(I own nothing in the Generator Rex series [except this plot line].)

Fast food was every teenage boy's weakness.

Rex sighed happily as he unwrapped the burger, crossing his legs as he sat on the park bench. His order of fries lied next to him, their smells wafting into the air, making him all the more hungry. The burger was filled with extra meat for a growing boy- with an additional helping of cheese that never hurt anybody. Granted, at the age of seventeen, he wasn't sure if he would grow much taller anymore- but meat was his weakness anyway, so he dug right in.

Noah had long converted to vegetarianism a few months ago, but Rex didn't want to get dragged into that. He wasn't sure if he wanted to make such a huge commitment for life.

The sky was cloudless, allowing him a clear view of the Providence Base. The crooked obelisk-like structure gleamed in the sunlight, providing a comforting sight to any citizen who could spot it. It seemed quite small from such a large distance- and from the top of a distant hill, no less- but Rex knew every nook and cranny of it. It was his home, and he enjoyed his family inside.

But as he placed his burger on his lap and reached for a fry, something strange happened.

At first, Rex couldn't decide if it was a trick of the light. The Base seemed to glow for a quick moment, a bright flash of light engulfing nearly the entire building for a good few seconds. Then, just as soon as it had appeared, it vanished. Rex popped a fry into his mouth, chewed and swallowed it, then pressed his fingers to his earpiece.

"Hey, Doc?" he greeted the vivacious, motherly brunette. "Did Providence just...glow?"

Crackling entered the earpiece, then the desired woman's voice.

"Rex?" Holiday answered. "There was giant burst of light back at our end. I have no idea what's caused it. I'm- hold on."

Rex heard silence for the next few seconds, and then the voice came back online.

"Rex," the doctor's voice greeted him- but this time, it sounded much more concerned. "Come back to base. I believe someone accidentally disturbed one of the energy reactors on the third floor- possibly by contaminating its fuel source. If you could just-"

Rex waited for the rest of the sentence, but it never came.

The teen removed the food from his lap stood up, a soft breeze whipping through his jet black hair. His face shined in the light, and his bright orange jacket fluttered as he walked towards the edge of the hill. He tried to elicit another response from Holiday by pressing the earpiece repeatedly, but none came.

Rex first felt the rumbling when he finally reached the top.

It was a low vibration, akin to the bass that he'd play from his favorite songs. The tremors continued up to his chest, but remained mild. The boy's mind went blank for a moment- he couldn't recall the last time he'd dealt with an earthquake- but he remained calm. He glanced towards the direction of the Base, and witnessed a sight he never thought he'd see in his entire life.

Providence was crumbling.

The structure was collapsing, noticeably starting from somewhere near the bottom, where the third floor Holiday specified most likely was. Little by little, chunks of metal and concrete fell, cascading into a white pile of rubble below. Some of the chunks smashed into other parts of the holdings, further dismantling the bottom of the base. Then, as the top part of the building lost its source of balance, it, too, began to fall.

Rex didn't think twice. He activated his jet pack and flew straight towards it.

He screamed the name of everyone he knew inside the dismantling building, though knowing full well no one would hear. The teen had no idea what would happen; the only thing driving him towards the Base was sheer panic. His heart pumped rapidly as he flew closer and closer to his destination, but his mind knew there wasn't much he could do. His nanites couldn't just repair an entire building. If anyone had been crushed in the collapse, he didn't have the ability to reanimate lives.

For once, he felt entirely useless.

His voice became sore as he screamed continuously, the pain in his throat eventually causing him to remain silent. His thoughts, however, were anything but. Images of Holiday, Six, Bobo, and even White Knight flashed through his mind as he dodged some of the chunks and sped up to the top of the structure. He pushed dark thoughts out of his mind as he then flew to the bottom, only to dodge even more falling debris.

Was anywhere safe?

"Six!" Rex painfully yelled, pressing his earpiece again. "Where are you? Where's everybody?"

No answer.

Rex flew around the perimeter, trying to keep calm- but failing. He heard high pitched screams from between chunks of falling rock, and to his horror, splashes of bright red began to manifest as the building crumbled further. At first, they were just a few spots of the alarming color here and there, but soon, they began to splatter across the building. It stood out brightly against the pristine white, creating the ghastly image of a bloody tampon in Rex's mind.

And it only got worse.