The day had started ordinary enough for Circe. It had been about two weeks since Van Kliess's attempt to take over Providence had failed. The group had managed to severely damage the Keep and other vehicles, while partially destroying the headquarters. However his over confidence had cost them the victory when White Knight had launched a counter attack calling in Six for back up. The man in green along with Hope's new field agents had managed to retake the building. Even their attempts to secure the new power core for Abysus had been met with failure, though that was Circe's doing. She had contacted the Gears to be there to protect the core and was surprised when Rex used a new build, the Funchucks, to give Van Kliess a beating. Van Kliess was not happy at all.
To make up for their past failures the Pack members had sparred for hours everyday to improve their skills. Van Kliess had created a whole army of newly super powered EVOs to follow his orders. Everyday he'd have the Pack members work together to bring down one or more of his newly created EVOs. At that moment the Pack was doing that as they battled a giant multi growth crazy EVO that had once been a Providence Agent named Weaver. Van Kliess had capture him during the incident on the Keep and now was using him. He sat on his throne, the tips of his gauntlet tapping the arm rest. "How hard is it for you to defeat one EVO?"
Weaver attacked them with his large tentacles which they dodged. Biowulf and Skalamander struck back with their own attacks slicing off several sections of Weaver's growth only for them to heal at a rapid rate. His colossal size made him difficult for take down as even Breach's portals and Circe's sonic attacks did nothing to slow him down. All four Pack members jumped back as they were nearly stomped on. Weaver attempted to crush Breach only for Circe to push her out of the way. "The only way we're going to beat him is if we get closer to his head. Biowulf, Skalamander draw his attention. Breach portal me up there, I'll use a close range attack to bring him down!"
Biowulf growled bristling at the command, but did as he was told leaping onto the EVOs chest. He dug his claws in ripping and shredding different pieces, leaping about to avoid being thrown off. Skalamander attacked Weaver's base trapping him in several crystal clusters to prevent him from moving. Breach opened a portal which Circe jumped through landing on Weaver's head. She nearly fell off the monster, but held on. Opening her second mouth wide she let loose a powerful attack not giving up even when she felt her powers weakening. Finally Weaver went down as an exhausted Circe started to fall only to be caught by Breach. However the battle had worn her out and she passed out.
Several hours later Circe's eyes fluttered open and she found herself back in her room. Breach was sitting on the edge of her bed as Van Kliess hovered over her. In his hand was her cellphone. He was reading her text messages. Circe stilled, though nothing relating to the Gears was on that phone, she still was worried about him finding something to use against her. His cruel smile let her know he had found something. "Ah, your awake my dear. That's good, I wouldn't want you to be late for your date tonight."
"Date? What are you talking about?"
"Why your little get together with Rex of course. I knew that you still harbored feelings for the boy, especially after your little stunt awhile a back with the rabbit EVO. Normally I'd punish anyone for maintaining friendships with humans, but this case is an exception. Rex is very important to my plans and having you close to him helps me greatly. You'll go on this dinner and movie date earning his trust. Talk to him about your life here, how safe you are. Get him to open up about his parents work. Let it slip that you believe that the answers to his past might be here in Abysus for they are."
"You want me to play with Rex's heart? I don't know if I can do that," Circe whispered only to be shoved against the wall, Van Kliess's gauntlet millimeters from her heart. Bowing her head submissively she agreed to do what he asked of her. He dropped her back on the bed. "Good girl, Breach will be nearby watching you. Don't disappoint me Circe."
That night Rex was waiting for Circe outside the Snack Shack. He was anxious checking his phone for text messages. He knew that it was dangerous for Circe to leave Abysus, but he desperately wanted to see her again. According to her recent texts she had managed to get some time off to come back to the city for a date. He was just about to call her when he sensed something. Running behind the restaurant he saw a red portal open up. Circe and Breach stepped out, the former looking anxious and the later with a crazed smile. "Hey, its great to see you again. Hi Breach, are you here to make sure Circe got here okay? I'd invite you along, but three's a crowd you know?"
"Your favorite shiny is funny Circe. I wouldn't dream of interrupting your date. I'll be back for her in three hours. Make sure to pick me up something. You owe me. Bye favorite!" Breach giggled stepping back through the portal. It closed, but Rex still sensed Breach's presence. Glancing around he wondered how small of a portal she could make and what she could see out of them. Ignoring the shivers up his spine he finally noticed how sad Circe looked. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"I'm just a bit tired is all. Van Kliess had us fighting other EVOs to sharpen our skills for hours. He cares a lot about us, wanting only the strong to survive. Abysus has become a much safer place recently. Since Van Kliess has gotten a lot stronger our defenses have strengthened keeping intruders out."
"That would come in handy against Providence. From what I've seen they're getting reckless in their attempts to deal with the supposed EVO threat. Let's forget all about the world conspiracies and focus on us tonight okay? I thought we could grab a bite to eat then go to a movie. I tried to pick a musical one because you said you love musicals right?" Rex said scratching the back of his head. Circe nodded in agreement wrapping her arms around his as they went inside to eat.
The two enjoyed their burgers laughing as Circe tried to shove her fries into Rex's mouth. Rex told her about school, a prank war he lost to Noah, and how his parents were on their own date that night. Circe told him a bit more about her past. How she had been in a choir when she was younger, that she loved riding her bike all around her neighborhood or the first time she dyed her hair only for it to end up carrot orange. After that they headed to the movie theater.
Breach watched them, feeling a pang of loneliness as she observed the couple. Her own memories of her life previous to her mutation were fragmented. She couldn't be sure if her slight mental instability was because of her mutation or that she already had it. Right now she had difficulty understanding the world around her having no one to keep her mentally grounded. As she watched Circe get a box of popcorn with Rex she wished she someone special to her friend as she wondered if she and Circe were really friends or if she imagined it.
After the movie Rex escorted Circe back to her pick up spot. He frowned knowing something was bothering her, but she seemed to afraid to tell him what was going on. Knowing it was still dangerous to talk about her mission openly he took her hands in his holding them tightly. "I had a great time tonight Circe. I love seeing you. I know that you have a life in Abysus and that Van Kliess is important to you, but I don't want you to forget me. Maybe, I should come see you in Abysus sometime, see what's it's all about."
Circe's eyes widened in fear as she trembled. "Rex that's a bad i..." she was interrupted by Breach appearing out of nowhere startling her. "Breach! You scared me!"
She giggled smirking at her. "The time is over for your romantic fling. Time to come home and sing."
"Wait, before you two go I got you something Breach like you asked. I felt bad that we didn't get a chance to hang out so I picked this up at the arcade near the movie theater from the crane machine. Circe mentioned you like dolls so here," Rex said, holding out a small cloth covered doll that sort of resembled her. Touched by his actions, Breach cradled the toy in her smaller arms wiping a tear from her face. She whispered a thank you as the girls returned home.
A few nights later Rex was in a deep sleep. He was having a nightmare dreaming he was being targeted by a group of strangers. He clenched his hands tightly tossing and turning moaning in his sleep. "No, stop leave me alone. Please, I'm not a threat I don't want to fight! Dad, where are you?"
Rex was in an alley way running for his life. His EVO powers weren't working at all. He hit a dead end, fearfully he turned around and saw the strangers eying him with darkness in their eyes. One was a tall older gentlemen holding a bladed cane towards him. Standing on his right was a large man with red hair smacking his gauntlets together. On his left was slender fellow whipping bandages around, cracking the air showing how sharp they were. To the side was a punk rocker woman with a guitar in her hands. "Who are you people? What do you want with me?"
"To test your skills child, though from what I see your nothing, but pathetic. Un débil niño mirando al igual que usted no va con nosotros," the Spaniard remarked.
"Oh boy I don't know about that hey. He might put up an interesting fight though he wouldn't survive in the bayou for long no?" the heavy-set man said.
"Do you honestly ever think before you speak? I can't believe I have to deal with your stupidity on this mission," the lady spoke up shaking her head in disbelief.
"Can we just get on with it? We have a tight schedule to keep," the slender man reminded them. The four strangers nodded and started to attack all at once.
Rex was on the defense ducking under the bladed edge of the cane before going into a full back bend up and over to avoid the chain. He tried to center himself as he felt the bandages wrapped around his wrists. He let himself be pulled before digging down deep twisting to the side wrenching free. He clenched his ears as the sound of loud rock music threatened to blow his ear drums. Focusing all his power he did a spin kick missing his target. He felt someone grab him and start squeezing. He tilted his head back forcefully trying to break his captive's nose, but that didn't work out so well. He continued to squirm kicking with all his might. Once again he tried to call on his powers, but nothing was happening.
"Patético, la vergüenza como estudiante a Seis. Su indigna de ser entrenados por él." the old man said bringing his cane up to Rex's throat. He was prepared to end his life when the boy started to glow. With an inhuman strength he broke free tossing the Cajun into the man. In the melee that followed he fought hard against his foes. He managed to land a few punches and even bruise the woman's face only to be pinned down to the ground by the slender man.
"Let me go! I don't know what you have against my Dad, but I promise you he'll make you pay for hurting me!" Rex roared. He suddenly felt sleepy as noxious gas was blasted into his face. His eyes felt heavy, his nanites tried to counter it keeping him alive. He was in danger, he need to stay awake. They were going to kill him.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Rex, wake up. You're having a nightmare, wake up now!" a voice said followed by a slap to the face. Rex shot up straight bonking his head on the metal overhang. He was sweating profusely and scared out of his wits. He almost didn't recognize his Dad's strong arms holding him. Six was trying to calm him down, but Rex wasn't having it. He was absolutely terrified.
"Would you get the boy under control already Six? Honestly, I'm starting to really question your judgement!" The sound of the man who attacked him sent Rex into another panic. He turned seeing his attackers giving him strange looks. He lost control, his arms morphing into the Funchucks. Catching the group off guard he managed to whack them all pretty hard in the face. Rex fell off the metal bench backing away keeping on the defensive.
"Rex, calm down right now or so help me I'll use my blades on you!" Six warned him, holding out his katanas. Rex was scared and in disbelief. His dad was threatening him! Six folded up his blades then removed his sunglasses. He took a cautious step forward. "Please Rex, I promise to explain everything. I need you take a deep breath and relax. Retract your build before you destroy the jet by accident. Your mom will have a fit if she finds out I wrecked the jump jet." Taking a few deep breaths Rex did as he was asked taking Six's hand as he was guided back to his seat.
"Oi at least we know why you got out of the game and it wasn't just for some Cherie no? You have your own little weapon!"
"Honestly Trey, can't you see the kid isn't a weapon?"
"No, worse he's an EVO. We should get rid of him right now. He could ruin everything."
"Six, you better have a good explanation. When you told us you had a cure for One's sickness I assumed your little woman's cure guns would be used. Instead, you bring this boy and expected us to trust him, in spite of his sickness. He's a weak and a timid child."
Six's eyes narrowed as he stood protectively in front of his son. When he spoke his voice was ice cold. "My son isn't sick Dos and he's the real cure. Now shut up right now or I'll make you pay for insulting him." Six looked at each of them in turn daring them to contradict him, but the group was silent. Putting his sunglasses back on he turned to his son sitting down next to him. "I'm sorry to drag you out of bed on a school night, but this is important. Do you remember what I told you about my family two years ago before I left you and your mom in London for nearly two months?"
Rex nodded his head. "You told me you grew up with foster siblings being trained by the deadliest man on the planet. That he taught your group everything he knew. You mentioned you hadn't seen them or your father in awhile because he was sick and you were... Oh, Dios mío, son sus hermanos? Mi tía y tíos?" The others stiffened at his words, but didn't bother to correct him. In a weird way he was right.
"This is Dos, Trey, IV, and Five. We're taking you to your grandfather One. He needs your help Rex. Do you recall why I was thinking about joining Providence? It was to find a cure to help him because he was one of the first EVOs. Before you say anything; yes we've known about your cure abilities for awhile, however you hadn't developed them to the point I thought you could succeed with curing him. Preliminary testing indicates he might be incurable, but after your success with your aunt I wanted to give you a chance. At the very least if you can't cure him maybe you can at least help him maintain his sanity."
"That's your big plan Six? Trust a teen hoping he can do something for One and if he doesn't let our mentor continue to exist in his hellish state? He wouldn't want that and you know it!" Dos snapped.
"Calm down Dos, I say we give the kid a chance love. He's obviously got some skill after spending nearly six years with our brother. He even managed to catch us off guard," Five pointed out. She distinctively heard IV muttered under his breath about Rex cheating, but chose to ignore it. Trey looked like he wanted to say something, but she hit him with her guitar causing him to shut up for the time being. The remainder of the flight was spent in silence no one saying anything. Rex was terrified he might not be able to help his "grandfather". He knew how important One was to his Dad. He worried greatly what would happen to him and his dad if he was unable to cure him.
It took another hour before they reached a barren island with an active volcano. On the way The Six had explained the precautions their father had taken to avoid harming anyone. He had ordered them to bring him to this barren rock before chaining him up in a room suspended over the lava. If One didn't enter a code everyone forty-one minutes it would drop, ( Rex wondered how the man ever slept, but decided against asking). They started the hike through the lava tubes heading for the heart of the volcano.
While the others had an easier time getting through the obsidian tunnels Rex was falling behind. He was still tired from the gas, without his power suit and his nanites were sluggish not responding to his commands. "What did you put into that gas? My nanites can normally get rid of anything that could harm me in a matter of minutes, but I'm having trouble ahhhh!" He started fall only for IV to whip out a bandage pulling him up. "Thanks."
"Really don't mention it. If you can't keep up maybe we shouldn't have brought you, cure or no cure."
"What's the matter kid? Can't fight without your powers? That is tough no?"
"Trey, IV enough! You better not make me regret this Six. I'm starting to wonder if you've forgotten how to fight after settling down. One would be..."
Two swords clashed with one another as the glare off began. The tension in the air was high. The siblings looked ready to fight each other to the death when Rex used his BFS to separate all of them. He was pissed off and let them know it. "You are siblings, family. Do you know how lucky you all are to have one another? To share memories of growing up and being taught by a mentor? I don't have any of that because my memory is fried. All I know is that for nearly six years now Six has cared for me, teaching me. I would have been captured and experimented on or worse, turned into a weapon by Providence if he hadn't taught me inner focus techniques from grandfather's lessons. I know you don't think much of me and are disappointed in my dad's decision to leave the mercenary game, but for the duration of this mission can't you put your grudges aside and work together?"
The five mercenaries were shocked that the teen was lecturing them on the values of being a family. Sure, One had raised them like siblings, but it had been so long since they really acted like that. Not since their last mission all together before One turned. Now they barely could tolerate one another. The five of them looked at one another before giving a slight nod to each other. Seeing that they were going to get along Rex undid his BFS build and constructed his Rex Ride. "Hurry up, you said you wanted to help your father sooner than later."
"I take back what I said about your kid being weak Six. He's got guts standing up to us." Six simply nodded as they made their way further into the tunnel. They were just about to reach the final ridge to the heart of the volcano when they heard the sounds of fight and something burning. With his heart pounding Six jumped over the crest of rocks katanas at the ready. Behind him the others had their weapons ready too.
Rex was fighting against One trying to hold his own. Behind them the room and the bridge had collapsed spilling magma on the ground nearly burning the teen. The EVO hissed, but didn't react much as he stepped into the hot molten magma. He even raked his claws through it hurling it at Rex who was using his Smack Hands to shield himself. One bit down tearing the build off so Rex morphed his Punk Busters trying to kick him away. One dodged the kick ramming the teen so hard he took a tumble down the sharp hill. Letting loose a roar One went after the kid only to be blocked by Six.
"One, please stop! You're not a monster, your human! Try to remember!" Six shouted. His katanas clashed with claw. He pushed back trying not to harm his father, but One continued to attack him. The deadliest man on the Earth used his unbelievable strength to tear apart the obsidian wall hurling it at Six only to have it blasted apart by a laser beam though the rest had to dodge the refracted beam.
Dos jumped off Six's shoulders firing his laser aiming for One's vulnerable spots. The lasers burned holes in One's skin. Dos removed his sword intending to behead his beloved father, but One anticipated the attack. He used his massive head to knock Dos out of the air.
Trey and IV came after him next. IV wrapped his bandages around One's back legs trying to rip them out of the sockets. One roared out trying to free himself by using his front claws to slash the bandages. Trey smacked his fists against one only to be gorged at with his horns. Five joined in by unleashing a seismic quake by hitting the ground causing the tunnels to start collapsing on them. Lifting up her guitar she held it like a bat slamming it into her mentor. Dos and Six, both recovered came after him again.
One let out a primal roar twisting, slashing, biting and generally attacking. His student's were shocked as One's intelligence seem to come flooding back. He managed to hurl all five of them off his body. Picking up the severed bandages he whipped them around cutting into his student's skin. Tying them into a lasso he flung it around IV pulling tight. The fourth deadliest man struggled trying to manipulate the bandages only to find out he couldn't. He was yanked about then suspended from the ceiling of the cave.
Whipping around he started running down the slope aiming for the exit. Trey got IV down as Five and Dos attacked long range. One dodged flipping up into the air nearly landing on them. His hearing heard Trey's attack catching his metal fist. He crushed them, kneeing the portly man, before rolling him out the tunnels like a bowling ball. He reached the exit heading for coast.
"We can't let him escape! Time for the finale love!" Five shouted striking a power cord that rippled across the island. She kept the attack going as she raced down the slope. She got ready to flip her guitar to bludgeon One only for him to hold still before pouncing on top of her. He gnawed her weapon in half spitting the pieces into her face slamming her into the ground repeatedly causing a wound to form on her head. Once she was disabled he turned his sights on Six and Dos who were coming after him.
Dodging Dos laser fire he started he jumped into the air spinning sideways building up speed before plowing into his student. Dos tried to land a hit, but One was to strong nearly crushing him in half. After kicking him hard he went after Six who was on the defense matching claw strikes. Six tried to land an attack to disable, but One was to smart. He bowled Six over causing the blades to go flying. Six tried using his hand to hand combat skills, but they were useless against the thick skin. He stumbled falling back as One came in for the kill.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Rex came out of nowhere with a new build the Bad Axes. He used their super sharp blades to cut off One's claws. The teen kept pace with One as they danced around each other. Rex swinging his arms cutting up the ground and tearing into One's flesh. The deadliest man found himself being bushed back using up his energy quickly. He fell off a small hanging onto the ground. The teen demorphed his hands jumping on top of him activating his cure abilities. By now the rest of The Six had gathered watching the kid in amazement.
Both Rex and One were screaming as blue lines appeared on both. "He's incurable, no I can't, I won't give up!" Rex grunted trying so hard to force the cure. One started to shrink, his skin changing. Six was hopeful that it would work until he noticed blood pouring out Rex's ears and eyes. His son was starting to convolse his own skin started to shred.
"If your son keeps this up we'll get One back, but at the cost of Rex's life," Dos warned Six. He felt rather then saw Six jump and race towards Rex. He tried pulling Rex off One, but they were locked together. A burst of blue energy flung him back. Five went to check on Six as IV and Trey tried to pull them apart only to be blocked by the blue energy field. By now One was halfway back to human and Rex was near death.
"Rex stop please! If you keep this up you'll die! I can't lose you son please stop!" Six begged, his eyes wide and expression of horror on his face. He tried to stand up only to sink back down. His ankle was swelling preventing him from getting up. He could only watch as his son died in front of him as his siblings joined him.
All of sudden the screaming stopped, One's body glowed, stopping the transformation, as Rex's eyes filled with light. As if in a trance he turned looking at the group smiling sadly. When he spoke it wasn't Rex's voice, but One's. "My children, my dear deadly five it is good to see you again."
"One? Is that you?"
"Yes Six, it is. I'm using my willpower to possess your son so I may say my farewells to each of you. I don't know how much time I have, but I hope it is enough to say goodbye. I am so proud of you my five. You have each demonstrated great skill and power. Together we've accomplished much, but it was never my wish that we'd always be mercenaries for hire. I showed you how to be dangerous so you would understand the responsiblity that comes with being the best. It was always my hope that one day all of you would use your skills to teach others to protect themselves, to be heroes so to speak."
Rex/One looked at Dos first tears of joy in his eyes. "Dos, Dario you have always been my best student from the time you were young. In my absence you have been a great leader. I can trust our family's safety with you. I know you are without mercy, but in the future you need to show it. I know you have been afraid to grant mercy because of your childhood, but it isn't a weakness. My hope is you will pass your skills onto someone who needs a merciful new beginning."
"Si, I promise to try."
With a tilt of the head he looked at the next number. "Trey, Tanguy I have always found your humor to be a bit dry and your cooking amazing. I am glad that you enjoy your work, but don't forget to set an example for others. You could be a great mentor if you stopped antagonizing everyone on purpose. Promise me you'll ease up a bit?"
"Don't worry about this Cajun. He'll behave from now on."
Nodding his head he looked at IV shaking his head slightly. "You've always been a bit to paranoid haven't you IV, Ilom? I know you have a hard time letting the past go, but if you are to have a future you need to. Your siblings never meant for you to get hurt. In this family you need to forgive others. My greatest wish is you will do that and find someone to train."
"It will be tough, but I'll give it a go."
A genuine smile appeared on Rex/One's face as he looked at his only daughter. "My wild child Five, Faren. You were the most difficult to teach, but in the end you've proven yourself in a dangerous world. I will miss your music greatly. I hope that one day you know what its like to raise a rebellious daughter."
"I'll see if I can find one to teach love."
Lastly Rex/One looked at Six with pride on his face. "Six, Shiro, I am so proud of you for forging your own path. When you visited two years ago I wasn't able to convey how happy I was that you had found a family of your own to love. It takes a strong heart to give up this life for one of peace. Protect your family with all your heart my son."
"I will, Father."
"My time is up. I'm glad to have had this time with you all. My final order for all of you is to be a family again and protect my grandson. His abilities will help save the world from this plague. For his willingness to give his life for mine; I leave behind in him all my skills and willpower. I love you all." A golden aura surrounded One's body entering into Rex's body through his heart. The teen let out a gasp as he fell to the ground. One's body withered before transforming the island into a lush paradise.
The siblings made their way over to Rex, Five helping Six walk. Kneeling down he cradled his son in his arms. Rex's shirt had been torn in the fight exposing his chest. They all saw the glowing one tattoo over his heart marking him as the new one. Looking at one another they nodded their heads, they would keep their promise to their father. They would not only be a family, they would find others to train. Most importantly they would protect Rex in his mission to save the world.
Of course there was trouble when they got back home. Holiday was furious with Six for taking off in the middle of the night without telling her and more importantly, endangering the life of their son. As punishment she kicked him out of their bedroom telling him he would be sleeping on the couch for a week. Six complied knowing his punishment could have been a lot worse. At least sleeping on the couch gave him some minor support for his sprained ankle. It still amazed him that he managed to actually injure himself in such a way. He'd be wearing a brace for a few days to help it heal while icing it a lot.
Three days into his punishment Six was at Hope working with the recruits. It had taken awhile to get the funding and enough bodies, yet Hope's field agents were almost to par with Providence. Many of the recruits were people who couldn't hack Providence Basic, but still wanted to help out. Six had been in charge of training them. He was a difficult teacher expecting nothing less than their bests. He was more patient though then the Basic teachers, something he developed after working with Rex.
He was watching the recruits from an observation deck completing a obsticale course. Beside him Bobo was operating the control panel laughing as he changed the course and making it more difficult. "This is a lot of fun green bean. Way better than just watching some screens for a few hours."
"Try to remember not to kill anyone. We need these field agents if were to handle crises Providence deems unworthy of attention," Six reminded him. He felt a chirp in his ear. Pressing his comlink he said, "Yes? What is it?"
"I'm still mad at you, but I there's something in the lab I want to show you. Can you leave the recruits in Bobo's hands for a half hour?"
"Affirmative, I'll be there in five. I need to go to lab, keep them training for twenty minutes then send them to the showers. If I find out you did anything to interfere with their training then you'll be sorry understand?" Bobo nodded his head waving him off. Straightening his tie Six headed to the main research lab. The doors swished open as he made his towards his wife. He found her in the back looking at blood samples. Claire was working with her making notes as she observed two mice in separate cages. "You wanted to see me?"
"Surprisingly yes, I did." Holiday didn't bother to turn around instead tapping a few keys and bringing up a split screen showing two different sets of blood samples. "I've done some important research into the nanites capabilities after you told me what happened between Rex and his grandfather." The pointed look she gave him made him wonder if she'd ever forgive him. "As I was saying, you said that One willed his skills and power into Rex after possessing him correct?"
Six nodded his head. "That's what he said, but I still am at a loss on how he possessed Rex or gave him his skills. Rex is still recovering from the incident, but I've noticed slight changes in him. His awareness level has gone up and I've noticed him unconsciously looking at me trying to figure the best way to disable me."
Holiday pursed her lips upon hearing that. Knowing her son had somehow inherited the skills and powers of the most dangerous man on the planet made her extremely nervous. "I've been researching the way nanites interact with a host DNA and how they transmit in hopes of understanding what happened. We've always thought that the nanites as a whole were the same; unprogrammed nanotechnology that all spoke the same language, but that may not be the case. According to these blood samples while it appears that the nanites in the two mice are the same a closer examination reveals that the bonding process is slightly different in both."
Claire looked up from her work. She had played with one mouse making it chase after food on a string performing tricks. She made sure the other mouse was unable to see what she was doing. Placing the mouse back in its cage she got the other one out and repeated the experiment getting the same results. "After discovering that the bonding process was different, we hypothesised that the bonding process was unique to each individual just as DNA is. These mice are identical twins, though they share the same DNA different segments are bonded to the nanites. It appears that the nanites were designed to align with each host's unique structure. What's really interesting is what happens when two different sets of nanites start transmitting to one another."
"Claire's right, normally the nanites aren't actively transmitting. I haven't isolated the cause yet, but sometimes nanites talk with one another sharing data with one another. They are literally teaching each other about their hosts. These mice are able to learn from one another without actually physically interacting. Its is if the nanites are sharing information about their hosts with one another, helping them adapt to new situations."
"Interesting, so when One was dying he had his nanites copy his information into Rex's as if he was downloading instructions into him. How would someone retrieve the information?"
"That's a good question, from early testing Claire and I have determined the knowledge is there, the host has to actively retrieve it. For the most part it lies dormant, but the more it's used the more it becomes integrated into the host's nanites until it becomes permanent. That does cause some problems."
Claire pointed to mouse A. "This one is smaller than the other one. He can fit into smaller holes and do tricks. When mouse B tries to do the same things because of the shared knowledge he sometimes has a seizure. We're not sure if this is the same in all hosts or if the effects differ in humans. Still think of the possibilities if we could learn to control this function. People with brain disorders could learn from normal brains how to act. Damaged environments could be reconstructed. The possibilities are endless."
"True, but at the moment we're not certain what the consequences could be actively trying to teach nanites skills from different sets. We need to take this slow. I'm going to be monitoring Rex closely for awhile. Hopefully the effects of the transfer won't harm him. If he does start tapping into that knowledge can I count on you to guide him?"
"Always, I promise you that nothing bad will happen to him because of One's gift." Holiday nodded before getting back to work with Claire. Six headed back to check on the recruits. Both parents were curious and afraid of what was going on internally with their son.
At the moment Rex was just having fun with Noah trying to beat him at basketball. The Hispanic teen had always enjoyed watching basketball. While he was much better at volleyball or soccer, he was determined to one day beat Noah at this game. Noah said that the chances of him ever winning against him were astronomical.
"Can you get it, can you get it? No, I'm to fast no way your going to beat me," Noah teased, his back to the other boy. Noah dribbled the ball holding out his other hand to block his friend from stealing the ball. He pivoted on his right foot faking a move to the left before twisting around shooting a three pointer sinking the basket. "Yes! I'm on fire today! I'm the king of the court."
"Don't be a braggart, I don't tell you how much you suck at volleyball do I?" Rex made his way over to the bench to grab his water bottle. He was still a little shaky on his feet after nearly dying, but he was getting better. "Okay Nixon, let's play a HORSE. I think I can keep up with you if I don't have to move so much."
"Oh yeah like you can copy my moves." Noah took the ball out to the center court. Dribbling it a few times he ran in a zigzag pattern stopping a few feet from the net, lobbing the ball over his shoulder to sail through the rim effortlessly. "Let's see you copy that one."
Rex did his best to copy his friend. He managed to avoid bouncing the ball off his foot, but when he lobbed it the ball went out of the court ending up in a trashcan. Rex felt his face flush in embarrassment. "Stupid ball."
Noah hesitantly retrieved the stinky ball from the garbage before declaring the game over from the rancid smell. They decided to head to the arcade instead to play some games. As they walked through the city Noah noticed his friend was very quiet and hanging in his head slightly. He wasn't even cracking jokes like he normally did. "You okay buddy? You seem down in the dumps."
The other boy smiled at him reassuring him he was okay. Noah didn't want to push Rex if he was uncomfortable talking about something. They reached the arcade where, in an almost a trance state, Rex made a beeline for the first person shooter game "Hero's Duty". That surprised Noah, his friend normally would have gone for the game consuls for Pac Man or Street Fighter. Shrugging it off he put in the quarters for the machine grabbing his gun. "Bet, I can score more points than you."
"I think I'm going to surprise you Noah." The game started up as the two of them found themselves in the midst of the battle field with soldiers. They were battling against an army of Cybugs to reach the tower earning a metal. Noah was blasting away as he tried to prevent the Cybugs from hatching out of their eggs. He was racking up points avoiding major damage. He was just about to earn huge bonus points by taking out a Cybug laying eggs when his target exploded in front of him. "Hey, that was my target."
"You snooze you lose. Stay out of my crosshairs if you know what's good for you," Rex joked lightly, but for some reason his eyes appeared to be darker. He was watching the screen with great intensity. He lined up his crosshairs building up power in the gun before letting loose. The game rang out in death calls as he managed to take out scores of Cybugs. With the accuracy of a sniper Rex managed to wipe out all the Cybugs at the base of the tower.
The two friends came characters made their way through the tower encountering more dangerous versions of the Cybugs. They found a medkit restoring Noah's health partially. They had just reached the lab when the eggs hatched. Their game avatars were quickly overwhelmed killing Noah in seconds. The blond thought it would be all over for his friend only to be shocked as Rex's avatar managed to slaughter the hoard with little trouble. He seemed to dance around just out of the reach of the enemy. He even used some unconventional shots that took out several of the groups. Aiming for some pipes Rex's avatar blew it up causing hot steam to fry most of the hoard before finally shooting the last of the Cybugs. He smiled as his character earned the metal and got high score. Signing his name he gave his best friend a wide grin. "Looks like I win this one."
"Dude, that was awesome. When did you get so good at video games?" Rex shrugged not sure how to explain it. His dad had told him about what happened on the island. Since receiving One's gift he felt the same only more confident and stronger. In his mind it felt like something was bubbling inside ready to burst with knowledge. His own willpower was a lot stronger as he didn't have to worry about accidentally exposing himself. Noah didn't know any of this, just assuming Rex had been playing games at home. "Come on let's play some more games. I know I can beat you at something." The boys continued to play games for the rest of the afternoon, Rex winning more often than losing. As the boys headed home Rex wondered what other changes he could expect in the coming days.
A week later the Gears were in the garage at their hidden HQ working on their rides. Six was out with some of Hope's field agents after White Knight called for help with a starfish EVO. In unprecedented move White was actually allowing Holiday to meet with Rylander and Meechum to go over her new findings and collaborate their knowledge. It was a given that Dr. Fell probably wasn't happy about that.
Noah was tinkering with his hybrid's engine wiping a smudge of oil off his face. He was trying to improve the speed of his ride. Next to him he saw Claire installing hover devices into the wheel wells of her cycle. Rex was helping Annie out with her scooter by installing a new mechanism designed to adapt the ride for different situations. Beverly was sitting on her moped going over schematics on her tablet. "Hmm, with these new upgrades in our rides our mission success rate should go up by twenty percent. I've been working on a new defense system to install on the rides, but it will take a bit more time to figure out how to make it compact."
"Until then the weapons aren't that bad. I know my side lasers make my ride a lot more fun. Rex, do you think you could help me with the brakes? I think they might be a little worn."
"Sure, just take ugh!" They all looked up as Rex clutched his stomach. In the next instant strange parts start to grow out of him before falling to the ground. He was struggling to breathe as another part started to grow out of his chest. Claire grabbed her medkit searching for her emergency oxygen to use. Noah was trying to hold the flailing boy down. Beverly connected with Hope's sensors doing a sweep. "There's some kind, of what I can only describe, as a subspace signal being broadcasted. Oh my the receiver is the Omega nanite! Someone's trying to locate it!"
"Yeah, and in the process kill Rex! Annie, you need to activate the electronic jammer! See if it will block the signal!" Claire ordered her friend.
"On it! Programming jammer for full EM spectrum. Activating now!" Annie tossed a cube into the air. It levitated as it sent out a pulse covering the entire base in an invisible protective field. At once the signal was blocked leaving Rex breathless on the floor. His color was slowly returning as the oxygen was fed into his lungs. "That was to close." Annie went over to the com unit on the wall. "Bobo, we need you to do a full sensor sweep in a five-mile radius. Tell us if you spot anything unusual."
"Ah, I was playing online poker."
"NOW! Someone trying to find the Omega nearly killed Rex!"
"The kid nearly died?! Hold on, one sensor sweep coming up. Got something, an unidentified ship of some kind is making its way towards the base. I'll contact the green bean to get his butt back here. If someone tries to invade us they'll have to deal with the Haha security system!"
"You won't be able to contact Six or Holiday while the jammer is operational. Hold on a sec," Annie said. She turned to her friends as everyone activated their powers suits. "We need a plan, we promised to protect the Omega from being stolen. Whomever is looking for it, we can't wait to find out if there friend or foe. Is there someway to prevent them from homing onto the nanite or tricking them?"
"I can try to spoof the signal onto some homing devices. If we scatter in different directions our foe will have to chase after each of us to find the nanite. I just need a few minutes to copy the signal and program it in," Spyder said. Just then the base was rocked by something. Their suits went haywire as the jammer was destroyed by a feedback signal. The power suits had limited shielding from high intensity EM pulses. "What was that?!"
"We've got an intruder in the base! He's knocking out the scientists and making his way through my traps. I'm trying to slow him down, but..."
"Bobo? Bobo! We lost him, Spyder you better spoof that signal now!" App shouted. The tech was already on it handing them the false ones as they mounted their rides. Revering their engines they motored out of the secret garage exit as part of the plant's spill way opened up. Their rides jumped into the air as they made their way into the city. Their vehicles computers registered a ship tracking them. "We need to split up and lead it away from the city. No telling what kind of damage that ship can cause."
"Agreed, whoever the enemy targets do your best to slow them down. The rest of us will try to disable the ship and capture our intruder. Spyder, contact my parents. Tell them we need help, I'll even take Providence at this point. We can't let the Omega be taken." The girl nodded breaking off from the pack heading in the direction of Six's location. The others split at a crossroads heading in different direction. The strange ship hovered for a few minutes before going after Wingman's car.
"So you want to play hardball huh? We'll lets just see how fast you really are," Wingman whispered. His interface glowed as he punched it. The car becoming a red blur as he zoomed down the streets, the interface prevented him from clipping into anyone. In his review mirror he saw the strange ship keeping pace with him. Suddenly the strange ship fired a strange beam at him halting his vehicle in his tracks pulling him backwards. "No way, that thing has a tractor beam? Not cool."
The ship continued to pull they hybrid towards us. The beam was so strong it was sucking other vehicles towards the ship with innocent passengers screaming in terror. Wingman flipped a switch activating his rear weapons system. Out of the trunk a mini launch system appeared. Using his computer he targeted the front part of the ship, locking on he fired. Out of the cannon shot a small gray cylinder that attached itself to ship. Five seconds later it blew, cutting out the beam. Once more free he started zooming around.
The ship, more like a pod actually, recovered rather quickly responding by firing bursts of electricity at him. Wingman was forced to twist the wheel rather hard to the right then left to avoid being struck. "This dude is crazy. Does he realize the damage he's causing? This is Wingman calling for back up! I can't shake this boogie!"
"Hang on I'm coming, take a right down the straightaway now!" App shouted as her cycle jumped a wall. Pressing her button she engaged her new hover system. Her wheels retracted as the hover beams activated. The cycle shook unsteadily, but she held on. Steadying her ride she flew in front of the pod turning on her beacon full force. The pod turned around coming after her leaving her boyfriend alone. She flew through the air squeezing through the spaces between buildings trying to slow the pod down only for it to reconfigure its shape making it smaller so it could fit.
Her interface warned her when an incoming projectile was aimed at her. She twisted the throttle going into a dive as net launcher sailed past her. More nets were launched causing panic below as they trapped running civilians. She turned back towards the pod, her cowl sensors analyzing the pod in great detail searching for a weakness. "Scanning: pod composition, weapon system, engine, shielding, where is this thing's weakness? Ahhhhh!" App's cycle was blown out of the sky as the pod fired an EM pulse at her causing her systems to crash. She was spinning out of control hurling to the ground. She tried to regain control aiming for a vacant lot hoping to avoid hitting someone. The cycle didn't respond forcing her to jump out as it skidded across the earth before slamming into a wall and bursting into flames. "Dang it! I just installed the hover feature!"
Chaos saw the whole thing unfold, her blood boiling at the thought of her friend nearly dying because of this guy. She reached into her back of tricks pulling out a small holosphere. She tossed it into the air creating a flock of flying EVOs that started to "attack" the ship. She hoped that it would fool the sensors as she maneuvered her vehicle up a ramp firing a grappling line. It bounced off some flag poles, the side of a building before piercing the landing gear of the pod. Her scooter was being pulled towards the pod when it bulked. The line snapped as she was pitched forward.
Chaos flailed reaching out for something to hold onto, her hand becoming tangled in the line. Twisting about in midair she tried to free herself. After several tense minutes she managed to do so climbing up the rope. She pulled herself up onto the landing gear. Taking a few deep breaths she removed her tool kit. "Okay, let's see if I can get into this pod." She removed a panel with a mini welding torch. She saw a bunch of wires. She removed some cutters planning to snip them when the landing gear started to retract. She held on for dear life as they gears pulled up a bit. Losing her grip she fell towards the earth.
"I got you!" Generator shouted catching her in mid-air as he flew. He flew low depositing her on a roof top. Zooming towards the pod he got in close before switching to his Punk Busters giving it a hard kick. The pod reeled in the air towards the desert bits of it flying through the air. The pod tried to adjust itself, but Generator had enough using his Smack Hands as he fell to punch it into the ground before resuming his Boogie Pack. He landed on the ground forming his Blast Caster ripping the pod open. "Alright mystery dude come on out. You have some explaining to do ahhhhhhhh!" His build broke apart as he clutched his head.
A guy in an old fashion suit had climbed out of the pod aiming a hyper electromagnet at Generator. His suit was trying to protect him, increasing its shielding. The man held a scanner in his left hand aiming it at the struggling hero. After a moment he seemed satisfied slipping into a compartment on the belt and pulling out what looked to be a fancy injector gun. He was making his way towards the teen turning up the power up on the device.
Something seemed to take over Generator at that moment, it was like someone else was in control. Gritting his teeth he let his willpower grow blossoming inside him until it unfurled. He defied the power of the magnet forming his Bad Axes slicing them in x scissor pattern, destroying the magnet and gun while tearing pieces of the guy's suit in different places. Pushing up with his hands he delivered a devastating double kick before springing into the air rotating upright. He punched hard striking multiple times in the shoulder, chest and abdomen. The man tried to defend blocking with his arms and throwing his own punch which was easily backhanded. Gripping his opponents right shoulder blade he crushed it between his fingers. The man winced going down, but jerked his knee up catching Generator off guard. He was about to bring both hands down on his head only to find himself being attacked by the Funchucks. He was battered about back and forth the rest of his suit coming apart before he was head butted to the ground. He formed his BFS holding it at the ready. "Who are you and why are you after the Omega?"
A muffled accent voice replied, "The Omega belongs to me. I don't know how you got it, but you won't be keeping it. Hand it over."
"Sorry, it's a part of me now. Even if it wasn't I promised someone I wouldn't let anyone take it. Going to give up?" Generator challenge. The man refused going for his belt. The BFS changed to battle saw mode trimming the rest of the suit to pieces and cracking the helmet. The guy found himself tossing his helmet off as he was shoved to the ground with the Punk Busters pinning him and the Slam Cannon aimed at his head. The extra willpower, combined with the Omega, had helped Generator overcome his block to form multiple builds. He was ready to attack the man when he froze seeing his face clearly.
The Hispanic man was confused as his foe in the power suit backed off, his machines vanishing. He got to his feet pulling out a prototype smaller version of his hyper electromagnet, when the sound of ships and tanks were heard. They both looked up to see Providence jump jets and the Keep making their way towards them along with some tanks. A Hope mobile research lab was also making its way towards them. "Who are these guys?"
"I'll leave you to Providence, we'll finish this another time." Generator said forming his Rex Ride before riding away. The man wanted to go after him only to stop in his tracks as he found two blades aimed at his throat. Six looked at the man suspiciously with a single eyebrow raised.
"Do you mind removing your blades from my throat please? I need to..."
"Your not going anywhere. Not only did you attack Hope's base leaving several of my colleagues injured while letting loose several EVOs, your little stunt in the city nearly got more than a dozen people injured or killed. Your weapons also damaged Providence tech with your long-range pulse. I have every reason to detain you sir."
A Providence jump jet landed, the back hatch opening. Hurrying down the ramp was a team of Providence agents along with Holiday, Meechum, and Rylander. The later shouting at him. "Stand down Six, I know this man. I can explain everything."
"Rylander, Meechum, what is going on? My research pod gets stuck in hyper space for fifteen minutes and the world goes crazy. Rylander how could you lose the Omega to a..."
"Caesar it would be wise if you shut up for a few minutes," Meechum informed him. The man, now identified as Caesar, gave Meechum a look of disbelief. Six slowly lowered his katanas as Holiday came over to him. Both of them were still staring at the man wide eye because of his appearance.
"Who are you and why do you look like our son?"
Caesar looked at her confused as Rylander stepped between them. "Everyone cool, both of you have a lot to talk about, including catching you up Caesar with the last five years, but first introductions. Mrs. Rebecca Holiday Hayashi and Six, may I introduce you to Caesar Salazar, an old colleague who worked on the Nanite Project with us. Caesar, I like to introduce you to your brother Rex's adoptive parents." The look of shock and confusion on their faces was beyond description. Rylander drummed his fingers together knowing he would have a lot of explaining to do once they got back to Providence.
It would take all afternoon and sped up DNA test to convince the Hayashi's that Caesar was truly Rex's brother. They were uncertain what to make of this genius yet eccentric young man. Likewise it appeared Caesar was the same demanding to see Rex right away. Rylander managed to keep the young man under control enough to convince him to meet his brother tomorrow after he got settled into his new home at Providence. Both him and Meechum stressed to Caesar certain facts to the Hispanic hoping he would listen for a change, but they would see.
The next day Caesar arrived at the Hayashi house forty five minutes before Rex would get home from school to inspect the house and talk with Holiday and Six. Holiday greeted him warmly, but Six was still glaring at him in distrust. "Glad you could make it. So this our home. The downstairs consists of the foyer here, along with the living room, kitchen, laundry/pantry and of course the hall closet. We've converted our basement into a dojo for Six to train with Rex. Upstairs we have the bedrooms, bath and my office with another closet. A lot of our stuff is stored neatly in the attic. We picked up a few things on our world travels."
"I recall how Mammy and Pappy would do the same thing with me before we settled down in Geneva. Your house is a bit smaller than our chateau was, but it seems to be okay. So you home schooled Rex during your travels huh? Mijo must have had a blast, but I'm surprised that he's not taking AP courses in that school of his. He's the son of two brilliant scientists so he needs to be pushed to stimulate his intellect," Caesar remarked. He was sitting on the couch flipping through photo albums unaware of the tick on Six's face for insulting their home inadvertently.
Caesar stared at the photos hardly believing that nearly six years had passed in the fifteen minutes it took to regain control of his ship. His baby brother was now a teenager. He traced a finger over Rex's school picture noticing how much he was starting to resemble their pappy Rafael. He blinked back tears as he came across the last photo in the album, a recent family portrait of Rex sitting between Six and Holiday smiling happily. "Mijo's seems very happy and well adjusted."
"He is Caeser. He's got friends and loves his school. He's has many hobbies and interests. He's loved by everyone." Holiday reached out to touch his shoulder when they heard the front door open with voices coming through. The three of them stilled waiting.
"No way Noah, I'm telling you the truth. I think Mr. Buichner really wants a pony. I saw him doodling them in his agenda before class..." Rex stopped talking as he saw their guest. He unconsciously took a step back, gripping his backpack strap tightly. Noah also noticed the visitor. Sensing he was intruding he said goodbye to Rex leaving the family alone with their guest. "Mom, Dad, whose this guy?"
Caesar got up strolling over and giving the boy a big hug. "Mijo, its me Caesar. Don't you recognize me? I know they said you had retrograde amnesia, but surely you know who I am."
Rex shoved the older man off him. He darted behind the chair Six was in with fear in his eyes. "I don't know who you are or what you're doing in my house." Six touched Rex's hand nodding towards the couch. The two Hispanics sat down on the couch. Holiday leaned forward in her chair giving him a reassuring smile. "What's going on?"
"Rex, do you recall yesterday's events? Hope having an intruder and the air battle downtown? Well this young man was responsible. His name is Caesar Salazar and he's your older brother. Before you say anything Drs. Rylander and Meechum confirmed his identity along with a DNA test. We invited him over so you could get reaquainted. Its okay."
"I'm sorry if I startled you baby brother I tend to forget social niceties. You think after missing nearly six years when stuck in sublight travel I catch up. You seem to be doing well that's good. I really liked to hear more about your life now. Six mentioned you enjoyed traveling the world. What was your favorite place?"
"I enjoyed our time in Mexico. Before we talk about me I want to know something. You said only fifteen minutes past for you. So instead of looking for me or our parents what were you looking for when you came out of sublight travel?"
Caesar was oblivious to the underlying tone of his brother. He just ran a hand through his thick hair laughing a bit. "Oh, right well you see I was looking for the Omega 1 nanite. It was a project that Rylander and I worked on together. It was a top priority because of how important it was to the overall project. My pod's sensors indicated it was in Hope, but I'm starting to think they were damaged during my flight. Holiday says she never had it. I'm still angry at Rylander for losing it. I wanted to track it more, but it seems the person who has it is shielding it from me somehow. Don't worry I'll find it."
"Oh I'm not worried, a super nanite is so much more important than your family. Surely causing panic and terror while searching for it takes precedence. Was nearly killing a dozen or more people downtown a requirement for finding this nanite?" Caesar frowned realizing his brother was being sarcastic with him. He reached out to him only for the teen to twist away from his touch. "I've got some questions. Who are our parents? Are they even alive? What caused the Nanite Event and does it have anything to do with my amnesia?"
"Our parents were Rafael and Violeta Salazar. They were scientists working on the Nanite Project with me. They were loving, caring, amazingly brilliant people. I'm sorry to say they didn't survive the Event. I'll tell you more about them later, let's focus instead on your memory loss. I'm sure that there's correlation between your memory loss and the Event I'm just not sure what. As for what caused it, I can't really tell you. The whole Project leading up to the event is one complicate problem."
"To complicate to tell your baby brother about? I spent four months on the streets because of that Event nearly dying. I wondered if I even had a family out there looking for me. I deserve to know what led up to those events and your saying its to complicated to explain? What a cop out." Rex kicked at the coffee table in anger getting a disapproving look from his parents. He hung his head mumbling sorry. Caesar lifted his head gently turning him to look him in the eyes.
"I'm sorry you had to live four months alone wandering the streets. That shouldn't have happened. I can't tell you how grateful I am that your foster parents took you in. They've done an adequate job in taking care of you. I know you can be handful at times. I'm impressed that two people, who weren't even in a relationship at the time, managed to work together in raising a ten year old amnesic EVO while traveling the world. Have they been monitoring your nanite activity adequately? Have you developed any new powers in the last few years? Are you helping with the nanite research at Hope?"
After years of practice, it was second nature for the family to look puzzled and confused by the idea that Rex was an EVO. Just because Caesar was his brother didn't mean they trusted him with Rex's current status. It was second nature for them to deny anything. "What are you rambling about now? I'm not an EVO! Do I look like an out of control being? Don't you think if I had powers I would have used them to get off the streets sooner?"
"Are you sure that you're feeling alright Caesar? In the years since we've been a family Rex has never demonstrated any powers whatsoever. If he had then Providence surely would be alerted to that fact. I can testify that there are no active nanites in Rex," Holiday mentioned casually.
"No offence bonita, but I'm pretty sure I know my brother's nanite activity. He was the first one to be injected with them. You had so much fun using your powers to play with the lab equipment. I think Meechum nearly had a heart attack once when he thought you deleted all his work. Oh come on stop playing with me. I'll just give your nanites a little jump start." The man grabbed the teen's arm pulling out a small medical tool with a needle point. He was about to prick the boy when Six reacted pulling him away from his son. He crushed the Hispanic's hand causing him to drop the device which Holiday retrieved. He shoved the guy up to the wall pinning him there. "Guao, tranquilos. Yo sólo estaba tratando de ayudar a mi hermano. Yo no le hará daño."
"Help me? You were going to stick me with something! Do you normally experiment on family? What gives you the right to do that?"
"I was just trying to help you with your nanite control. It's entirely possible that you overloaded their power in attempt to survive the event. In that case they must have shut down. I was just going to reactivate them. Maybe we can work on that while I develop a way to unblock your memories. It would be fascinating to see if the nanites are related to the memory loss. I think I could reprogram them to help..."
"There will be no experimenting on my son. You are a guest here who is quickly wearing out his welcome. I don't appreciate having to protect my child from someone whose suppose to be his brother," Six told him dropping the man. He straightened his tie glaring at him behind his sunglasses.
"I am his brother and he's not your child; at least not for much longer when I overturn his illegal adoption." The family looked at him in horror sputtering protests as the man's eyes locked with Six. "I know how hard it is to legally adopt a foreign street child in another country especially in Hong Kong. Somehow you managed to get through the red tape in a matter of hours instead of weeks. During that time you should have attempted to find out Rex's identity."
"We attempted everything to find out Rex's birth family including checking international missing children reports and entering his DNA into the Interpol database. There were no matches and with Rex's amnesia, he couldn't tell us anything about his past," Holiday argued. She was hugging the teen tightly afraid to let him go.
"Regardless, you still took shortcuts in the adoption process making it questionable. Given enough time you would have discovered his identity. The courts would have placed him with his next of kin or his godfather Rylander. I understand Rylander vanished, but that was six months after the Event. No matter I'm back now and I'm his legal guardian by right. I'm sure once I explain my situation to a judge they'll award me custody. I know you have been good foster parents giving him a good life. I have to wonder how good of a life mijo had considering you're a former mercenary. Did you forget to mention that when you forced his adoption through?"
"We did what was necessary to get him of the streets. You have a lot of nerve coming here threatening to take our son away. We've given him stability, love, and good life these past five almost six years considering his birthday is next week."
"His birthday is not for another month and half. He can still have stability and his life, once he moves with me into Providence. With their resources I can help my brother regain his memory and so much more."
"Providence? You're out of your freaking mind if you think I go anywhere near that place after they've threatened Mom and Dad."
"Rex Salazar they are not your parents. Mammy and Pappy wouldn't want you to live with strangers. I'm your older brother and I'm telling you..." Caesar never finished his sentence. Rex broke free of his parents grip and punched his brother in the nose breaking it. Blood started to flow as Caesar pinched it. He looked at his little brother confused and hurt that he would do this to him.
Rex was seizing, trying to keep his anger in check. It was taking all his willpower not to form a build and attack him. Thoughts of breaking his brother's arm were bubbling up as he pushed them back down. "My name is Rex Hayashi. You may be my brother, but you aren't acting like it. You've attacked my Mom's lab and caused untold panic and destruction in town. You refuse to tell me about the Nanite Event dangling my past with our parents as a treat. Not many big brothers would attempt to experiment on their younger sibling. You've insulted the only parents I know and threatened to take me away from my life. I don't know who you think you are, but you're not my brother! I don't ever want to see or hear from you again! Leave me alone!" With tears in his eyes Rex raced up the stairs, the sound of his bedroom door slamming echoed through the house.
"Mijo come back!" Caesar moved to go after him only to be blocked by Six and Holiday. Both had dark looks in their eyes.
"I think its best if you leave now. We'll go calm Rex down. Don't attempt to contact him right now," Holiday said. She hurried up the stairs to comfort her son leaving her husband to escort the man outside. Six marched the man outside nearly tossing him out the door. "We'll be in touch about visitation rights with Rex. He's upset now. Maybe in the future he'll want to contact you, but for right now I think its best you leave us alone. Goodbye Mr. Salazar." Six slammed the door in Caesar's face.
The Hispanic man stood there for a few minutes stunned by the turn of events. He contemplated breaking back in and taking Rex by force, but decided to leave him for now. He get custody legally. For now, he needed to talk to Rylander about why he hadn't told Rex about his past or taken him in. One way or another he was going to get his family back no matter what the cost.