Veronica:
Wham! Rex slammed his giant fist into the side of the EVO, grunting as he made impact with the huge monster. He made his fist into a saw and started cutting into it. All of a sudden, a small girl ran into the street, shouting, "Leave me alone!" he had no time to stop his attack and warn her before the EVO stumbled back, falling towards the girl. He started to run, even though he knew there was no chance he could get there before she was crushed. Then, the girl wasn't there anymore. He looked around, searching for her, and saw her in the arms of a girl balancing on, he realized, the only lamppost he and the EVO hadn't trashed in their brawl. The girl jumped down, put the girl on her feet, and bent down, he guessed, to assess damage. He yelled as one of the EVO's tentacles swung toward her, and yelled again as two long, sharp, mean-looking blades popped out of her arms a lot like his did. She cut off the tentacle as it made contact with her side, and she joined in the fight.
They fought the huge EVO together, attacking tentacles when they got to close, and slashing at the vast 'belly of the beast'. They had been fighting for two minutes when she stabbed the EVO right in the stomach, and switched her hands back to regular. He turned to cure the EVO, when he heard, "Look out!" He was thrown to the side, and when he looked around, he saw her arm sticking out from the tentacle that had crushed the area he had just been. He jumped up and ran to help her, but then thought of a better idea. He cured the EVO, so that he wouldn't have to risk hurting her more by moving the large appendage. He ran over and picked her up, carrying her into the providence plane that had just landed. "I need Holiday, ASAP!" They took her from him and he meandered off, forgetting the little girl in the light of the new problem.
Risty;
He walked into the infirmary, asking about the girl. Dr. Holiday turned around and gestured, "Ask her yourself," and walked past him out the door. He looked at the girl. She was sitting up, but she was bruised and scratched all over. "Are you ok?" She nodded, and said, "It'll take more than an overgrown noodle salad to bring me down. I'm Veronica." She stuck her hand out, and he shook it, oddly surprised at her strong grip. She relaxed, and he was about to thank her for saving him when she gasped, "omigoditsamonkey!" he turned around, "Hey Bobo. This is Veronica. She saved me from becoming a stain on the road. Veronica, this is Bobo, my partner." She looked at Bobo, and then she shouted, "That is the most adorable hat I have ever seen!" Bobo took a bow, and then he walked out. "He's embarrassed; his hat doesn't usually get that much positive feedback." He tried to thank her again, but she interrupted (again) to ask where someone named 'Risty' was. "Come again?" he said. She sighed, "Where is Risty? You know; the little girl that got me into that fight in the first place? Where is she?" He thought back, and gasped, "I forgot! Do you think she's in trouble?" She glared at him. "You…FORGOT?" She threw off the blankets she had been given, "I have to find her. If she gets hurt because I'm not there to protect her-" he interrupted her to say that he could send a plane for her, and bring her here, where they should protect her, and she law back down. "OK. You'll have to tell her that I sent you, and that I'm being repaired. You have to say repaired, or she won't come with you. Got it?" He nodded, and called a ship to look for Risty. Veronica told the pilot where to look, and what to say, and then she fell asleep. Rex decided to stay in the infirmary with Veronica, and be ready to ask her about herself and Risty when she woke up.
"Ronnie!" Veronica woke up to see Risty on top of her, beaming. "Risty! You're okay!" Risty nodded, "I went home after you saved me, and I did all my homework, and I did my practice. I didn't go to… you know, in case the creepy girl was there, but I locked up and cleaned our room, and then the plane came, so I got all our stuff and I locked the house and I found you!" Veronica smiled, and praised her. Rex stood up, and said, "Veronica, I didn't have time to thank you for saving me from the EVO. You two can stay here as long as you like, but I think you should wait until you're better to leave. Is there anything I can get you?" Risty nodded, "We need a large, empty area to do our morning calisthenics, and I need a table too." Rex started, wondering how they would do calisthenics with Veronica in this shape, and he was even more surprised when Veronica said, "Risty, will you help me to the bathroom? I need your help." Risty helped her up, and grabbed the bag she had brought with her as they made their way across the room. "Calisthenics? Can my friend Noah and I come too?" They nodded, and continued on their way.
Noah;
"There's a girl like you? D' you know how weird of an image you just put in my head?" Rex shrugged, and repeated his invitation. Noah nodded, "But if she was banged up as bad as you say, should she be able to stand up at all?" Rex shrugged again, "I don't know, but you should come meet her. She's pretty, and her sister is so cute it hurts. Come on."
"Veronica? You're an EVO!" Noah shouted, staring at her. Veronica stared back, "You're his friend Noah?" Rex was staring at both of them, "You two know each other? How…?" Noah, still staring, said, "From school. She's like, the smartest in the whole year! Why didn't you tell me you were an EVO?" She answered (still staring, believe it or not) "One, I don't know you, and two, I'm not an EVO." Now everyone but Risty was staring at her. "Enough! Stretch, now!" The stare-fest stopped, and Risty led the stretches, while Veronica told their story: "I'm not an EVO, I'm a cyborg. I was created and trained by scientists in the most remote organic life/engineering study facility in the world. I trained until I became the seventh most dangerous person in the world- "I'm friends with six. He never said there was one after him," commented Rex. He apologized after Risty glowered at him, and Veronica continued-Yes, my existence is a secret to most, except the other six and Risty. After completing my training, I was rescued by Six, who I asked to keep quiet about me. Rex thought back to when he had met Six, when he had been in Mexico; how Six had brought him to Providence, and protected him from the doctor who had wanted to dissect him for research. I then traveled to Beijing, where I joined a gang of EVO teenagers. I stayed with them out of necessity, until one day, when I was walking through the streets, I saw a little girl in a cardboard box on the curb. I went over to her and found out that she was an orphan, so I took her in. The gang made me choose between them and the girl, as they felt that she would burden them, not being able to pull her own weight. I left them with the girl, whose name was Risty, and was a child prodigy. We moved here, where we found a house with a cheap rent. Risty stays home and invents machines and studies, while I go to school for both of us. I record the lessons that I learn, and she listens to them and does the homework the teachers send home for her. "You're a robot?" Noah asked. Veronica went silent. Risty glared at him, "She's a cyborg, dolt. She's a human with machines in her body to help her function, and for her to fight with." Noah, sobered, "I'm sorry. Hey, can you turn your legs into a mini car, like Rex?" She shook her head, grinning, "No, just a motorcycle. Do you two want to race?" Rex and Noah nodded. She popped out a pink, futuristic, every-normal-teenager's-dream motorcycle from her legs, and Risty climbed on, strapping on a helmet. "You guys trying to catch flies? Come on, let's go!" She sped off, and Rex and Noah tried to catch up on Rex's leg-vehicle. They pulled behind them and were about to pass, when Risty turned around and stuck her tongue out at them and the girls shot ahead. "See ya at the finish line!" they heard from the distance. Later, Rex introduced his brother Cesar to Veronica and Risty. Cesar was, as Rex had thought he would be, fascinated by the idea of a non-EVO cyborg. "You weren't infected in the nanite blast? How is that possible?" She shrugged, looked at Risty, who shrugged, and said, "I have no idea. Look. Why don't you talk to Risty? She knows a lot more about all this than I do." She left them together, and walked over to Rex. "Looks like I'm not the only one with a genius sibling. They're both crazy, apparently. How do-" she was interrupted by a beeping coming from her arm, "Hold on," she stopped talking and held up her wrist. She pressed the inside of her forearm, and he jumped back as a panel opened up, revealing a complex-looking set of controls. She fiddled with a knob that was labeled 'maintenance'. "Risty, do you think Cesar would want to help clean the controls? They're getting a little dusty." Cesar and Rex looked confused, so she explained, "My machines need maintenance, or they won't function properly. Risty does the manual work, and she made a machine to do the other stuff. Since Cesar was so interested in my workings, I thought he might want to help her." Cesar nodded, "I would love to learn more about the amazing machinery Risty has told me about." Risty walked over to the table she had requested, and started unpacking her tools. Veronica went over to the examination table next to it, and lay down on her stomach. Cesar and Rex pulled over chairs and watched, listening to the running commentary Risty gave as she worked.
"These are her main controls. Her secondary controls are on her wrist, for easy access. These control all the machines in her body, except for her pacemaker, for which the controls are in the back of her neck. This section," she gestured to the upper right corner of Veronica's back, "is the controls for the mechanic section of her brain. That part of her brain contains all knowledge, including names, dates, faces, histories, and other things she has learned. It is simply a back-up for her real memories, in case those were ever to be damaged." As Rex listened, he realized that the technical expert lecturing them was like the flip side of the little girl that had glowed with pride when told she had done something perfectly. He listened, awed at the level of technology in Veronica's body, and how amazing it was that these two had found each other; a cyborg with fighting skills to protect and support a genius who could help her whenever she broke or malfunctioned. He was also amazed by the fact that Veronica had chosen a helpless child over a well defended and prosperous gang.
Rex;
"Veronica, do you want to come and pound this EVO with me? It's way more fun than listening to nerd-talk." He jerked his head towards Cesar and Risty, who were huddled over the same whatsit, whispering. Veronica nodded, grabbed her bag, and stood up. "Sure. Where is it?" Rex shrugged, "We're taking a plane, so it doesn't really matter." She nodded again, "Ok," she raised her voice, "Risty! I'm going with Rex! I'll be back soon. Don't take tofu from strangers and call 911 if you die." Risty waved her of, and they left via plane. Rex talked Veronica through his strategy, "I beat it up till it can't kill me, then I cure it." She looked surprised, and asked, "What kind of cure?" He shrugged, "Turn them back into humans." She nodded, "I can only cure their minds, not their bodies." He stared at her, "That's perfect! If you cure their minds, I don't have to beat them up first!" She nodded, as if this were obvious, "Of course. I'll stun it, cure it, and then step back. Now, I need to change into something better for this occasion." She walked into the planes separate compartment, and when she came out, she was wearing an outfit of pink and black, with a mask. He was thoroughly impressed. She looked amazing, and he wouldn't have recognized her if he hadn't known who she was. Then he realized that was probably her intention. "I'm ready. Let's finish the mission, and look good doing it."
After they had finished curing the EVO with minimum damage to them and their surroundings, Rex walked over to Veronica, "I was wondering… do you, ah, go to dinner… or something?" She looked at him, "Like a date?" He stumbled, "uhh… sure-I mean, unless you just want to go as friends…" She grinned, "I would love to go on a date with you, Rex. Where will we go, when should I be ready, and how formally should I dress?" He thought for a minute, and decided this was a girl he wouldn't take to a burger shack. "I know a great place, but it's kind of fancy, so dress nice. I'll pick you up around seven. Is that all right?" She smiled and nodded.
As he was getting ready for his date with Veronica, Rex thought back to the last powered girl he had liked. Circe had joined the team of his greatest enemy, Van Kliess, even though he had offered her a position in providence. He shook his head; she had made her choice, time to move on. Once he was finished, he looked himself over, he was wearing a black tuxedo, with shiny black shoes, and he had done the tie correctly; perfect. When he got to Veronica's room, he gasped she was beautiful. She wore a simple pink blouse, with a maroon sweater, and a pink skirt. Her hair was arranged so that it complemented her face, her clothes, and her posture; she glowed with clean, simple, inner beauty. That was really poetic, he thought. "You look great. Ready to go?" she smiled, returned the compliment and they left together.