CHAPTER EIGHT: I WANNA ROCK RIGHT NOW: PART IV
One second passed, and then another. While the hands of his wristwatch continued to tick away, White Knight hummed a slow melody as he tapped his heel against the laboratory floor — still waiting for the teenagers to return with Rex so the party could commence as scheduled.
One would think that Knight would have the patience of a monk after spending nearly two years in quarantine, but in truth he preferred to leave such virtues to the likes of Holiday and Six. Getting results and getting them fast was his profession when he led Providence, and long before he got involved with the Consortium — so waiting, as always, proved to be quite a task for him.
"This is the first time in months he's been late to anything. For a while I was starting to think he wouldn't break the streak." Knight's gruff voice mumbled as he pulled back a sleeve to check the watch on his wrist for the tenth time since sending Rex's friends off to find the guest of honor.
"What are those darn kids up to?" He sighed before coming back his hair—free from the unkempt bangs of his previous style courtesy of Six and an improvised pair of scissors—and crossing his arms to stop himself from impulsively checking the time every second waiting for Rex's arrival.
"Maybe they're plotting to spill pig's blood on some person who's wronged them! Or so those High School movies led me to believe, anyway." An even rougher voice responded while shrugging and throwing a competently made balloon pig at Knight. It was an unusual skill by all means, but next to cooking, sharpshooting, and theft, it was but one of many abilities Bobo had at his disposal.
"I'm not sure that a decades-old film is an accurate representation of modern society." Knight retorted while kicking away the inflated animal. It slightly unnerved him just how many of those small things surrounded the lab — as if they were creatures in disguise, waiting to ambush him at any given moment. But after a quick breath and a second to check his sanity, he reminded himself that the Nanite Event was no more and that he had the support of Providence at all times.
Which included all the agents currently taking cover to surprise Rex — even the chimp, remarkably.
"Don't know. Those ape flicks seemed quite prophethetic to me." Bobo added with a devious grin.
"And there goes your TV privileges." Knight pulled out a notepad and scribbled a reminder to develop a constituency plan against Bobo in case he should revert back to his pre-Providence ways.
"Did I say that out loud? I am! Gah, what is this janky dog collar good for, anyway?" Bobo groaned while tugging at his shirt collar to reveal a mechanical collar fastened around his neck.
"I thought you'd be more grateful to have that translator, considering all the effort put into it."
Bobo was hardly in a position to disagree since he lost his ability to speak following The Cure. But his lack of communication was starting to become a nuisance whenever he did his antics without any clear indication — so Beverly took it upon herself to bridge that verbal gap since day one.
"Holiday has a bright sister. Though I can't say she's too considerate of comfort...or locking down the hangar by the looks of it." Knight was caught off guard by Bobo's last statement, and when he looked in the same direction as his simian friend his face contorted with similar confusion.
"Looks like someone's stealing Six's jump jet of all the ones left in our fleet. Real gutsy...I approve!"
"Who in the blazes thought it would be a good idea to take his jet for a joyride?" Knight growled.
"I'll go check the footage at the security terminal. Ventilation shafts are the fastest way around here, y'know." Bobo swung his way up to a high ledge and disappeared through a vent without a trace.
"I'll have the head of whoever's responsible for this stunt, as well as a word with Beverly for neglecting her duties..." Knight murmured with his nose pinched between his fingers.
"Uh oh. I'm not in trouble, am I?" As if on queue, Beverly was the first one of the group to appear from the corner and shortly the rest of her friends followed, standing by her side as if to protect her.
"That remains to be seen. Speaking of trouble, where's Rex? Isn't he supposed to be with you?"
"Fashionably late. Emphasis on fashion." Claire joked with a wink before the sound of Rex's boots could be heard echoing down the hallway leading to the laboratory.
"That's him! Quick, go hide! Now!" Noah whisper-shouted to his friends before they scattered.
Everyone was startled to hear him approaching so quickly after their arrival. All the same, they rushed to take cover and dimmed the lights so the preparations couldn't be seen. At last, the party was about to start in 3… 2… 1…
With his best foot forward, Rex finally entered through the doorway of Doctor Holiday's laboratory. And after a second of confusion to the dark display before him, the lights flashed on and everyone jumped from hiding, with confetti showering from the ceiling and poppers going off all over the lab.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY REX!" Everyone shouted at the top of their lungs, save for Knight, before drowning the young adult in fanfare, applause, praise, and well wishes for all his efforts.
"Wait, this party's for me?" Circe slipped on birthday cap onto Rex and knocked on his head twice in spite of his feigned ignorance though she did find it cute that he played along with their rouse.
"Yeah, we're bad at this. But there's still plenty of surprises waiting for you, including exhibit A:" Circe gestured her arm to White Knight, who Rex failed to see with the visual noise of the reveal.
"Knight, is that really you?" Rex stood in disbelief as Knight marched closer. It was the first time since the Cure he saw White Knight in person, except this time he was without a sterilizing suit!
"In the flesh." Knight replied while brushing off some confetti that landed on his shoulder.
"No kidding! You look...kinda unhappy to be here, actually." He wanted to say great, but there was clearly something making Knight upset and he hated to think that it might have been his presence.
"It's not that, really. In fact your timing couldn't be better. I hate to do this to you on your birthday, but someone just hijacked Six's jump jet and I need you to take them down. Fast."
Rex's friend group gave Knight a combination of disappointed glares and downtrodden looks of understanding — while Rex himself nodded in approval and tossed off his party hat, turning his head to look at the same direction Knight was facing.
True to his word, Six's jump jet could be seen through an elevated window and was flying further away, looking much more like a dot in the sky the more time passed. And so, Rex put on his signature goggles, cracked his knuckles, and was prepared to do what he did best.
"How fast are we talking about?"
"Try six times faster than the speed of sound, if you're merely trailing them. Are you up for it?"
Rex gave Knight a knowing smirk before running straight towards the exterior wall.
"Might want to clear the way! This party's about to get messy real quick!"
Heading his warning, with full knowledge of Rex's destructive capability, all of the scientists in the way cleared the area allowing for Rex to take the most direct route to intercept the rogue agent.
Without any restraint or hesitation, Rex started to summon his Smack Hands — the blue streaks appearing all over his forearms as an indication of his nanites getting to their proper positions to complete the schematic he envisioned.
In a second's time the mechanical components began to materialize from his limbs — sliding, shifting, and interlocking until they joined together as one powerful, cohesive unit. And with one final, audible click, a singular gauntlet of black, silver, and red was completed, with his build being dragged far behind his body in preparation of a swift, decisive blow.
After leaping towards the wall with only a few feet separating him from the confines of the laboratory and the outside world, he ferociously swung his fist and pulverized the barrier instantly.
Dust and debris blasted away from the Headquarters and the sound of the impact reverberated all throughout that level of the massive building. With the power of an explosion and the presence of one too, Rex relished the opportunity to test his abilities and see some action after such a long time.
Completely in his element, he retracted his smack hand and substituted it for the Sky Slyder in its place — but first, he allowed himself a moment to freefall from such a great height and take in all the fresh air before finishing the construction of his hoverboard just moments prior to crashing.
With his mode of aerial transportation deployed, the hero of Providence accelerated to incredible speeds and left the rest of the agents to clean up after his bombastic exit. Knight grimaced at the damage done and how much it would cost to repair, but without complaint he took up a broom and began sweeping away dust, metal, and rebar while others secured a net to patch up the sizable hole.
"I guess we'll continue the party after he catches the thief?" Cricket asked the rest to no certain answer. But during the moment of collective uncertainty regarding the next course of action, Beverly felt a vibration from her pocket and answered her phone immediately.
"Yes Bobo? What's up?" She asked plainly. Attentively listening to his voice while filtering out the feedback caused by his collar, Beverly cycled through an expression of confusion and then concern as he continued to relay information regarding the one responsible for the jump jet theft and the collateral damage dealt to Rylander in the process.
"...What! Oh no...I'll join Caesar right away. We'll take care of Rylander, I promise!" She declared before hanging up and grabbing the wrists of the two closest to her.
"I need all of you to come with me now. We were infiltrated, and Caesar needs all hands on deck!"
LATER
It was still morning — and despite the day having just started it felt longer than most.
After all, the last minute preparations for the party involved several exhausting tasks that needed to be completed swiftly before the party was scheduled — so having to deal with the consequences of an infiltration and determine the perpetrator's motivation right after was quite the undertaking.
Especially when one such consequence necessitated the treatment of a top scientist who ended up in critical condition; but fortunately for the veteran Nanite Developer, Beverly and Caesar were able to make quick work of restoring function to his systems—despite what his mangled appearance might've suggested—with the assistance of their friends and the extra hands they provided.
"...And with the pins fixed, his processor should now operate as normal! So, which components remain unrepaired, Miss Holiday?" Caesar inquired while slouching over Rylander's head and wiping his own forehead clear of grease and sweat with a rag kindly passed to him by Tuck.
"Actually, Caesar, that would be the last part in need of immediate attention. We did it guys!"
Upon hearing Beverly declare success in their collaborative operation on Rylander, all of her friends let out small cheers and sighs of relief before sinking into their spots or propping themselves against the nearest wall or piece of furniture.
It was tiring, both physically and slightly emotionally, being ruthlessly commanded around the lab searching for whatever tool or material was needed by the pair of scientists at any given moment; but everyone was determined to help Rylander recover from his unconscious state as soon as possible, and if he knew any information regarding the infiltrator then every second mattered.
And in less than a second, a hum was heard coming from Rylander's body and his eyes opened slowly before his activity light initiated and he began to prop himself up — gradually working through the process of waking up and taking in a perceived sudden change in environment.
"Is that you Caesar? And Dr. Holiday too — Oh! Pardon me, Beverly. My eyes are still calibrating."
"None taken Doctor." She smiled back at Rylander, secretly relishing being referred to as a doctor.
"And it appears the rest of your friends are here as well...curious, that." He commented while the eight other teenagers lazily waved at him and congratulated him on the recovery of his new body before continuing to take a break in their spots.
"Curious indeed! But there is a reason Gabriel, which I hope you can, you can clear up with us… clear… soon…" With his speech, eyelids, and posture getting heavier and more distant the longer he spoke, Caesar eventually got to the point where he was unable to complete his sentence and tripped backwards towards the ground — nearly crashing head first if it weren't for Beverly catching him.
"Woah! Easy there, big guy." She gave him an affirming pat on the back while he staggered back on his own two feet with forcibly wide eyes and a very spaced-out expression on his face.
"...Ah, You're referring to me as the big guy. Sigh, I apologize Beverly, I've lost my coordination as of late and I'm unable to determine the cause of my imbalance or any way to remedy it..."
"Sleep. What you need is sleep, bro." Tuck quipped while rubbing his eyes and stretching.
"Right. So get some rest Caesar. You've been up for too long." Beverly pleaded to little success.
"¿Que? No no no, I can't sleep now. I must be awake to ensure Rylander's diagnostics are stable, and then sing happy birthday to mi hermano…not to mention my computers…need to be put to sleep…"
Caesar collapsed upon mentioning rest, and after Rylander slid off the emergency stretcher to make room for his godson he took the younger scientist from Beverly's arms and set him down gently.
"He'll be alright. While Caesar is the type to constantly overwork himself to the point of exhaustion, he recovers every time. Now, I've gathered that there's something he and the rest of you wish to ask me?" He asked everyone while taking a seat in a swivel chair facing all of them.
Since Beverly had the best—albeit limited—understanding of the situation, she caught him up to speed on all the happenings that occurred over the past hour or so, including: the rogue agent escaping in Six's jump jet with one of his memory drives; Rex pursuing said infiltrator; and the long repair process that followed the assault carried out against him during visitation, in that order.
"Yes, yes. It's all coming back to me know." Rylander muttered while rubbing his temples slowly. "Oh, what a dreadful situation I appear to be right in the center of. But if you don't mind me asking a question first, can you please tell me what happened to Johnathan? Is he alright?"
"Well, um, Scarecrow got tranquilized after attacking you and was transferred to solitary." Claire explained while fidgeting her fingers and avoiding direct eye contact.
"Solitary?" Rylander bemoaned with a hurt face, prompting Beverly to scoot closer and console him.
"For the time being, Doctor Rylander! My sister doesn't believe in that kind of punishment, and as soon as she comes back we can persuade her to consider different conditions for his detainment." Rylander was on the verge of tears, but did his best to restrain himself and kept his composure.
"Of course, of course. Thank you, Beverly." He sniffled, appearing very grateful for her words. Cricket, however, was starting to grow restless with one question gnawing at the back of her mind.
"Doctor, I know it's your job to look after the wellbeing of others at all times, but shouldn't you be concerned with your own safety and wellbeing first? Especially since he's the one who did this to you." Cricket suggested while getting up and moving over to the stretcher near Rylander.
Walter and Tuck exchanged awkward glances to one another thinking about how she, the most forgiving and empathetic of the three in her inner circle, loathed Scarecrow the most. They all had their vendettas against him to be sure — but her history with him was also the most complicated of the bunch and if anyone was to show Scarecrow any sort of kindness then she wanted to know why.
"Bah. I can be fully restored in no time at all. But he was in such a state that I— I can't bear to think of what consequences my son may be facing as a result of my ineptitude and lack of caution..."
The room was already mostly silent before, but suddenly that silence had become absolute and everyone held their breaths so that even their breathing couldn't be heard.
"So just to be sure, you said Johnathan—as in our John Scarecrow, the shapeshifter—is your son!?" Walter gasped with any lingering uncertainty cast aside by Rylander's nod of confirmation.
"I sincerely apologize for not disclosing this information sooner, but ever since I learned he was an enemy of Providence I decided to keep that secret between Holiday, Knight, Six, and I. Of course Caesar knows of our relation as well, but I imagine he kept it a secret from Rex and the rest of you out of consideration of my feelings." Rylander confessed to a very alert and attentive looking group.
"And I hope all of you would consider keeping that secret from Rex as well, although I won't hold it against anyone who feels differently." He solemnly requested, and nobody in the room appeared to be complaining about keeping his relatively harmless secret.
"What a considerate and sensible group of young adults. I have much to reflect on as a parent — but on the subject of Rex and his mission, I know exactly what was taken and where they are headed."
Even coming from Rylander, that was a surprising statement and Beverly needed to be certain. "We know they stole one of your memory drives, but how are you so sure about their destination?" Beverly asked while Rylander swung his chair around and pulled up his schematics on a screen.
"While I shudder to wonder how they determined which storage disk to take, that particular drive contained a backup of all my knowledge pertinent to the Nanite Development project, including the Alpha, Omega, Omnicron, Meta, and unstable Nanites in particular."
"I'm sorry, how many different types of Nanites did you say they were?" Beverly questioned with enough shock and astonishment to account for everyone else who stood with their mouths agape.
"A lot more than Providence and the Consortium knew about, and should ever know about." Rylander expressed. "So if any entity is seeking to learn more about the development of Nanites in the era of The Cure, then there's only one place on earth where they could complete their search."
To confirm his theory, Rylander pulled up the coordinates of the location and found that Rex had just arrived there by tracking a spontaneous increase in selenium in that area. The promiseland, the country of ruin, or the place where everything changed; the unrecognized country was known by many names all throughout the world, but it was best known by the name of...
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hiatus over!
…Okay I actually wasn't on hiatus. This chapter's been a struggle for me to write these past several months, but over the past two days I've had a breakthrough and 1.7k words with little effort! Funny how that works.
Anyway, since this Episode works better if I give it one more chapter I'll be publishing this one now and release the next one when I finish it sometime this weekend if I'm not too busy.
And as always, let me know your thoughts on pacing, writing, and the direction of this fic! Take care!
MAJOR UPDATE [10/13/2019]:
For better pacing across chapters eight and nine, this chapter has been extended so that the next one will be entirely focused on Abysus. In the future, I will try my best to avoid retroactive changes that alter large bodies of text and content.