told you yet and you probably won't like it," Six commented.
Rex raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean? What haven't you told me? Why tell me now?"
Six let out a breath, "Stop asking questions and I can tell you."
There was silence between them for a couple minutes.
"Okay, I'm listening!" Rex prompted.
"Remember how it took Van Kleiss to return you to control of your nanites?" He continued without letting Rex answer. "There was a deal put into place regarding the terms should he help you return and leave him with us as soon as that happened."
Rex shook his head, "What deal? We never make deals with him! He asked for my nanites didn't he! Didn't he! I don't know why I thought I could trust you again! I guess I should learn from my mistakes!"
Six put up a hand to quiet his friend. "Yes he is allowed to have your nanites once a year for six years only."
Rex glared, "I would have rather stayed in my EVO form than give him my nanites every year! I don't care if it's only for six years! It shouldn't be at all!"
He formed his motorbike and drove away at full speed down the hall to the nearest exit from the whole building. The door opened behind Six and Noah, One, and Bobo stood there. Noah and Bobo with sympathizing looks and One with a nonchalant look.
"Well, he had to find out one day. Better sooner than later in my opinion, although you probably could've told me so I could have given him a bit of a more tiring workout beforehand. Now we have to go find him. Six stay here and see if you and Holiday can find him through his biometrics or something. I'll go out and follow him," One said.
Six walked down the hall towards the control room. Noah and Bobo followed him at a slower pace. One followed, but left the building through the still open door that Rex had gone through. He went back in and closed the door after seeing the cloud of dust rising in the distance.
In the hangar he opened the larger door and switched one of the aircraft's on. As soon as he took to the air the screen popped up with White Knight.
"What are you doing?" he asked in an almost tired voice.
One pressed an auto-pilot button and leaned back in his chair. "What can I say? Rex needs some company. Don't worry. I'll have him back in a jiffy."
Knight placed a hand over his face and sighed with exasperation. "Do what you need to."
The screen went black. One chuckled. "Seems I've been given a lot of leeway lately, well, I suppose I should find the boy and get us both back before lunch."
He looked down at the screen where the camera followed Rex as he sped away across the desert floor. He looked back up towards the camera and his face narrowed in frustration. He turned back to the front and sped up.
"Oh boy, he thinks I'm Six! Bloody hell, this couldn't get any more difficult…Could it?" he asked no one. He switched the camera view to the sky. "It better not start raining out there."
An hour later Rex finally stopped on the outskirts of a city and continued by foot. One brought the ship down and landed. He exited the ship quickly following Rex at a jog to catch up with him. He found Rex in front of a vending machine using his nanites to get a soda. He threw the can into the air towards One and then sat down on a bench next to it.
One caught the soda and opened while walking over to the bench to sit with his pupil. He took a swig before looking up at the beautiful blue sky overlooking the small empty street buildings around them.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
Rex took a sip of his soda before replying. "Frustrated…Angry."
One smiled, "That's exactly what I thought you'd say."
Rex turned to look at him. "What else would I say? I was just told that Six made a deal with one our top enemies who has been looking for anyway to get to my nanites and now has access to them."
"I understand the feelings, but also think on this. Are you able to say that at the time, when you had never before gone EVO, you would have been able to regain control of nanites that weren't following your commands anymore?" Rex looked at the ground in thought. He shook his head. "And if you were in Six's position would you have done anything different?" Again Rex shook his head.
"But…"
"Uh uh, I'm not done. Do you think of Six as a sort of adopted father?"
Rex gaped at the question. "Six? A father? I don't…well…," he paused, deep in thought, "Actually ya, I do. I never realized it before, but ya."
"Then how do you think Six feels about you?" One asked, "If you look to him as a father figure, then maybe do you think he looks to you like his own son? Someone he loves and would protect with his life with or without orders from White Knight."
Rex leaned back as the thoughts all clicked into place. One is right. We are like family, and Noah and Bobo are like brothers while Holiday and Six are like parents. I never thought about it before, but…it's true. Even when Six was told to give me to Agent Two he didn't like it and later they tried to help me out of there even if it was all a failure. It's the thought that counts and it's what kept me going for just that last period of time before I gave in.
"So maybe Six was only thinking for the best of his adopted son when he made that deal with Van Kleiss. He most likely didn't like it, but he knew the consequences if he didn't make that choice."
Rex looked up at the agent sitting next to him the soda in his hand forgotten until One took another sip of his. The agent looked at him and smiled reassuringly.
"Do you want to go back now? Or do you want to roam around for a little. I'm sure Six wouldn't mind a little exploring if you came back before the day is done. I could let them know that was your decision," he offered, standing up with an arm extended.
Rex guzzled down his soda and wiped his face on his sleeve. "No, I'll come back with ya."
He took the offered hand and One pulled him up onto his feet. They quietly walked back to the ship stopping once by a trash can to toss their empty soda cans in.
Rex left One in the hangar and made his way to Six's room where he was sure the agent would be. He knocked on the door and it opened to his touch. Six was sitting in a chair reading a book. He looked up and gestured to Rex to pull up a chair. The EVO did and sat in it next to him. Six placed the book down on a table in front of them.
"Do you understand why I made the deal?" he asked.
Rex nodded, "Yes, I also understand that there really wasn't much of a choice since I wouldn't have been able to gain control of my nanites without help."
Six nodded in agreement which turned to surprise when Rex suddenly hugged him.
"Thank you. For everything. For always being there even when things get bumpy," Rex said into his mentor's shoulder.
The corners of Six's lips twitched into a small smile and he brought his arms around the boy.
"It's what I do," he replied.
Rex pulled away and asked with a mischievous smile, "What? Take in orphaned boys who can create EVO limbs on thought?"
Six only raised an eyebrow in response.
On the other side of the doorway, Holiday, One, Bobo, and Noah all listened with happiness emanating off of them until the door opened and they were caught in the act of eavesdropping to which they regretted once Six was done with them.
Author's Note: Well, I Hope everyone enjoyed that. I certainly did and I was the one writing it. Anyways please review and let me know how I did. If I forgot any details from the story, forgive me. I haven't been writing a lot recently, so I don't remember everything I had in the story. Thanks for reading! Please review!