Everything seemed strangely silent. Nothing hummed around him.
"Yes, master."
Rex squirmed lamely between Biowulf's lean arms, but the EVO didn't budge an inch from dragging him after their leader – he didn't even seem to register the resistance. Van Kleiss was already striding out the right door, Skalamander following closely. Breach remained where she was, facing her compatriot and Rex. Biowulf paused.
The door hissed shut behind the others. Van Kleiss hadn't spared him a second glance. And now Rex was alone with a silent Biowulf and Breach.
"Mnngh." Rex made an attempt at insulting their stupid faces, but the words faltered on their way out of his chest. He mostly felt dizzy and limp. He wasn't sure if that was the lack of nanites or…what had just happened. What the heck had just happened? How…
"What are you doing where will you take him now? Van Kleiss said he doesn't need it, he's all done with Rex, my Rex." Breach's voice sent all the wrong parts of him tingling and he stared at her, the dull ache in the back of his head struggling to put together a reaction. Breach glided across the floor, and Biowulf shrugged, dragging him up to face the other EVO, almost on his toes.
She swooped in close to his face. Way too close, and he didn't want to freak out but his heart thudded harder and harder in his chest so he tried speaking again.
"Hey, creepy." He greeted her with the last smirk left in his body. It felt like all the air had rushed from him, even though he hadn't made it to the punchline, which was about her blowing herself up again or something, maybe injecting herself with cobra venom to save Holiday the trouble.
"I could keep him, I could take him, please." Huge, reality-slicing arms pawed at his face, his arms. "I'm so good with my toys. You know he's my favorite. My very, very favorite." Her smaller, human hands pressed into his chest, touched his thigh, ran down his face, and he flinched, trying to feel, to at least regain basic motor control. Breach's eyes were somehow more glazed with joy than alight, a gleeful giggle worming its way out of her tiny, open mouth. She rubbed her fingers against his lips and pressed her nose to his. He squeezed his eyes shut, practically pressing his head back into Biowulf. "I could have my toy back now. I love my nice things. I miss him, I miss him and Van Kleiss is all done!"
His breath hitched and he kicked at Biowulf's leg. Moving now, eyes wide open. And for Rex, who regularly pushed himself far, far beyond his limits, just that start was good enough to get the motor churning again. "Get away!" he shouted, fighting the EVO's grip with renewed vigor.
Biowulf, strangely enough, complied, releasing the boy from his hold and stepping back. There followed a moment of silence as a confused, stumbling Rex backed away from Breach's eager fingers, panting between the two of them, brows furrowed, eyes darting back and forth.
He put up his fists.
Breach let out a high laugh, sending a shiver down his shaking frame. "Don't break, don't snap yourself in two. That just won't do. I can't wait to play with you." Her arms reached for Rex once again.
"Stop!" he said. He shook his head, stepping away, keeping his fists at the ready, hands held protectively out in front of himself. "Just stop! Stop, p-" he paused, confusion running across his face. Breach kept moving. When her hands gripped his outstretched ones, he let out a shout and jerked his arm back, raising it.
No sword appeared and he felt like he was falling inside, but Breach didn't grab him again, apparently sufficiently confused herself now. Her hands wavered in midair. Biowulf did shift, though. Just adjusted his position a little, but the situation seemed to get through to Rex and he looked between them quickly. For once, he let instinct take over.
He turned and ran.
He made it about five feet before Biowulf's claws snapped down in front of his face and he fell back onto his butt. Rex rubbed his head and Biowulf dealt him a thick blow in the side with an arm, sending the boy flying across the floor. Breach let out a cry from behind them. Shakily, he began to stand, but Biowulf moved like a flash, slicing at his feet, bringing him down again. Snarling stubbornly, Rex got back up and was sprawling in moments, back of his head thudding against the wall. This time, the claws of one monstrous hand kept him all but pinned on his back by the time he even thought of rising again.
"Glad you finally - joined the party," he said, gripping Biowulf's claws. "How's it going? I was – just – leaving!" He strained against the other EVO's hold, to no avail.
"We don't have to kill you today," the lupine EVO growled, "but you're not getting off that easily after what you've put Van Kleiss through." He pushed down, drawing a pained grunt from Rex's throat. "You're nothing without your nanites."
"Yeah, well-" Rex glared up into Biowulf's face, struggling to push or kick him off or- or something. "At least I don't have dog breath."
Things started getting fuzzy and grey-smudged after that, tough to breathe weak joke Bobo would totally laugh at him later why weren't the Punk Busters working biometrics his ass and something's wrong with this picture Biowulf's supposed to be blue.
"Rex? Rex, are you alright?"
"Get up."
He groaned into wakefulness. Noah and Six were leaning over him, clearly distressed and not clearly anything respectively.
"Love you too," Rex grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his neck. "How long was I out?"
"No idea," Noah said. "We just got in and saw Biowulf and Breach on top of you. She was really scary, dude. Almost pulled your arm out. Flipped out on us screaming after Six unloaded on Biowulf."
"Well, that does explain the dislocated feeling." Rex rubbed his shoulder. "Hold on. Where are they now?"
"They got away," Dr. Holiday said, striding through the door in a Providence uniform, big white gun in hand. Rex's insides turned to warm, antsy butterscotch.
"Got away?" Six raised an eyebrow.
She frowned at him. "Breach can open portals. They took off together almost immediately after you got them away from Rex."
"I can confirm," Bobo drawled, coming from behind her. "We had 'em cornered, but they wasn't too interested in monkey business."
"Your puns suck, monkey," Rex said.
"Guys, be serious," Noah interjected. "Van Kleiss is still in control of the Keep."
"Oh no. Van Kleiss." Rex stood up, stumbling as his head swam and spots sparked in his vision. Six steadied him by the shoulders. "Doc, we need to go."
"I agree." Dr. Holiday was reloading her weapon. "Let's make a break for the hangar and steal a transport. Calan is keeping watch in the hall."
"What about White?" Noah asked, paling.
"This ain't like you, kid," Bobo said to Rex. The boy ignored him.
"No, Dr. Holiday, I mean, we need to go somewhere." He pressed a hand to his forehead. "Um, uh, we gotta get to where there's nanites –" his eyes widened.
"What?" Dr. Holiday said. She watched him. "Rex, what happened?"
"Van Kleiss took my nanites, Doc. I think he can – can talk to them now or something. Maybe he can do everything I can do. Could do. I don't know. It's really bad. I can't use my powers."
Stricken silence greeted his words.
"I think, though, it's like when they fail because I'm scared. Or sad. I think as long as I get some more, they'll work again. Right?"
"He did what to you?" Six said, hand tightening on a sword hilt.
"Is that even possible?" Noah croaked.
Dr. Holiday considered him for a long moment. "There's still a chance," she said. "I think re-introducing them to your system could bring your powers back. Including," she said, fixing him with a stare, "curing EVOs."
He nodded vigorously. "Yeah, and I think I know how t-"
"Attention, Providence."
The voice crackled over out-of-place speakers, still wired though the ship's lights were down. Smooth, seductive as ever. It set Rex's skin to crawl.
"By now you all must know that I have taken control of this ship. We are still en route to Providence Base, where White Knight and I will have a chat, following which a change in plans will be made. Estimated arrival time is approximately twenty-two hours."
Noah frowned. "He really freaks me out."
Rex nodded.
"I harbor no illusions that this adjustment in management will come easily for most of you. I seek only to continue Providence's work in forming a future without disastrous EVO-human interaction."
Bobo snorted.
"For those of you still concerned about my abilities as a leader, and we both know exactly who you are, you are welcome to come to my office and discuss at length compromises which I may enact. Thank you very much. Happy Thanksgiving."
The audio fizzled and died.
None of them said anything for a moment, then Holiday gripped Rex by the shoulders. "I hope this works. And, Rex, I know you hear this a lot, but-" She pulled him into a hug. "You really are our best hope."
He sank into her sturdiness, burying his face in her shoulder. That was how it was supposed to be, safe, not like Breach and her hands. "I know. I'm awesome like that."
Noah groaned from behind him.
"That's great," Six said, "But can we focus? There's business to be taken care of here."
"Not here," Rex replied, stepping away with a smirk. "That's what we were saying before."
"So are we stealing a ship or not?" Bobo scratched his leg with the butt of one gun. "Because Bobo's gettin' tired of standing around waiting for the fight to come t'us."
"Oh, we're stealing a ship," Holiday said, a mischievous smile of her own creeping out. She shared a conspiratorial glance with Rex. "And we can get there and back to Providence Base with time to spare, if they really don't try to speed up the Keep."
"Get where?" Noah had started to sound distinctly worried; Rex suspected habit whenever this tone cropped up, because the training he'd been getting into was just as tough as half the stuff he acted scared of.
"Cut it with the cloak-and-dagger, you two," Six said. "Let's get going."
"Yeah, where to?" Bobo said.
Rex grinned. Somehow he wasn't so worried now. "Well, we need to reactivate my nanites."
"Replace," Holiday corrected helpfully.
"Yeah, replace. We need more nanites, and we need them to be the right batch."
"There's batches?" Noah gulped.
"I see," Six said, nodding now.
"Yes," Holiday said. "There's one place, conveniently, where Rex can find more than enough nanites to replace those stolen. And, hopefully, regain his abilities."
"That…is great," Noah said. "Where is it?"
Rex grinned and flourished at the door.
"Gentlemen, saddle up," he said. "We're going to Purgatory."