First original chapter. Yeah!
Warning: Mild spoilers for Generator Rex Episode "Divide by Six"
I do not own Generator Rex or Batman Beyond.
"Boomshakalaka" is borrowed—with permission—from Bow to me Fools BOW I SAY.
Chapter Three: Talk is Cheap
Rex and Noah sat in the mess hall finishing their breakfast. The rest of the Providence agents were giving them a wide berth. The reason was fairly obvious; Bobo was seated across from them nursing a mug of coffee and a hangover.
"So, what are we doing today?" Rex asked Noah excitedly.
Bobo glared daggers at the teens and grumbled, "Show some respect."
Rex grinned, his mind already contemplating a million different ways to mess with his partner before the hangover wore off. For the moment, however, he chose to lower his voice. "What do you want to do?" he repeated quietly.
Noah thought for a minute before answering. "Well, it is Saturday. We could go down to the mall. Claire's working at GameSpot."
Rex looked at Noah skeptically, "And—"
"Annie also works at GameSpot," Noah answered, keeping his eyes glued to his shoes.
"Let's call that Plan B," Rex said.
A group of new Providence soldiers (new in the sense that they hadn't learned to fear Bobo yet) gathered near their table. Noah recognized the type, they were gossip mongers. Every school, workplace, and social gathering had a few and apparently these were the Keep's.
"Did you hear about the new transfers?" one soldier asked.
Another scoffed, "How could I not? They've been on base less than 24 hours and they've already been transferred upstairs."
"Upstairs?" someone asked.
"To Six's division," another soldier answered.
Bobo growled, "If you fishwives don't find somewhere else to tell your stories, you won't be alive to worry about transfers."
"New plan," Rex said turning to Noah. "Let's go see what Six and Holiday are up to."
~Boomshakalaka (Abyssian for "Line Break")~
Rex and Noah found Holiday in one of the combat training rooms. The room itself was designed to look like a traditional Japanese dojo. Holiday was seated near the edge of the mat conversing with an unfamiliar young black woman.
Rex moved to join Holiday when Noah stopped him. "Dude," Noah hissed, pointing at his friend's shoes as he pulled his own off.
Looking around, Rex noticed that no one in the dojo was wearing shoes and there were several pairs placed neatly near the entryway. "I knew that," Rex muttered.
Rex moved confidently towards the ladies with Noah just a half step behind. The new woman whistled suggestively and called out, "Now there are some fine looking men!"
Holiday giggled like a school girl. She didn't know why, but hanging around Maxine made her feel like she was back in college. Blushing, Holiday added a little more quietly, "I agree. You take the one on the right; I'll take the one on the left."
"Why thank you ladies," Rex replied puffing out his chest. "I don't believe we've met." He took Max's hand and lifted it up to kiss it gently.
Max laughed in his face and Holiday joined in a moment later. "You thought—"Max couldn't continue as she doubled over with laughter. "The look on your face!"
Meanwhile, Rex was doing an excellent fish impersonation. Holiday pointed behind the two teens to where Six and Terry were watching the scene play out. Terry was wearing an amused smirk and Six had raised an eyebrow.
Max removed her hand from Rex's now slack grip. "You still haven't introduced me to your entertaining young friends, Doc."
Holiday recovered her composure and began introductions. "Max, this is Rex—the one we were talking about earlier—and his friend Noah. Boys, this is Maxine Gibson and Terrence McGinnis. They will be working with us from now on."
Rex sized up Terry and offered his hand, "Nice to meet you, Terrence." The teen was clearly unhappy with the new competition. "Just remember to stay out of my way and you'll be fine."
"Call me Terry," Terry replied with his best fake smile and a crushing handshake. Rex winced slightly. "Six and I were about to begin training. Why don't you have a seat with the ladies."
Terry was dressed casually in a form fitting black polo shirt and khaki slacks. He picked one corner of the mat and began to stretch out slowly. He was putting on a little bit of a show to impress the ladies and ergo piss off Rex. He made sure that he was facing away from the ladies, before reaching down to touch his toes. Both ladies whistled appreciatively.
Rex's eyebrow twitched. Noah leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry, Rex. Six is about to knock him down a peg or two."
Rex grinned, "You are absolutely right. Damn, now I wish I'd brought popcorn."
"What's going on?" Both boys jumped; they hadn't noticed Bobo's arrival.
"New guy's about to get his ass kicked," Rex replied, still smiling. "The poor bastard's got no idea who he's dealing with."
"Don't count Terry out just yet," Max replied. "I think Six is in for a bit of a surprise."
Rex laughed, "I don't think so. They call him Six because he's the sixth most dangerous man on the planet."
The room fell silent. Everyone except for Rex, Terry, and Six looked very confused and Six was staring daggers at Rex. "Umm, never mind," Rex said sheepishly.
"Sixth, huh? Are you familiar with a Spanish assassin who calls himself Dos?" Terry asked.
Six didn't answer, but the look on Rex's face gave it away. "He took a contract to kill Mr. Wayne about two years ago. Let's just say that he was unsuccessful."
"Talk is cheap," Six replied in his usual monotone. "Let's see what you've got kid." He removed his suit jacket and passed it to Holiday.
A crowd of Providence soldiers had formed while Six and Terry had been preparing to fight. Bobo was now using this as an opportunity to make some short term investments. Bobo stood on top of a folding chair and cleared his throat. "Alright gentlemen! Step on up! Place your bets!"
With those words, a switch flipped in Terry's brain. It was time to get down to business. Turning his back to the audience, he studied his opponent. Six didn't look very scary, but then, neither did the old man. Every Providence agent had heard the stories of the infamous Agent Six. If even half of the stories were true, Terry could be in real trouble.
Six sized up his opponent. The young man was all lean muscle and he moved with an easy grace. His muscle stretches earlier revealed a remarkable level of flexibility. His eyes darted back and forth, taking in every detail of his environment. Six suspected that he was taking a mental inventory of anything that could be used as a weapon. He had a strong suspicion that McGinnis had a background in street fighting before receiving more formal training.
Six stood still, allowing Terry a chance to make the first move. He was more than a little surprised when the young man did not take it. Instead, Terry held his hand palm up and beckoned, taunting the older agent. Six wasn't one to be goaded, but he decided to humor the kid.
Rex watched as the two fighters circled, one never taking his eyes off the other. The E.V.O. yawned dramatically, "Are you two fighting or dancing?"
Terry grinned and Six used the momentary distraction to surge forward. He leapt and brought his foot up for a high kick. Terry crossed his arms above his head, blocking the kick and quickly pushed forward. Six was thrown off, skidding back a few feet. Six recovered quickly and it was a good thing too. Terry quickly closed the distance. Six punched with his right, but Terry danced to his left. Moving in close, Terry threw a vicious uppercut. The move would have laid most men out, but Six managed to turn his head slightly at the last moment. As it was, the punch still hit the base of Six's jaw and his ear.
Several of the soldiers betting on the match booed. "Oh, come on!" Bobo yelled. "I have a lot of bananas riding on this Six!"
Six rubbed his jaw and tried not to wince. "Not bad, kid."
Without warning, Six kicked to the side and caught Terry across the ribs. The air rushed out of Terry's lungs and the young man rolled sideways. He lifted his knees to his chest and flipped back on his feet.
"Not bad, old man," Terry returned.
Six raised an eyebrow and rushed Terry. The two men exchanged a flurry of blows, but neither man could land a solid hit. The audience watched in rapt fascination. Rex was literally on the edge of his seat with his elbow on one knee and chin resting in his hand. Several minutes passed without either man gaining an upper hand.
Klaxons blared throughout the compound, catching both the audience and fighters completely off-guard. Rex literally fell forward and did a face plant. The two fighters nodded and disengaged, each leaping backwards.
Holiday switched on a monitor near the entrance and White Knight appeared on screen. "Six, Rex, we have a situation in Metropolis. There's a Level 1 E.V.O. running rampant and local authorities are useless."
"Understood, Sir," Six replied in his usual deadpan. He had already collected his jacket from Holiday and was shrugging it on. "Anything Else?"
"Yes," White Knight replied. "Take the new guys out for a test drive. Let me know how they do."
The screen went blank and Holiday switched off the monitor. "Wait a minute!" Bobo yelled as Six and Terry exited the dojo. "Who won?"
~Boomshakalaka~
Next stop: Metropolis!
Will Terry be outed? Review and find out!
