AN: Well, no one seemed to have anything bad to say about this fic so I guess I'll work on it whenever I have writer's block. See you whenever the next chapter may come out (PS: reviews make it come out sooner hehehe).
When Rex opened his eyes for the second time around he had a vague idea of where he was but he also remembered lot of feathers. Why feathers? Scratch that, why was he waking up for a second time?!
Looking around he noticed the two women that had greeted him after he'd been rescued were gone, but there was another blonde one sitting at the end of the bed looking very much like she was regretting something.
"Well, hello there…" He began, calling up his trademark smile that guaranteed that any woman that saw it would fall instantaneously for it. "I believe we never met before."
"Oh, you're up!" The woman's head turned and the widest eyes possible were seen, filled with concern and curiosity if such a mix was possible. "I'm so sorry for the whole making you faint thing, I really wasn't thinking."
"You… what? There was something… I think it was an EVO!" Yes, now he was remembering! "It had claws, and feathers, and wings and… and…" Oh, now he really was remembering.
"My face." The blonde sadly nodded. Reaching into her locks she sunk her hand in and, with a light yelp, pulled out a feather from inside her hair and held it out for Rex to see. "Hi, my name's Coco and I'm an EVO. Harpy, to be more precise."
The teen didn't know what to say. Now it all made sense, the secrecy of the work they were doing, the denial of even showing themselves to Providence… The women hiding up in there were all EVOs who could control their forms and look human when they wanted to. If they were to show themselves to Providence at best they'd be subjected to a cure, at worst they'd be experiments.
"Eh, well…" Rex really had no idea what to respond. "Hi back at you, I guess. My name's Rex and I'm a sort of EVO myself too."
"Yeah, the others already told me."
For a few seconds afterwards the two settled on a comfortable silence. Everything was now out in the open and it had to be processed carefully.
For one rare occasion, Rex did not feel like rushing straight ahead. He'd been rescued by amazing people who, not only were the same sort of EVO like him, but also were hiding all this way up in the desert out of fear of retaliation for one single mistake. He could very well come back with Providence agents and have them locked up and studied like regular EVOs and whatever else but he didn't want to harm them, not after they'd helped him.
"Now it all makes sense, why they didn't wanna come back with me, I mean." He said, looking down at his intertwined hands.
"Would you take that offer if you were like us?" Coco asked, more of a rhetorical question than anything.
"Not really, no." Sometimes not even he liked the way he was forced to live. In an attempt to shift subject, Rex gestured to his host and asked a question that had been plaguing his mind for a while. "I could try and cure you, you know?"
"Yes. That's another reason why we don't want to go to Providence. We like to be this way." They loved the freedom that came with the wings. "Tell me, if someone offered to turn you into a normal human, would you take the offer outright with no hesitation?"
"Maybe, but, deep down, I know my real answer would be no. I like flying and fighting EVOs and besides Providence there's not much family I can remember having." Another reason as to why they'd acted the way they had when he offered to put in a good word for them. "So are all of you like… that?"
"If you mean harpies, no. Succubus, vampire, sphinx and harpy, so there's a healthy mix in there for you to pick from." The blonde chuckled.
Rex began to blush and looked to the side, embarrassed by his earlier actions when he'd first woken up. He'd been greeted with the sight of beautiful women so he turned on his charm in default as usual, not seeing the harm in a little flirting. Now he knew he'd been more than flirting with danger.
Coco cooed at the boy's motions and skootched closer. "Aww, don't look like that, Drew and Rebecca didn't take it personally."
"So… now what? Am I free to go, or do you plan on keeping me here for something?"
"Heavens take me if we planned on doing anything bad to you! No, if you'd like we could even go out right now and take you so far before pointing you on the right direction."
"I think that would be best, considering Providence should be searching for me like crazy."
"Well then, grab your stuff and follow me!" The woman quickly stood up and pointed to the door.
Rex hopped out from under the sheet and it was then he really got a good look of the room. The walls all seemed carved in a type of red rock, they would likely be inside some sort of cave if that was anything to go by, but beyond it the division didn't vary much from a standard bedroom. There was the bed he'd been occupying, a desk that looked like it was put together using old but sturdy planks along with some shelves stocked with books with unpronounceable names, some light fixtures, and a few posters from various events, maybe to try and cheer up whoever the room belonged to.
"By the way, is this a guest bedroom or…" Rex trailed off, putting on his trademark goggles and jacket.
"It's mine. I rescued you, so it was only fair I gave you my bed too." Coco nodded with a smile and winked. "Fun fact, it's also my feathers in the pillow, by the way, that's why it's so comfy. Drew and Rebecca already needed their beds, those two work like crazy."
"Drew, Rebecca and Coco, so I'm assuming there's only one left for me to meet."
"You'd be correct, my friend. That would be my dear sister, Noelle."
"Let's go, people, we don't have all day." The blue-haired woman made a motion to the outside of the cave.
With Rex up and about with a clean bill of health it was time for his departure.
With every one of the four scientists wanting some time to clear their head they'd all agreed to go together with their temporary guest and say their goodbyes in person. It had been a short but entertaining while to have someone over who saw from their perspective.
When put together the women really looked like they were playing the part of the misfit engineer in a movie, with their clothes slightly torn in some places and slightly large boots along with baggy pants. All they were truly missing was the oil grease and the tool belt to play the part.
"As you can see, Noelle is me with blue hair and without all the fun." Coco explained to the teen as he followed the group to the cave entrance.
"Without all the reckless fun." Noelle corrected her sister.
"Meh, same thing."
When stepping outside the sun was already setting, making the air have a cool to it that would allow them to travel more comfortably instead if they chose the middle of the day to continue their journey. Still, the landscape was very much forgettable if one were to loose themselves in the desert. There were some rocky elevations similar to the one they were stepping out from, likely other caves or even cave systems that linked into the one they'd just came out of, but as far the eye could see there was mostly sand everywhere.
Noelle went in the front of the group, motioning for them to follow her. She had the best sense of direction out of all of them and could guide herself easily in their current environment without any sort of instruments for help or even looking up at the stars that would begin appearing soon.
"So, you're Coco's sister, huh?" The boy attempted to strike a conversation with their guide.
"That's right, we're twins in fact." Answered Noelle with a slight smile.
"Oh!" That one he hadn't seen coming. "It's a bit hard to tell, because of-"
"The dyed hair, yes." Twirling a piece of her dyed mane in her fingers, the woman smiled. "Don't look like that, even when I was a blonde it was a bit hard to pin us down as twins."
"Well, you are both very beautiful women."
"My, my, aren't you a charmer."
The group kept on going ahead on foot, taking their time in reaching their destination. None wanted to rush those last moments so they kept making small talk about their personal interests, such as food a music.
Rex learned more about the women who'd rescued him than he knew about the faceless scientists that they had back at Providence, making him wish they would somehow see eye to eye with the company and come back alongside him. He'd learned Coco and Noelle liked old-style rock while Drew and Rebecca drifted more towards swing, both old and new, and that they all had a sweet tooth but Coco, who would much on endless bags of chips if she could get her hands on them.
It was hard to keep track of the time but with the sun almost set they'd finally arrived where the teen had been first rescued.
"Well, I guess this is it." It was awkward, to try and say goodbye.
"Stay safe and just keep heading in that direction for you to reach the nearest city." Noelle smiled and pointed to the north-east.
"It was fun having a bunkmate for a day." Coco chuckled and scratched her head while looking away. "Try and remember us sometimes."
"Be that brave knight in shining armor and you'll certainly find that princess. Just try and stick closer to your age." Rebecca smiled and ruffled the teen's hair.
"You know I will." Rex smiled and nodded. "But, what can I say, you are all such lovely ladies."
When it finally came time for Drew to say something he felt like it was her son all over again. It had been a while since he'd last contacted her and she had no idea where he could possibly be by then. A young man needed his family but somehow breaking that pattern seemed to be the norm that day and age. She ought to try and find Zack and convince him to move in with her and the others, he'd long departed when he lost his father after the event and made sporadic appearances here and there just to appease her.
The albino woman smiled at the young man and put a hand on his shoulder. "Rex, we all want you to- what the H is that?!" She stopped her speech to point at a shape walking towards them and getting closer at great speed.
Turning around, the teen narrowed his eyes but then soon after his face bloomed into a smile. "Six!" He yelled out with a smile, unaware of what the presence of those two meant for the group that accompanied him.
"Uh-oh." Coco hissed in discontent.
"Providence!" Cursed Noelle.
"Fall back!" Drew sharply ordered.
The four women tried to step back but it was too late. The man dressed in a green suit and sunglasses was already coming at them, an impressive pair of blades drawn and ready to slice through them and into pieces.
"Six, wait!" Rex attempted to avoid the confrontation, remembering what it may have looked like to the other side, but what happened next was unavoidable.
Before any other of them could make a move it was Rebecca that stepped in-between the weapons and her friends just at the right moment. Like a scissor the blades joined and separated faster than the eye could see... going right through her torso and ripping the lower half of her shirt to ribbons.
Six had let his guard fall when he'd assumed to have killed the woman, waiting on the torrent of blood that would spray out of her wound and the moment when the body would fall down, lifeless, in the scorching sand.
"Think again, idiot!" Rebecca caught her attacker by surprise when her unattached lower body kneeled him right in the stomach and then she punched him as hard as she could, breaking the glasses and sending him instead flying away and into the sand below their feet. Her plan to disorient him had worked.
At that moment, and impressive pair of bat wings sprouted from her back and her features darkened, her tongue growing to an impressive length along with her nails turning into talons. The upper part of her body hovered a few feet over the lower, still upright part, and the woman smiled.
"Manananggal." Whispered Noelle in awe at her friend's form. It wasn't often they were released from the confines of their human forms but if the was to be the case… "Ladies, follow Rebecca's lead!"
The women were just about to enter into combat more when more Providence agents came into view and this time more armed than the man in the green suit. Impressive weaponry, the likes of heavy-duty rifles and tanks, were pointed at them by an impressive number of operatives that kept on rising until they were totally surrounded.
The women had been otherwise too preoccupied with the just one in front of them they'd failed to watch the rear and the oncoming storm of troops that had spread out in order to encase them in a tight formation, from which they'd have a hard time running away from.
Releasing her EVO form, Rebecca stepped back until she was back looking normal in one piece and together with her friends.
"Well, this is awkward." She said while taking in their newfound situation.
Looks like they'd be getting the grand tour of Providence after all… Or at least of their holding cells and likely laboratories if things went south.