The room was filled with more high ranking people than Rex had ever seen together in his entire life- well, the life he could remember, anyway.
Leaders of various nations that had gathered at the previous United Nations meeting sat around a massive oval table, chatting amongst themselves as everyone settled in. Reporters and camera men stood around the perimeter, setting up their gear and adjusting their appearances. Secondary officials such as local mayors, an armed police force, and scattered servants filled the large chamber even more. The designated location was all the way on the thirtieth floor on one of the highest luxury buildings in the city, making the teen feel trapped.
One wrong move, and they might all fall to their deaths. He couldn't save everyone, after all.
White Knight begrudgingly sat next to the ambassador of a tropical country he couldn't care less about, and Six had been seated next to a tall redheaded woman who glared at him as if she felt slighted by his presence. On the opposite side of the table, Holiday's assigned seat was right between Biowulf and Skalamander. Bobo stood next to her chair, crossing his arms in discontent at having been labeled as an emotional support animal rather than a sapient entity like all the others. He had half a mind to throw Bobo Bombs at anyone within range. Rex would trade places with any of them in a heartbeat- his chair was right next to Van Kleiss's, likely to make him as uncomfortable as possible, as well as within needle piercing distance should the man feel his gauntlet needed to make itself known.
"Try anything and I will skin you alive," the boy whispered threateningly as he took his seat. "I don't know what your trick is this time, but we know this whole thing is a load of bull."
"Mind your manners," the king calmly replied, his gaze never once falling on his young enemy. "All you have to do is obey, and no one gets hurt."
"Yeah? That's what you said last time."
"This time, I'm holding even tighter reigns on you. Remember, the world is watching."
Rex stared at the cameras around him, suddenly feeling nervous. His reputation in his own country had barely been created and was shaky enough as it was. He definitely didn't need countless other countries demolishing his image on sight.
"My fellow esteemed politicians, let us begin by discussing our grievances," Van Kleiss spoke up, directing all attention to himself. "Our gentleman from France has compiled the information beforehand. Please proceed."
The French man sitting several seats away lifted a stack of papers from the table and began. "Although this stapled list is only large due to the amount of fine print and citations, the gist of it cannot be ignored. On behalf of all the leaders here, I am filing complaints against the institution known as Providence for its direct negligence of the safety of its citizens despite the millions of USD that have been transferred to their various locations across the countries each unit is based in. This includes the inability to recognize the entities known as EVOs, not being able to distinguish the safe from dangerous, along with barely understanding how they work in the first place."
Holiday frowned, feeling especially targeted by the accusation that her skills were for naught. She had put so much of her life into them, and all she could do was watch it blow up in her face?
"Regarding their weaponry, they have caused much damage to public property, and minimal damage to invading EVO forces," the man continued. "Their soldiers are also faulty, as they have not planned on how to deal with any EVO except for three methods: one, capturing and containing it, letting it pose a risk to the unsuspecting public on the various times Providence has let the EVO escape. Two, kill it, further destroying their own research. Three, attempting to cure it, though even that isn't guaranteed. At every possible turn, the organization proves its own inadequacy."
Six's face remained blank, belying the tension he felt from his sector's work being criticized.
"As for the one facet of their organization that has benefitted mankind, it is the product of child slave labor, a form of human trafficking Providence now uses for its own barely accomplished goals," the ambassador accused. "Only a single unit has managed to cure some EVOs, and not only it is not even because of their own research, but they still have yet to discover how it is achieved at all."
Rex stared at him, eyes widening from a flurry of emotions spiraling inside him. They'd managed to make everything about his situation sound ten times worse than it was…
It couldn't actually be that bad, could it?
"Thank you," Van Kleiss said, amused by the reaction of Providence's various employees, as well as their leader. "I believe the rest can stay in the fine print. I have full faith that our message has been received loud and clear, wouldn't you say so?"
The ambassadors around the table nodded in agreement.
"As a generous host, I would like to allow this unit and its leader to defend themselves against these accusations," the man went on. "In doing so, perhaps they can alleviate their dismal reputation. White Knight?"
But the mischievous look in his eye made Rex realize it was just the opposite. They were being dragged, balled and chained, towards international humiliation. The teen grimaced, wishing he was anywhere else right now.
White Knight cleared his throat, feeling all the tension in the room fall upon him.
"First, our unit would like to formally apologize for the… misunderstanding that took place at the United Nations meeting you previously hosted that was destroyed by the EVO in your possession," the platinum blonde stated, reciting all his lines impromptu. "However, we would like to correct some misunderstandings about Providence itself. Firstly, we are adept at recognizing EVOs, no matter what form they're in. Their biometrics are something we have developed technology to detect."
"Then how was it that you did not find the impostor?" a Kenyan ambassador asked from the other side of the table.
"Our methods are not one hundred percent reliable because that is just how humans operate," the bleached man responded.
"To fail at a mission to that degree cannot be blamed on human error alone," the woman pressed on. "You could not detect the form changing creature with all your gear? Not even after it was too late?"
White Knight had nothing to say to that.
"With all due respect, ma'am, it's not just human error," Holiday piped up from several seats away, attempting to save face. "The Nanite Event occurred too recently for us to progress to any perfect solutions, even with our most active and well educated staff. We aren't doing as well as you want us to, but at this point in time, there isn't anyone who can."
Rex let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, relieved.
"Not true," an Arab representative chimed in. "Several of us have visited the country Abysus to help determine if it was fit to join the UN. There, the EVOs were kept under control, obeyed orders, and some of mechanisms of their nanites were explained to us in ways we could understand. And to my knowledge, there is not a single unit of Providence there to have helped with that."
"Unfair advantage of being an EVO who literally manipulates nanites!" the teen murmured accusatorially, turning his head to his object of hatred. "And I bet they never saw your creepy body garden."
Van Kleiss subtly grinned. "Need I remind you that you do the same? Still, it's about time you recognize my superiority."
"As if! You're just a chea-"
"Ahem," Six coughed. "I would like to address the topic of how we handle EVOs. I must inform you all that when we contain them, they rarely escape, and are subdued when they need to be. As for killing them, it is a safety hazard to let them live when they cause extreme damage and cannot be studied."
"I have reason to believe that some of your methods of subduing them are inhumane," an Irish woman's voice remarked. "I also know that in some instances, deadly EVOs have been allowed to breed under your supervision. The most recent case being rabbits?"
Rex shuddered as the two went back and forth at each other, recalling the dreaded beaded eyes and fluffy tails that occasionally haunted his nightmares. At this, he felt his enemy watch him closely- but along with the man's usual arrogance, he detected a hint of confusion.
"I'm not talking about it," the younger EVO muttered, scowling. "They'll never be as creepy as you anyway."
"You're afraid of mere rabbits?" the king guessed, keeping his voice equally low. "Even for you, that's childish."
"Who said I was afraid? And if I was, they're EVO rabbits! They're ten times scarier than normal ones."
"May we discuss one of the worst things Providence has done?" a Polish man interrupted, cutting off every side conversation in the room. "I would like to hear more about the child slavery aspect of all of this. We can't just skip it like it's nothing!"
"Why yes, I very much believe that's of importance," the king of Abysus agreed, raising his voice to normal levels. "In fact, we can hear it straight from the mouth of the child himself. Sitting right next to me is the young boy named Rex. He can tell us all about how he was found, and the way he is treated. Stand up for us, won't you?"
The teen glared daggers at his table companion before rising and garnering everyone's attention.
"I, well, it's not what you think," he informed them. "I'm not a slave."
"Do you mean to tell us that they pay you?" A Korean man asked.
"Um… no. I mean yes, but like, it's a room and board kind of deal? Plus food."
"That's not monetary compensation," a Canadian voice replied. "Are you even old enough to be doing this line of work? What's your age?"
Rex stammered. "I-I don't know."
"You don't know? Why not?"
"I have really bad amnesia," the teen stated, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I don't know anything about myself except for my name. Providence was the one that rescued me from the streets and gave me a home and purpose."
He felt a small beam of pride for trying to save his unit's reputation, but it instantly dissipated after a barrage of questions hit him from all across the room.
"Son, do you know what human trafficking is?"
"Do you know that you might not even be old enough to work at a regular job? You look so young!"
"Are you sure you work for them willingly? It sounds like they molded a blank slate into a solider!"
"With all their tech and connections, have they managed to find your parents?"
"Why do they let a dangerous monkey EVO with guns babysit you?"
"Is it true that they only recently moved you out of a tiny dark room to give you a normal one?"
"I hear at one point you nearly died in space, how did you recover from that?"
Rex sank into his seat, unable to answer any of them without confirming their biases towards Providence. Try as he might, he could find no way to convince them that his situation hadn't crossed many legal lines.
"What happened to your confidence?" Van Kleiss asked amusedly, careful to keep a neutral expression. "Surely this is the moment where you have something witty to say? Where is that sharp tongue of yours?"
The boy winced. "Stop."
Even more questions were mercilessly flung at him by just about anyone within earshot.
"Did the leader of Providence force you to stay within range of a bomb that would detonate across New York City?"
"How do you feel about the fact that your organization pits you against your own?"
"Why were you called a weapon for so long and only recently allowed to reveal that you are sapient like the rest of us?"
"Is it true that any time you tried to run away, you were tracked down?"
"Does Providence give you proper education like the rest of your peers?"
"Have you ever considered that your organization traumatized you into severe amnesia in the first place to make you their source of labor?"
Rex pulled his hands over his ears. "Fine! I get it! Make them stop!"
"I didn't quite catch that," the king lied, feigning ignorance. "Did you want even more attention? Seeing as how you're always after some."
"Stop torturing me! I get it, okay? Just end it!"
With a wave of his hand, the man quieted the room . The teen stared down at the table, afraid to look up. No amount of punching or kicking or flying could get him out of this.
"You'll have to forgive him," the king informed his audience. "All of your questions are reopening wounds for him. The answers are indeed as dreadful as you believe them to be."
One by one, faces from around the table frowned in sympathy for the child, embarrassing him even further. White Knight, Six, and Holiday became extremely uncomfortable, knowing that none of their rebuttals would work against an already emotional crowd on the sensitive subject of child abuse. Bobo felt his ego bruise at being called a dangerous companion who could hurt the boy, even if he knew he could be a bit rambunctious at times.
"Leave it to the press to give everyone the wrong idea," the simian grumbled.
"Now then, I believe we've established how incompetent Providence really is- though I'm sure we did so long before this meeting," Van Kleiss continued smugly. "However, even I cannot pretend to ignore the strength of this branch of the government. When applied properly, this unit can be a formidable force."
Rex raised his brow in confusion, wondering where the sudden flip in tone had come from.
"Think of Providence as a wayward child. When given the correct guidance and a proper head of control, it should function just fine."
White Knight felt his blood pressure rise. He couldn't possibly be implying what he thought, could he?
Holiday was the first to speak, also unable to take the tension. "Do you mean… you're going to replace the authorities that navigate us?"
The king of Abysus nodded. "I do indeed. Granted, it will not be changed entirely top down. White Knight will still maintain his position, as will the rest of you. However, he will be forced to comply to orders that shall have significant influence from me, along with his current superiors."
Six never wanted to reach for his blades more badly than he did now.
A Chinese woman folded her hands on the table to show her agreement. "The council has decided this because Abysus has shown significant strides in progress regarding EVOs and has proven to be the best leader for anyone trying to do the same."
Van Kleiss noticed the bewildered expressions on his enemies' faces, then became even more smug, if it was even possible.
"Of course, none of this is required," the man informed them.
Rex was about to relax until he heard the rest of the message.
"But should you deny my authority that you desperately need, your unit will be forced to disband entirely to prevent danger to the citizens of your nation, as well as others. Your choice."
The boy hastily glanced towards Holiday and Six, anxious to see their responses.
"I believe we will need time to think about this," Six interjected. "How much are we guaranteed?"
"None."
Holiday couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Wh-what?" she sputtered, failing to keep her tone professional. "This isn't standard procedure! We need time to decide on something this monumental!"
"This is not a mere business meeting," the king retorted, his voice suddenly sharp. "Every hour that Providence is dysfunctional, lives are at risk. Would you give extra time to a hospital clearly found injuring many of its patients? I think not. You may either make your choice before you leave this room, or risk the default option."
Bobo gulped.