(I am aware of annoyances due to the coarse language I use in my writing. However, I think it's fine for a kid who deals with death threats every (other) day. It's also just fun for me. If swearing really bothers you, just don't read.)
"Wh-what experiment?" Rex stuttered, caught off guard by the suggestion. "You planned this?"
Van Kleiss shook his head. "I didn't plan on using you specifically, but I needed someone to do a certain task for me. If you are willing to participate, however, I just might return the favor."
Biowulf raised a brow, but said nothing.
"Okay, what am I gonna do?" the boy asked. "Do I have to use my powers?"
"Most likely. Follow me."
The king left his throne and exited the room, ushering the younger EVO to follow him. The cold air of the hallways began to settle in on Rex's skin, making him shiver- though, he supposed the sensations were from his returning dread as well. Lately, surprising no one, his emotions resorted to negative thoughts much easier than before. Every day that dragged by was a struggle for him to regain his usual peppy personality. He hoped the spell wouldn't last long, however.
It would be a shame for Holiday and Six to see him this way.
Lost in thought, he bumped into his enemy, nearly tripping over in the process. "Ow! Why'd you stop?"
The teen rubbed his nose and gazed around the room, his eyes widening in wonder. Instead of a stone floor, the chamber they'd entered was grounded in a dirt one. A series of cages lined the walls, each containing giant EVOs that resembled wasps. The moment he stepped further, they hissed and forced their wings to vibrate, creating sounds akin to a helicopter taking off. The buzz permeated throughout the entire room, startling Rex out of his melancholy mindset.
At least, for the moment.
"Come here." Van Kleiss commanded him, walking towards a side of the room lacking any cages. The man approached what appeared to be a small metal closet, opening the doors to reveal transparent pieces of clothing. "Pick one out and put it on."
"Um... okay," the boy murmured, selecting his choice from the apparel. "What are these?"
"Cloaks. Just slip them over your shoulder and wrap them around so that you're fully covered."
Rex did just that, astonished by how strange the texture of the fabric felt. Even when swathing his entire figure, it felt incredibly lightweight, as well as exceptionally thin. The strangest part was how it felt eerily similar to plastic, yet folded in on itself in an entirely different way. Small lines ran through various areas of the cloak, but the boy couldn't tell if it was for aesthetics or functionality.
"This feels weird," he announced, prodding at the cloak. "It's like it's familiar, but I don't know where from."
The king reached into the closet yet again, this time pulling out a small black device. "I'll explain soon enough. For now, keep your arms at your sides."
"Why?"
"I'm going to electrocute you."
In a flash, two prongs shot out from the device and attached to the cloak, sending high voltage pulses around the teen's body. The strange fabric began to light up an increasingly bright yellow, prompting Rex to scream. He could feel the powerful volts buzz and crackle all around him, but soon realized that something was amiss.
He wasn't in pain.
Mouth wide open in shock, he watched as the continuous flow of deadly electricity struck the fabric and permeated throughout the entire cloak, utterly baffled by how none of it managed to reach his body. It was soon apparent that the odd material was protecting him from instantaneous death, though by an unknown mechanism. Peering further at the fabric, he found that the numerous lines embedded in it shone white, clearly taking in most of the voltage.
His enemy smirked, then turned the device off. "How was it, Rex?"
It took the teen a few moments to catch his breath to speak. "I- what- you almost killed me- why-"
"I said I would electrocute you, not kill you," Van Kleiss explained. "Though that sounds impossible, thanks to what you're wearing, it's now reasonable to say that there's a difference between the two."
Rex was stunned.
"As I'm sure you know, you're not wearing normal cloth," the man pointed out. "It's special, harvested from these insect EVOs you see in the cages."
The boy turned his head towards the restrained wasp EVOs, still confused. "Wh-what? Do they make it for you?"
"No, I said I harvested it from them. The cloak is made from their wings."
Rex paled. "You... you pluck out their wings?"
"Yes. During a particular rainstorm, I discovered that their wings are incredibly resistant to electricity. A bolt of lightning struck one of the members of their swarm, yet the it continued flying without a care. I captured a few of their numbers to test them, and I now utilize the material for protective gear. People pay great money it."
"You made it into a business," the teen muttered. "This is insane."
"Of course I did," the king responded. "No country is complete without a basic economy. Even you should know that."
"But it's cruelty! You're keeping them locked up just so you can steal their organs! It's animal- er, EVO abuse! Why isn't anyone calling you out for this?"
"Because they don't care to know the source. Secondly, sacrifices must be made. Aren't you the one insisting on eating meat every so often? Where, might I ask, do you believe that comes from?"
Rex shut his mouth immediately.
"If you're done with your theatrics- though, I'll admit they're a bit more refreshing than your crying spells- I'm going to ask you to do the job for me," the older EVO informed him. "I'm going to unlock the cages. Do what I say, or I won't be tempted to help you in your personal mission."
The teen's eyes widened in horror as the man pressed a button on the wall next to the cabinet, releasing the wasp EVOs. "Wait! I'm the one plucking their wings out? You didn't tell me!"
"I did just now," the king told him, immediately leaving the premises. "I'll be watching you from a nearby control room with the assistance of the cameras above."
"Why are you leaving?" Rex shouted, watching the doors close behind him. "Is it dangerous? Hey!"
"You won't die. Just open the doors and leave if it's too much for you to handle. And if it is, I won't help you with your Providence issues."
"I have to do this for that?"
No one answered.
The boy whipped around to find the EVOs slowly crawling towards him, their mouthparts twitching aggressively. He gulped and took a few steps back, summoning his sword. The orange weapon shot out in and instant, immediately in contact with the tough exoskeletons of the creatures-
Until one of them bit the tip off.
"OW!" Rex yelled, retracting his weapon. The wasp at the front, nearly twice his size, fluttered it's wings and hissed. "You guys eat metal? That's not fair!"
Nothing seemed to be fair anymore, but he decided that if he had to suffer for his dead family, it was worth the cause. They didn't raise him to back away from obstacles, even if his mind was tampered with negativity. He would get through to them and solve the mystery of their deaths, no matter how much it hurt him.
"Let's try this, then," he spoke up, replacing his sword with his fist. "You can bite my builds all you want, but I'm still smarter than you."
Launching into attack, he struck the largest wasp against the wall, hearing it land with a sickening thud. The rest buzzed loudly in response, swooping in to pile up onto him. One by one, he swatted them away as much as he could, struggling to keep his breath under their weights.
Soon, he plucked off his first wing.
The EVO he hurt let out an ear piercing wail, digging its sharp legs against the dirt and lashing out at him, striking the boy on his leg. Blood began to trickle from the wound, and he howled in pain. Quickly, he formed his whip in defense, strangling the creature and sending a bolt of electricity to knock it out.
But its lone functioning wing took the brunt of the charge.
"No!" the teen gasped as it bit into his metallic whip and pried itself from his grasp. He let out a yelp as it charged at him and knocked him to the ground, making him feel dizzy from the impact.
But he couldn't let his family down.
Struggling to stand, he formed his sword again and began waving it wildly at his attackers, slicing through their armor and clipping a few more wings- albeit sloppily. The EVOs began to shake and let out more screeches, but strangely enough, they didn't seem to be deterred. Instead, they clacked their mouthparts together and lunged at him, now even harder to bat away.
Panicking, Rex formed his slam canon and dug into the dirt to chuck a boulder at them, but his determination melted into horror when he realized that there was nothing but soft soil instead of the concrete chunks he'd usually shoot from his fights on the streets. The wasps took advantage of his ineptitude and latched onto him with their claws, tearing into his clothes.
He was wrong to let his family die.
The boy screamed as they began to bite his flesh and used any build he could to shove them off. He continued fighting in pain, using his Slam Cannon to smash them instead of aiming at them. Dodging their jabs, he leaped backwards and punched them with his sword, unaware of the blood slowly leaking through his clothes.
Holiday would be ashamed of him.
"Hold still!" he shouted, jolting at the feeling of one of them biting his sword in multiple spots. "OW! STOP!"
Rex drove himself at them, hoping to snatched the rest of their wings with brute force if necessary. Forming his hands into metal fists, he attempted to use his giant fingers to pop their heads off and remove the desired organs. The moment he killed one of them, however, seven others hissed and bit his digits off, rendering his build useless.
Six would be disappointed in him.
As the EVOs dove onto him and clawed harshly at his torso and legs, burning pain began to erupt from any area they touched. Screaming, the teen felt his muscles turn white hot, forced to dismantle his machines just to keep the sensations away. Soon, his throat hurt too much to make any noise, reducing him to a silent victim. No matter how hard he pushed away at the vicious wasps, they remained undeterred.
Bobo would be angry with him.
With that last haunting thought, he passed out.
