"You were lying on top of some massive EVO," the hanger informed him. "It seemed that you had died."

Rex took a moment to let the words sink in. He remembered using Mel as a pillow, and how hot the day was. He probably would have died if the furniture man- well, the voice sounded masculine, at least- hadn't gotten him away from the whole mess. And strangely enough, the voice began to sound more and more familiar...

"Do you work for Providence?" Rex asked bluntly, hoping for at least some form of identity. "I mean, do I know you?"

"I do not work for Providence, Rex," the hanger answered. "But I'm sure you know me. I highly doubt you could forget."

"Did I ever save your life? Are you, like, some EVO I cured, and this is the way you're thanking me?"

"No, not at all. I'm highly independent, thank you."

Rex narrowed his eyes, wondering if he'd just annoyed his savior- or captor, depending on how he looked at it. The teen didn't feel cold, so he probably wasn't at Paradise. It didn't feel too hot either, so he might not have been near a desert or a beach, either. Still, the room looked pretty professional, so it must have been somewhere pretty advanced. It couldn't be a normal hospital, however, since their databases were relatively easy to hack into. So where-

"How is your vision now?" the coat hanger suddenly asked, interrupting the boy's scattered thoughts. "Can you recognize me yet?"

Rex slowly walked closer to the other side of the room, the furniture creature becoming clearer with every step. At first, it looked like a giant coat rack, then took a more human like form. By the time he reached the center of the floor, it was-

Rex froze, and inhaled sharply. "Oh my fucking god. I'm fucking dead."

Van Kleiss grinned, entertained by the reaction.

"It took you long enough."

Rex quickly tried to activate his giant metal fists, but to his utmost horror, it didn't work. His metal appendages, and the familiar tingling he felt before they sprouted from his flesh had all disappeared. Rex strained and tried again, then attempted to activate his giant boots. Still, it was completely useless. He felt, dare he say it...

Completely human.

Rex quickly ran track to the door and pressed him entire weight against it, bracing for what would happen next. Van Kleiss, surprisingly, didn't move at all.

"I find it quite funny, really," the man said, tapping the needles of his gauntlet against his arm as he crossed them. "You walked right by me, your fingers brushing against me even, and none the wiser."

A knot began to form in the teen's stomach. "How the fuck am I not dead yet? You didn't even cobra strike me!"

"That...is an interesting way to refer to that attack. But yes, I did not. You're still alive because I was curious about what you would do if you thought you were alone."

"What are you going to do to me?" Rex yelled, panic rising in his voice. "Decapitate me? Disembowel me? Burn me alive?"

Van Kleiss tilted his head. "You must have had some very dark dreams in your slumber. To put it simply, Rex, if I wanted to kill you, you would not be alive to ask me that."

"Where the fuck are my powers?"

"They're turned off, at the moment. Feel free to consider yourself vulnerable."

Rex sank to the floor, salvaging some personal comfort in the act of kneeling. No powers? Murderer spying on him the whole time? Providence exploding? Hospital room guinea pig? It made him, quite literally, sick to his stomach.

"I'm gonna puke," he mumbled, unaware that his enemy had heard him perfectly well.

"I suggest you don't," Van Kleiss responded, kicking a small black bucket towards him. "But if you need to, do it in there. I would rather keep the rooms clean, thank you."

"You're a fucking savage. Where am I? You kidnapped me from Providence!"

The older EVO kept calm, unaffected by the insults- he had expected them, after all. "You're in Abysus, though you should have realized that quite a while ago. It's funny how rescues turn into kidnappings when I'm involved, isn't it? You're not very grateful."

Rex scoffed. "I'll bet you love this, you fucking nanite vampire. Let me go!"

"I shall do what I please," the king of Abysus informed the him, removing his weight from the wall and stepping forward. "What makes you think you're going to get away from this? Don't act ignorant, Rex."

Rex grabbed the bucket and threw it at the man angrily. "Not. Another. Step."

"Or what?"

The teen pursed his lips, and stood up. "I can still fight you. I'm young, and you're not."

Van Kleiss continued walking even closer. "I'm going to ignore that remark. And really, Rex. It's flesh against metal. Surely not even you would choose to be blind enough to ignore that fact."

"Try me."

The older EVO stopped just before the frustrated child, giving him nothing more than a disapproving look. Rex scowled but stood his ground, fully expecting the man to stab him with his dreaded metallic needles. The teen balled his fists and lowered his head to protect his neck, should he be gripped where he was most vulnerable.

"You do realize it would be a waste of time and resources to heal you and kill you afterwards, don't you?" Van Kleiss explained, hoping the boy would grab onto some sort of logic. "It's highly irrational to assume I'm going to murder you after taking you in."

"Tell that to Circe," Rex spat. "You're probably planning on torturing me before finishing me off, like the sick bastard you are."

"Everyone is a special case," the king informed him. "You especially-"

"Master?"

Both enemies turned towards the door, Rex slightly shaken from the interruption. He felt like a ticking bomb, in the sense that any unwelcome surprise would launch him into a frenzy. The older EVO recognized the voice, instantly satisfied. He pulled out a key from his coat pocket, reached around the anxious teen to unlock the door, and called for Biowulf to enter.

"I'm glad you could come," Van Kleiss greeted him, shoving Rex aside to allow their new companion to enter. "He's being a bit difficult. Perhaps you could restrain him onto the bed for further questioning?"

The boy's eyes widened in fear, knowing that even if he found somehow land harsh punches on the king, he wouldn't be able to do anywhere near the same on his mechanical cohort. Biowulf entered the room and growled lightly, sensing the teen's fear.

"Let me know when you wish me to do so, master," the wolf-like EVO respectfully replied. "He won't leave until-"

Neither Van Kleiss nor his henchman were prepared for the speed at which Rex ran out the door.

The teen ran as fast as he could- and just like when he flew towards the remains of his home, anxiety powered him through. His legs became a blur as he sped through the stone hallways, careful not to trip on a crack or an occasional pebble.

Scanning the area for an exit, Rex's dark eyes darted to and fro, though not catching sight of anything familiar. His pace of breath increased as he turned various corners and jumped off of various low-distance ledges that provided ample framework for the cruel man's castle.

But it wasn't enough.

Though he believed Van Kleiss wasn't anywhere near him, the boy picked up on the growls and hisses of other dangerous EVOs nearby. He jogged a few more blocks, unable to run anymore, until he found himself next to in a large, empty room. It seemed like an area for massive storage space, but at the moment, it contained nothing.

He hid inside for protection, hoping that no wandering creature would go out of its way to spot him in there. The room was a bit cold, but the heat generated from his wild emotions inside his body balanced it out. For the first time since he'd ate that damn burger, he felt safe.

Until the walls began to close.