Rex collapsed on his bed, exhausted from both jet-lag and his day in general. Since departing from Hong Kong, thoughts of Cricket, Tuck and Skwydd had filled his mind. He still couldn't believe that he had abandoned them- it just wasn't like him. As much as he hated to admit it, he could be cocky, arrogant, and stubborn to the point of pig-headedness. But cruel and conniving? That simply wasn't him at all. Still, there was no denying that the voice on the tablet had been his, and that concerned him. Did his personality do a complete 360 every time his memory blanked? If so, what would he be like the next time it happened?
This train of thought caused him to glance at the worn looking journal Six and Holiday had gotten him. Grunting as he stretched to reach it, he shifted into a sitting position against the white wall that bordered his bed. Tapping his chin with the pen, he struggled to think of something to write. Yes, there was so much, but where did one really start when they were writing a journal that contained all their important memories and bits of information?
Deciding he'd figure it out as he went, he flipped to the inside cover and began doodling, idly sketching out his different builds, and various Evos he had encountered recently. If he was being honest, they weren't that bad. He didn't draw all that often, due to most of his time being devoted to fighting Evos, training with Six or hanging out with Noah, but he occasionally drew in the rare time he had to himself.
Glancing back down at the paper, he realized he had begun to sketch out the tattoo that he shared with the members of the gang in Hong Kong. Quickly finishing the tattoo and hastily adding his forearm to the drawing, Rex paused as he tried to recall the exact words Tuck had used to call up the marking. Grinning as the memory came flooding back, he scrawled the words, "Ink Check," next to the drawing.
(Flashback)
Skwydd narrowed his eyes and glanced at Tuck as the gang gathered around Rex. "I wanna make sure it's really Rex." He insisted quietly. "Show us your arm!" he snapped at Rex. Frowning, Rex lifted his arm. "The other one," Tuck laughed, his tone much kinder than Skwydd's. Rex frowned again, but obliged, lifting his right arm. "Push up your sleeve." Tuck instructed, watching as Rex pushed the sleeve of his jacket to reveal his bare forearm. "Ink-Check."
The soft hum of nanites could be heard before a dark, black marking blossomed on his arm. "What? How did you-?" Rex stuttered, staring in shock at the tattoo that now sat in the center of his arm. It was nothing fancy, really. A pair of rectangles, stacked on top of each other, a triangle on the top and bottom, and a pair of bold lines flanking either side.
"Voice-actived Nano-Ink." Tuck explained. "You came up with it!" Rex just stared at him, confused. He had? He watched as each of the teens before him proudly displayed their tattoos: Tuck on his shoulder, Cricket on her neck, and Skwydd on one of the tentacles that partially obscured his face. When Rex's confusion persisted, Skwydd offered an explanation. "We had a problem with a shape shifter once."
Rex continued to stare at him for a moment before grinning. "I'm just full of surprises..." He laughed to himself.
(End Flashback)
Rex pushed the sleeve of his jacket back so that he could clearly see his forearm. "Ink Check." He told it firmly. Sure enough, the tattoo faded into existence. Staring at it for a few moments, he watched, intrigued, as it eventually disappeared, appearing to absorb back into his skin. Enjoying the way the tattoo looked on his arm, he called it up once again. Unfortunately, someone chose that exact moment to knock on his door.
"Rex? Can I come in?" Doctor Holiday asked, her voice muffled by the door. Rex glanced down at his arm, panicking; the tattoo hadn't disappeared yet. Hastily pulling his sleeve over his arm, he called his consent. "Uh, sure Doc, C'mon in!" The door hissed open, and Doctor Holiday strolled in, smiling as she noticed the journal lying partially open on Rex's bed.
"Have you written anything yet?" She asked, using the clip board in her hand to motion to the small book. Rex, still preoccupied with the tattoo, glanced in surprise at the journal. "Well, kind of. I mean, I tried, but I can't figure out what to write." He explained. Holiday nodded sympathetically. "It'll come." She assured him, leaning against one of the walls.
"So, Rex, I was curious about what happened in Hong Kong. You mentioned in your report that you and the Evos you met had something to do with Quarry- you used to work for him?" She asked, gazing at him curiously. Rex frowned, not liking where the topic was heading. He knew Holiday was just making sure he was okay, but he really just wanted to put the whole thing behind him. "Yeah. Apparently we were some sort of gang, and I was the leader. We worked for Quarry, pulling heists and stuff." He explained, purposely leaving out most of the details.
however, persisted. "You also mentioned that, in addition to fighting Quarry, you also had to fight them as well. Care to explain? I thought you were on good terms." Rex sighed, realizing she wasn't going to leave without an answer. "I tried showing them that they didn't need to be afraid of Quarry, but he just wound up blowing up their house." He explained. "Tuck was pretty mad about that already, but then Quarry actually showed up. He pulled this digital journal thing out, and it had a recording of me on it. It... Well, it had some pretty bad stuff on it." Rex trailed off for a moment, not too thrilled on continuing the story.
cast a surprised look at the leather journal sitting on Rex's bed before turning back to him. She realized he wasn't enjoying the conversation, but she wanted to hear what had happened. She also knew that, whether Rex was aware of it or not, he needed to tell her as well. She had learned early on that Rex seemed to deal with issues better when he vented them as opposed to keeping them bottled up. It was, aside from the memory loss issue, a large part of why she had been so keen on the idea of giving Rex a journal.
"Stuff like what?" Holiday pressed, silently willing him to continue. Rex was quiet for a moment, but eventually relented and continued his story. "The recording was of me basically bragging about ditching them and dumping them on Quarry. After that, they kind of sided with him. In the end, I wound up proving to them that whatever happened in the past was exactly that: in the past. After that we teamed up and kicked Quarry's butt." He finished, grinning.
Holiday smiled as well, glad to hear that it had worked out for the better in the end. "Well, that's good. It sounds like you had quite the adventure." She laughed, pushing herself off the wall and heading to the door. Rex laughed. "You don't know the half of it!" Holiday smiled warmly and nodded. "You seemed a bit down earlier; I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She explained, pushing the button on the wall that caused the door to whir open.
"If you ever need to talk-" Holiday started to remind him, although she was cut off by Rex. "You're there. I know. Thanks Doc," Rex smiled, giving her a small wave. Holiday nodded. "Good night, Rex." She called, stepping into the hallway. "Night, Doc!" Rex called as the door slid closed.
Once Rex was sure was gone, he pushed his sleeve back up to reveal his bare forearm. "Ink-Check," He said firmly. Sure enough, the tattoo appeared on his arm, the black ink creating a stark contrast against his tanned skin. Rex grinned, still not over the euphoria and awe that came each time he saw the hidden mark. Glancing at the clock, he tossed the journal and pen onto his dresser before heading over to the light switch. Pausing, he watched one last time as the Nano-Ink faded back into his skin before flipping the switch and throwing the room into darkness.