Some people were confused by chapter 7, I wish there was a way to do that chapter in show rather than tell but I cannot allow myself to do flashbacks: this story is from Rex's point of view and has to be limited to what he knows and what he finds out.

I can understand why it is confusing, so duly apologise to any readers confused by it. I'm working on chapter 8 as we speak but in the meantime have written a quick entry of what happened the week before Rex woke up in this world, as related by Six and Holiday, in the form of if Rex was using that diary he uses for amnesia. I'll try to be brief.

Monday: Noah beat me in basketball. Basketball bounced off the board and got me in the chin, he made me go to the school nurse, what a sissy. But I think I'm gonna get ill and graze my knees a lot more often…that nurse is like a cross between Halle Berry and Selena Gomez. I think I might've asked her to marry me. Got the flu shot permission form as soon as she promised she was the one to do the jabs.

Tuesday: Went to Holiday to ask her to sign my medical form. Kinda interrupted a phone call she was having with the scientist guy that tried to dissect me a few years ago. Fells has her sister hostage, apparently she's gone EVO so he's allowed to keep her. He said he'll dissect her. Holiday cried herself to sleep, I got her to have some tea. Was tempted to dose it with some of those sleeping drugs I know she keeps in her science kit but decided not to. Snuck out to try and break Holiday's sister out, figured I could cure her. Instead she beat me up, Fell nearly caught me and I ended up limping home. Six caught me climbing in through the kitchen window. Relocated my shoulder myself. Went to sleep.

Wednesday: Holiday woke me up by yelling at me. Snuck into her office and locked her out. Hacked into her computer and phoned Fell. Asked him what it'd take to make him keep from dissecting Holiday's sister. He said I should hand myself over. I actually thought about it, you know? I had this totally awesome mental image of setting free all the EVOs to rampage and hopefully crush Fell to mush. Then I had the less awesome mental image of Fell strapping me to a table and cutting me into pieces. Urgh. Holiday managed to break back into the office and ordered me to drop whatever deal I might be making with Fell. Then Fell said, If I let him test one compound on me, he'll keep Holiday's sister safe personally. He said it could paralyse nanites. If it could do that, he could inoculate the world. So I said yes. I said yes because I saw the look on Holiday's face. I know what a vaccine would mean to her, I know what she's been working towards all these years on her own. And because I know her sister's her only family. I don't really have family, but if I did have family, I'd do anything to keep them safe, right? I'm glad Holiday and Six act like they're my parents. It may be only an act but I like it. So Holiday got the paralytic compound from the park, that's where we did the deal, I kept watch. She tested it on a blood sample and when it didn't dissolve anything, she injected it into me.

Thursday: Can't do any builds. Tried to do basketball instead. Couldn't get in the mood for it though. Threw the ball at Noah when he told me I was probably going down with the flu. He insisted on going to the nurse. Why not? Good enough idea. Note to self, get Six to sign the flu shots form.

Friday: Gotta sleep. Six wants a hunt tonight. Holiday and I have the story between us. She'll phone Six and tell him my bios have crashed before we find any EVOs, then it'll be okay and he'll bring me home and then Holiday can 'find out' that my nanites aren't responding any more. Guess I'll be getting more free evenings from now on.

Saturday: Okay, feel like I need to scrape my guts off the wall that EVO threw me into. Thanks a lot doc.

Sunday: Got to sleep in, then tests. More tests. Kinda funny seeing as Holiday knows why, but Six's real worried. Wish I could tell him. But Holiday says he'd kill Fell and get killed in the process. I half agree. I don't think anything could kill Six.

Monday: got the flu shot. Crashed shortly after. Noah fainted after his shot so I won $10 from him. I threw up an hour after the shot so he won it back.

Thanks for the reviews Phantomgirl96, jessk13, Kaylee, Lilly, its Danni, Peacexfreedom, Honest, Ylva and troyboltonsgirl :-)

Chapter 7

This world was far too screwed up for Rex: there was no universe in which he'd ever want to be without his powers. They were like his…well, they were as natural to him as breathing, swimming, running, walking. "Why," he asked Holiday, his voice trembling with rage, "would I ever ask you to paralyse my nanites?"

"You don't remember, do you?" Holiday's voice was soft. "You blacked out again, didn't you, Rex? It must have been recently. Did it happen in the night? While you slept? Please Rex, it's important. When did you forget? How much can you remember?"

"I remember who you two are," Rex said defiantly. "I remember you're not my parents." He pointed at Six. "I remember you telling me we'd find out who my parents are. I remember you training me. I remember Noah. I remember curing EVOs."

"That's more than he usually remembers," Six murmured.

"Which day was it?" Holiday persisted. "Do you remember last week, last Wednesday?"

"No." It was Wednesday today. It was Tuesday he'd woken up in this weird world. One whole day since this nightmare began, but it felt much longer. "I…woke up on Tuesday," he said finally.

"Before that, what do you remember?" Six asked quietly.

Rex shook his head, troubled. "I'm not sure any more when I'm dreaming. I thought this was the dream. I thought in my real life, that I worked for Providence. I was their secret weapon."

Six gave a short laugh at that then glared at Holiday. "So now he can't tell us why he told you to inject him with that…poison," his voice held a hint of bitterness. "I'm supposed to trust you when you betrayed me."

"David…Six…" Holiday reached for his hand and gripped it tight. He looked tempted to break it but Rex glared at him and he stayed still.

"I let my heart rule my head," Holiday said quietly. "It's not something I usually do…in fact, I've only done it since only having you two to rely on and to keep me sane. Rex found out and he took the choice away from me. That is what happened."

"So I'm a hero?" Rex asked optimistically.

"No, you're an idiot," Six said, making Rex scowl.

Holiday sighed. "It was…well, you don't remember, Rex, so let me put it this way. Last week you tried to bug me when I was on the phone, you needed something done for school. I told you to go away. You decided to eavesdrop instead."

"What would I bug you about?"

Holiday shrugged. "I can't even remember now. I was talking to Fell…he was explaining to me why my sister hadn't been in contact with me for a week."

Oh…

Now Rex remembered Holiday's sister. The big spider-like incurable EVO that was locked in Providence's basement.

"She's gone EVO," Holiday said quietly. "Providence caught her and caged her…just another EVO." She exchanged a sad look with Six. There was understanding now in his face, and his grip changed on her hand, moving more protectively over her fingers. "Fell promised to make her his next dissection."

"That bastard," Rex hissed.

"That is what you said," Holiday said. "In Spanish. Along with a lot of other unrepeatable words. I only wish you could remember me making you wash your mouth out with soap afterwards."

"So then I went out and thumped him with smackhands, right?" Rex said hopefully.

"Uh well…"

"So that's why you broke curfew last time," Six guessed with a sigh. "I remember catching you coming in the kitchen window that time. I thought you'd gone out to fight or cure EVOs without me."

"You didn't manage to thump Fell," Holiday went red. "Fell contacted me after that…and said that my sister thumped you instead when you tried to release her."

Oh. Rex could actually imagine that happening after the last time he'd had the pleasure of meeting her…his night vision was not awesome and hers unfortunately was.

"So then what?" Rex demanded getting a bit irked by how well Holiday and Six were deflating his ego. All he needed was Bobo to wander in and tell him that his skills with girls sucked.

"Then you hacked into my computer to find out how to contact Fell. You made a deal with him, you were about to give yourself over in exchange and I cancelled that deal. So you offered yourself up as a guinea pig instead."

"You are more than an idiot," Six said finally. "Both of you. He could've asked you to inject acid into Rex and he'd be dead."

"I analysed the compound," Holiday said defensively. Six looked a little reassured by that. "It was definitely entirely paralytic and I tested it on a blood sample from Rex, I didn't just inject it straight into him. It paralysed the nanites in the blood sample but did not affect any other cells."

Rex breathed a sigh of relief at that.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Six asked. "Were you ever going to explain why Rex couldn't cure EVOs? I nearly got him killed the night after you must've injected him with it."

"He didn't tell me that you were going on a hunt," Holiday replied defensively.

"Yep, that sounds like me," Rex said.

"Rex, you got smashed into a building," Six said. "You were lucky not to die. You received at least concussion."

"Huh, so Noah was right about the EVO throwing me into a building then," Rex said amused. "Maybe I should've taken him up on the offer of a straitjacket. But concussion…paralysing my nanites…could those have caused me to blackout?"

"Have your abilities come back?" Holiday asked.

Rex grinned. "Glad you asked." He stretched one arm out and changed it into B.F.S, knocking a bulletin board off the wall with the blade. "Yeah, it's back," he said and calmly let his arm change back to normal.

"So the compound doesn't even work any more?" Six asked. Holiday reached for Rex's arm and examined the faint pink stain on his skin. "I think his nanites ejected it," she said slowly. "But I'm not sure why. Or how. How would they know to build an immunity to it?"

"I think I know," Six said. "The flu."

"Flu?" Holiday raised an eyebrow.

"You remember that Rex was bugging you to do something for school? Well that was it. He needed a signature for a school form allowing him to have the flu jab."

"He opted for a flu jab?" Holiday stared.

"Yes. Something about a cute school nurse."

"Yep, that sounds like me," Rex sighed.

"So I signed it instead of you." His voice remained level instead of accusing. "He had that jab on the Monday. He blacked out on the Tuesday. I would guess that the flu jab broke the paralysis of his nanites. It might even have caused his blackout. If you'd told me about this from the beginning..."

"You'd have gone ninja on Fell's ass," Rex said.

"And Providence would have executed you," Holiday said. Rex looked at her but she looked away, her eyes settled on the undrunk mug of tea. She reached out and touched it: it was cold. "Rex, you'd better get some sleep," she said finally. "Six, stay with him to make sure he doesn't do anything idiotic."

"Agreed." Six said. "What will you do?"

"Double-check Rex's readings. Tell Fell the deal's off."

"And then what'll happen? To your sister?" Six asked.

Holiday sighed. "I've had enough time to think about it. She…she's an EVO now. She's not my sister any more."

"I'm sorry I couldn't cure her," Rex said quietly.

She blinked, startled. "How did you know that?" there was a quiver of excitement in her voice. "Did you remember?"

Damn, he thought, scrambling for an excuse. In this universe, Holiday hadn't told him that her sister was an incurable. Think, Rex, think...He shook his head quickly. "Just a feeling. You said she beat me up, right? I bet I tried to cure her first."

Her shoulders slumped a bit. "Ah. Yes. Fell said you didn't manage to cure her. He's calling her an incurable. And if she really is…incurable, that means that really my sister is dead. So the deal can't matter any more." Then she left the room, unable to say any more, her shoulders starting to shake. Six and Rex listened to her walk down the stairs.

"You heard the doctor. Get some sleep, Rex," Six said authoritatively, finally and leaned his back against the wall, looking weary himself. "Once you recover though, I'm tripling your training. You've slacked off long enough."

"Sure...whatever..." Rex stifled a yawn, climbing under his blankets. He vaguely remembered his head hitting the pillow. After a while of darkness, he started dreaming of random things like a yellow brick road bordered with white picket fence, and of skipping with Holiday and Six, that Six was the tin man and Holiday the lion, so I'm the scarecrow? He remembered wondering in disgust and then picking a fight with Six, telling him something like, 'Hey, I make things out of metal, shouldn't I be the tin man?' and then Six saying 'Well you need a brain more than a heart.'

He woke up, looked at Six. "I think Holiday's gone and done something to do with courage," he said.

"Huh?" Six raised an eyebrow.

"I think she's gone to Fell. I think she's going to try and cut a deal."

"She would not exchange you for her," Six said severely.

"Yeah well, she might exchange herself for her sister's safety."

Six glanced out of the window. "It's past curfew."

"Yeah because a scary night of EVOs and Providence soldiers will stop her from going to confront her way scarier EVO sister and Providence soldiers and scientists," Rex said.