An alarm was going crazy at Providence Headquarters and Dr. Holiday her team of scientists rushed to turn it off and went to her headset and adjusted her controls to contact the twins.
"Rex, Roxie, I'm picking up a problem. You need to return to base immediately."
"We miss you too, Doc. But we're kind of busy dealing with a problem of our own," Rex said as he activated his Rex Ride and Roxie leaped up to a rooftop and summoned a crossbow as they both looked to see a giant bird-like EVO roaring at them and it swung its wings down at them to send down a volley of razor-sharp feathers that the twins immediately avoided.
Rex flew in and tried to grapple the creature, only for it to grab his Rex Ride's wings and tossed him into a nearby office building and out the other side's windows.
"Okay, that hurt."
The EVO then grabbed his wings with its talon legs and roared down.
"Big mistake, Tweety."
The EVO was then pelted with a volley of arrows that sent a wave of pain through the EVO as Rex adjusted the turbines on his wings and zoomed away as Roxie summoned a... pogo stick before she got onto it and leaped off after Rex through the rooftops as Rex smashed the EVO through the window.
"Can't you comprende that we're trying to help you?!"
Rex continued smashing the EVO against the walls of the nearby buildings as Roxie followed after them, sweat starting to appear on her brow.
"Rex, Roxie, your own nanite count is off the charts. If you take on any more nanites, we're looking at an overload for the both of you."
"Come on, Doc," Roxie said as Rex forced the EVO bird to let go of him. "How much harder could this be?"
"It's just a giant bird."
"You're already over capacity. This is critical! Rex, Roxie, shut it down."
"Rex, Roxie, you must listen to your doctor," Six said as the twins continued chasing the EVO, confronting the twins on a hoverboard. "This mission is revised. I need you two back at headquarters now."
"Do you really want a supersized pigeon flying loose all over lower Manhattan?" Rex asked.
"You need us and we can handle it," Roxie said.
"That's not your call to make," Six said, bringing out one of his swords as he then took off after the EVO.
Roxie only nodded and stopped in her tracks as she dispelled her pogo stick and started to take in deep breaths.
Rex, however, continued after Six with a grunt.
"Unless I make it my call."
He then blasted towards the EVO, dodging all his feathers before he then tackled him onto his sister's rooftop and both grabbed it by the head, sending out their nanites to deactivate the EVO's own, turning him back into human.
"Another satisfied customer," Roxie smiled, removing her goggles. "You got to quit trying to hold our hands, Doc."
"I have this thing down to a science."
That was when Rex felt a massive pain shoot through his body and Roxie held her heart to her chest as massive metal spores and cables started shooting out of Rex and convulsing in and out of his body.
"Rex, what's wrong?"
Rex felt his nanites start to pulse with power and the twins each let out a bloodcurdling scream as Roxie felt the same pain build up.
Rex and Roxie let out a pained scream as Holiday strapped them to beds with sensors attached to their heads as they screamed in pain, the readings going off the charts and metal growths growing all over their bodies.
"What's... happening to us?!" Rex asked.
"There's too many nanites in both of you. You've lost control of them. We need to perform an emergency offload on both of you right away."
"Come on, Doc," Roxie chuckled. "It's not that bad."
Six only held the twin EVOs down in a hurry.
"We're gonna be okay, right?" Rex asked.
"Just try to keep still, you two."
Holiday then injected the vials of tranquilizer into both twins' wrists and the smetallic spores succeeded from the twins and both groaned as they drifted off into unconsciousness.
That was when Holiday and Six felt a jolt in the ground, just before Bobo's voice rang out.
"Sorry, that was one me."
"We're just a few clicks from Paradise Bay," Six said as the camera panned out of the Providence ship to reveal they were flying through a frozen tundra. "A storm's kicking up."
"You ever wonder what sick twisted Providence flunky decided to name this base 'Paradise Bay?'" Bobo asked.
After landing, Six and Holiday rolled the twins through the halls on stretchers with the alarm going crazy.
"This is Holiday. Prep the Nanite tanks for emergency offload," Holiday reported over the radio. "I need forty units of xenoflurine, biometric stabilizers and two heavy duty surge protectors. Stat!"
The doors of the medical bay opened to reveal a blonde Providence Agent named Weaver.
"Hey. You two aren't supposed to be here till next week."
"We have a situation, Weaver."
"You have a situation? I'm up to my neck in maintenance and inventory. You people can't just barge in here unannounced?"
"Actually, we can. This base exists for the sole purpose of offloading Rex and Roxie's surplus nanites. And you know that communications black out in a storm like this."
"But half of my equipment isn't even online. So you're just gonna have to turn around and come back when-"
This defiance was met with Six's swords and Bobo's guns pointed at his face.
Rex and Roxie groaned in pain and the lights in the base went out for a split second.
"Listen carefully, Weaver. Unless you want to be responsible for the loss of Providence's most valuable assets and unleashing the world's deadliest concentration of active nanites since the event, you're going to move out of my way."
Weaver reluctantly decided to move aside and let the trio move the twins into the medical bay.
Bobo took notice of the other Providence doctors sitting at a table playing cards.
"Diagnostic cycle, huh?" Bobo asked before climbing on top of a seat and slamming some cash down. "Deal me in!"
"You're gonna need a lot more cash than that, chimp."
"Whoa. That's some serious scratch. What's your secret?"
"Hazard pay and nothing to spend it on."
"So cover me already? Bobo's feeling lucky."
The doctors only continued playing and didn't spare any cash.
"What? You know I'm good for it."
Inside the bay, Rex and Roxie were strapped to two tables in front of what seemed to be a giant tank.
"Just as warm and cozy as I remember it," Rex chuckled, which elicited a groan from his sister.
"I know it's not pleasant, guys. But we don't have a choice."
Rex and Roxie only groaned weakly before feeling an electric surge pass through them.
"Can't get this over soon enough, huh?" Roxie chuckled.
Weaver looked down at his gauntlet which displayed a clock to show him the time.
"Expecting someone?" Six asked.
"Rebooting this system takes a little more time and patience than slicing up EVOs does, okay?"
"Oh, really?" Holiday asked. "Then why is the tank reading 'nearly empty?'"
"Oh dear. I must not have had time to calibrate the nanite capacity gauge. I must have been interrupted by some know it all chick in a big hurry to tell me how to do my job!" Weaver exclaimed before simply walking away.
"Well, Weaver's just as warm and coy as I remember him," Rex said as Roxie only chuckled weakly.
Holiday simply got to work and activated the tank, ready to drain the nanites out of the twins before she picked up a container of knock out gas.
"The nanites are flowing. Um, could we skip the gas this time, Doc?"
"If only it were that simple," Holiday sighed. "But it's the only way to ensure that you two don't accidentally activate any of your nanites during the transfer."
"We know," Rex groaned as Holiday strapped the gas masks to the twins' faces and administered the gas. "But the stuff always just gives us weird dreams."
Roxie and Rex struggled to stay awake as their eyelids began to flutter.
"Just try to relax. This will all be over before either of you know it."
And with that, Rex and Roxie drifted off to sleep and the pods holding them immediately closed.
"Come on, Rexy. You can do it," came the voices of several shadowy figures that reached towards Rex. "You and Roxie need to stay with us."
A light suddenly traveled down their visions as the scene shifted to show Roxie summoning a small mallet and she carved The Thinker out of an elaborate piece of marble with a few strikes. Rex, however, clutched a puzzle-like device and it started moving around and shifting rapidly.
"It's amazing. It's like they already know what to do. Like the stuff just talk to them."
The vivid dream suddenly shifted as the scientists all suddenly transformed into ghoul-like monsters and the twins saw the energy crackling and saw a nanite surrounded by a field of fire that suddenly transformed into an eye.
The camera only saw the twins in their pods as they moaned out, not feeling anything as we see the twins' skeletons.
"Directive unknown," a voice said within the twins' heads. "Programming complete. Unable to comply."
The twins suddenly shot awake and started breathing heavily as they saw that they were only in a dark empty room with a few supplies.
"Hello?!" Rex asked. "Doc?! Six?! Bobo?!"
"Is anyone there?!" Roxie asked.
Roxie then walked over to the door and panted out as she pressed her hand to the sensor, only for nothing to happen afterwards.
"Can someone let us out of here?" Rex asked.
"Fine. I'll do it myself," Roxie said as she pressed her hand to the console and the circuitry began glowing outwards and the door opened, revealing the carnage that had happened to the twins.
"Huh?" they asked, seeing the unconscious scientists and piles of cash sprawled across the floor. "Hello? Hello?"
Rex then suddenly felt something hit his foot and looked down to see Bobo's guns at the ground at his feet.
Roxie looked down to see static coming from a radio near her and then gulped.
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
The twins then grabbed two coats from the rack near them and ran out into the frozen wasteland.
"Doc?! Six?! Bobo?! Anyone?!"
That was when the twins looked ahead and spotted two figures emerging from the snowstorm.
"Guys?"
But as the figures approached closer, it only revealed two familiar EVOs riding on some other more beastial EVOs.
"Skalamander? Biowulf? No way," Rex said. "This has to be a dream."
Rex rubbed his eyes and Roxie pinched herself and then looked upwards to see that Van Kleiss' minions were still there.
"Not dreaming."
Sklamander thrust his arm down and fired a few large crystals at our heroes, sending them sprawling downwards into the snow.
"Okay, maybe it was these guys who trashed Paradise Bay," Roxie said as she and Rex pulled themselves up with a groan.
Rex activate his Smack Hands and Roxie activated her nanites to summon a warhammer, only for them to be swatted aside by Skalamander's beast, destroying their builds and sending them skittering down into the snow.
Rex thought quickly and activated his Boogie Pack, grabbing his sister's hand and they both shot up to the sky, Biowulf's beast just missing them.
"What're the kids doing here?" Skalamander asked, watching the twins depart.
"I don't know. This was supposed to be routine. Something's not right."
Rex flew downwards and Roxie created a battle axe and swatted the two Pack members off of their mounts.
"What did you do with our friends?" Roxie demanded, landing in the snow and Rex hovered by her side.
"They think we've done something?"
"Then let's keep them thinking."
"Right!"
Skalamander tossed several crystals at our heroes, only for the Rex to grab Roxie as she created a hoverboard and took off alongside him.
"Good luck trying to find us when you can't see two feet in front of your face," Rex shouted.
Unfortunately, Skalamnder once again fired his crystals at the twins and they were sent falling down, bouncing off Paradise Bay's roof and they crashed into the snow.
"Not one of our best moments," Roxie said, standing up and straightening her back out.
"I guess that visibility thing works both ways," Rex agreed as he stood up.
Rex then built his Rex Ride, grabbed Roxie and they both took off into the air with the two Pack members chasing after them. Rex then approached the wall and then rode the icy ramp it formed to get behind Biowulf and Skalamander and Rex then shifted to his Punk Busters and landed behind them with Roxie landing at his side.
"Anywhere you run, we follow!" Biowulf shouted.
"Kind of what we were hoping for," Roxie said as she bowed to her brother and Rex slammed his giant foot down, sending out a tremor through the ground.
The Pack members looked up and gasped when the tremors triggered an avalanche on top of the wall, burying both them and their mounts in about 10 feet of snow.
"That takes care of that," Rex said, but not before the twins heard a loud klaxon blaring out from Paradise Bay.
Weaver was panicking, going crazy with the controls at the tank that the twins were supposed to be in as the twins suddenly burst into the room.
"Weaver!"
"Rex? Roxie You're okay."
"The Pack's outside," Rex explained. "Don't worry. We took care of them."
"What happened in here?" Roxie asked.
"It all happened so fast. I was afraid they might have damaged the tank. Maybe you guys can give me a hand here."
"What do you need us to do?"
"Make sure the nanites are all still deactivated?"
Rex and Roxie then went to the controls and looked at the nanites in the tank.
"That's weird," Rex said. "We're picking up activity?"
"A lot of activity," Rex said... before being cut off by Weaver slamming the knockout gas into his face and then turned to Roxie.
"Rex!" she shouted as she backed away, but she wasn't fast enough as Weaver slammed the gas mask into her face again, sending her crashing down to the floor alongside her brother.
Weaver said nothing as he picked up his radio. "Biowulf, Skalamander, are you there? It's safe. I've taken care of everything... Hello?"
Suddenly, Rex grabbed Weaver with a Smack Hand and Roxie pointed two summoned blasters to his head.
"You really should've done some freaking research on us, idiota," Roxie deadpanned.
"The nanites that we have in our system can counteract knockout gas," Rex explained. "The playing possum thing was a thing that we picked up from watching movies."
"Now tell us where our friends are or I pull the triggers. Ten times."
Weaver didn't get that chance, however, as the heard a loud knocking on the a nearby door and the twins turned to each other, knowingly, as they walked out of the room, Rex dragging Weaver behind him, as Roxie summoned a warhammer and bashed the door in with a shout.
"Here's Roxie!" she shouted, cheekily.
"Rex, Roxie," Dr. Holiday sighed in relief as she, Six and Bobo walked out of the closet.
Bobo then walked over to the destroyed poker table and gathered up all the money in his arms, eliciting a weird look from everyone present.
"What? I'm just tidying up."
"Yeah right," Rex said before turning to Six. "I can't believe you let these scags get the drop on you."
"They tried. It didn't turn out so well. We just haven't found a way to fight xenoflurine gas... yet," Six said, pointing a sword at Weaver's throat. "Who are you working for?"
"Oh, we already know," Rex said.
"Van Kleiss," Roxie nodded. "That's why Biowulf and Skalamander came knocking."
"The Pack? Here?" Six asked.
"Of course," Holiday realized. "The low tank reading, the high stakes at the poker table. It's obvious. weaver and his crew have been trading the twins' surplus nanites to Van Kleiss for cash."
"And you panicked and gassed us before we could catch you in the act."
The twins instantly grew angry by this as Rex let Weaver go and Roxie slammed him into the wall, fury evident on her face.
"So you're saying that because of you, all this time, we've been supplying our nanites to Van Kleiss!?"
Roxie roared out and used her enhanced strength to toss Weaver to the doorway to the tank room, which he instantly entered and sealed the door shut.
"Keep away from me, you freaks!"
The team approached as Holiday typed the code into the console.
"Six, it's sealed from the inside!"
"I've got the bastard," Rex said, shifting his BFS into Battle Saw mode, bringing it to the door.
"Come one step closer and I vent this entire tank!"
"So what?" Holiday asked. "They're deactivated nanites, Weaver. They're completely harmless."
"Are you kidding me?" Weaver chuckled. "Van Kleiss is never gonna pay top dollar for deactivated nanites."
"You found a way to reactivate them."
"What's the matter, darling? Thought you were the only genius working for Providence?"
"I don't think he's lying," Roxie said. "Something was definitely wrong with the nanites in the tank."
"Don't do anything stupid, Weaver," Six said.
"Here's what's gonna happen," Weaver said. "You're all just going to leave this base like nothing ever happened. Then, you're gonna give safe passage and total immunity to me and my crew."
"Yeah, what's left of 'em," Bobo scoffed.
"Now why would we ever do that?" Six asked.
"Because it would be a shame to waste all those precious nanites," Biowulf said, appearing at the doorway alongside Skalamander.
Skalamander fired his crystals at our heroes, only for Roxie to summon a shield and then bashed the ogre-like nanite in the face as Six and Biowulf began slashing and clashing with swords against claws, clearly in a stalemate.
Bobo brought his guns out and began blasting at Skalmander, who avoided everything as Rex dived in to deliver a Smack Hand punch to him, only for him to swiftly avoid it.
"STOP!" Holiday shouted. "Need I remind you that this isn't the best place for a fight? If anything happens to that storage tank, you all will know why Providence made this place so remote. Now let's just talk this thing out calmly, rationally."
"Whatever happens here, Weaver, it's nothing compared to what Van Kleiss would have done to you," Biowulf noted.
Weaver closed his eyes and began typing in several commands to the tank's computer.
"Weaver, no! Do you have any idea what will happen if you release those activated nanites?"
And that was the point where all the gauges on the tank began fluctuating out of control and electric bolts and smoke began emitting from the tank.
"We'll shut it down!" Rex said.
"Guys, no! There's no time! We have to get out of here!" Holiday shouted.
The tank's readings began to go haywire and the pipes started popping off and the area began crumbling around Weaver, but he still kept at the tank's controls and our heroes immediately bolted out of Paradise Bay.
Biowulf and Skalamander immediately took the hint and began after them, but Weaver called out to them.
"Wait! It was only to get rid of them. It's only steam, look."
As if fate wanted to contradict the bastard, the entire base began to shake and rumble and Weaver still worked on the malfunctioning controls.
"Come on! Shut down! Stop! Don't leave me here!"
Biowulf and Skalamander, not wanting to take any chances, immediately bolted out of the base, leaving Weaver behind just as the tank began completely breaking down.
"No! Come back!" Weaver shouted... and then instantly doubled over in pain as the active nanites that he released began mutating him into an indescribable mass of green tentacles.
"Rex, Roxie, could you two tell how many nanites in the tank were active?" Holiday asked as they all ran towards the jet.
"Pretty much all of them," Rex said.
Unfortunately, just as our heroes made it to the jet, Weaver, now a giant and completely monstrous EVO, burst out of Paradise Bay, sending it crumbling apart as he brought his hand down on the runway, sending the jet tumbling into the snow as the team looked up at him, Roxie almost paralyzed with fear.
"That's a lot of nanites," Holiday gulped.
Rex and Roxie only stood their ground as Biowulf and Skalamander walked up to them.
"What do you say, guys? Common enemy?" Roxie asked.
"Yeah, good luck," Biowulf said as he and Skalamander immediately retreated.
"Yeah right," Rex said. "What were we thinking?"
Rex activated his Boogie Pack and took off into the sky as Roxie summoned a hoverboard and immediately took off into the air and both immediately tried smashing and slashing at Weaver, who only smacked them aside, tumbling into the snow.
"Call for backup," Six simply muttered as Holiday nodded and ran off.
"Yeah, good call," Roxie said as she leaped at Weaver and summoned her warhammer and gave a powerful smack to Weaver, only to not lay a scratch on him as she landed beside Six just as her brother slammed at the same spot with his Punk Busters.
"Okay, nothing's working on this thing," Rex said.
"Maneuver him away from the ship and I'll take the shot," Six said.
"Considering that nothing in our arsenal can is even scratching this thing, yeah, that's a good idea," Roxie said as she summoned her hoverboard again and took off into the sky alongside her brother on his Boogie Pack.
Roxie summoned her hand blasters and fired at Weaver's face only to get his attention. Rex, however, adjusted the nanites in his Boogie Pack wings, causing the thrusters to release powerful weights onto Weaver's tentacles, tying them together like bolas.
Roxie immediately changed direction on her board and summoned a sword to her hand and sliced the cables, sending Weaver tumbling to the ground.
Meanwhile, Bobo and Holiday were clearly struggling to get the ship in the air. Time was clearly of the essence as they noticed Weaver attempting to get back up to his... tentacles.
"We need to get this thing airborne, now!"
"Oh, ho ho. I'd settle for just cranking up the heater."
Weaver roared in fury as the twins dodged around him. He brought his giant fist down to Six as he leaped up to avoid the massive punch and slammed his sword in the hand, causing him to roar in pain and some nanites noticeably leaked from the wound.
"Oh, so you don't like sharp pointy things, huh?" Rex asked as Roxie nodded from her hoverboard and leaped off of it.
"Then you're gonna hate this!"
She then summoned a greatsword to her hand as her brother built his BFS and they both gave a massive slice to Weaver's sides, causing him to roar out in extreme pain.
Unfortunately, the wounds closed themselves up almost instantaneously and the twins only groaned in irritation as they dodged another strike from Weaver as he brought his arm down on them.
"Doesn't anything hurt this guy?!" Roxie asked.
"Come on! Come on!" Holiday shouted as the jet thrusters fired up and the ice surrounding the jet began to shatter.
Bobo and Holiday screamed out as the jet suddenly broke free from the ice and took off into the sky.
Rex and Roxie flew around Weaver's punches and gave a massive slice with their bladed weapons and turned to their mentor with a pant.
"Don't worry. We just need to hold him off until the air strike."
"Air strike?" Rex asked. "You called in an air strike?!"
"You two can't possibly absorb all those nanites. You'd overload in an instant!"
"Do not cure him. That's an order!"
Roxie nodded as she held off as she pulled her hoverboard back. Rex, however, deactivated his Boogie Pack and went to grab Weaver's face as he began absorbing his nanites.
"Rex, what are you doing?!" Roxie shouted.
"In case you haven't noticed, I have a problem with authority."
"This is beyond your limits, Rex!" Six shouted as the metal growths began growing all over Rex again, building up on his back.
"Come on Rex," the voice from before said in Rex's head. "You can do it. Stay with us."
Roxie groaned as she leaped down onto Weaver herself and began absorbing the nanites as well, the metal growths beginning to grow on her body as well as she screamed out in pain.
Six ran up Weaver's massive arm to his face, right at the twins' level as he brought his sword up and readied himself to strike.
"Six, wait!" Rex shouted. "We can hear them!"
"What are you waiting for, Six? Take the shot!" Holiday shouted from the jet.
Six hesitated as he looked at the twins.
"Build protocol enabled," the twins chorused, almost like zombies. "Command error detected. Abort. Abort. Stand by. Engage."
The twins groaned as they fell off the humungous EVO and hit the snowy ground with a groan.
"Take the shot, Six," Roxie groaned out.
"Rex! Roxie!" Holiday shouted.
Six shouted out as he stabbed Weaver directly in the forehead and the giant mutated EVO collapsed to the ground.
Six fell down next to the twins and they all looked up at the collapsing monstrosity before them as it started to snow.
Rex picked up his goggles, which fell off of his forehead as the twins looked at Six.
"Did we say something before?" Rex asked.
"Don't worry about it. It was just the nanites talking. Figure of speech, of course. We're gonna get you both some help."
"We thought we could handle it," Roxie groaned.
"I know."
Suddenly, a loud roaring was heard and the twins and Six looked up to see Weaver begin to stand up again, but he was immediately knocked back down by the jet and Holiday and Bobo looked down at our heroes with a smile.
"Guess we're not the only ones who need a little backup, eh, Six?" Rex asked.
That was about the time the twins blacked out.
When the twins looked up, they were greeted by Six, Holiday and Bobo standing over them.
"Thought we lost you that time, Rex."
The twins then groaned as they sat up from the tanks.
"We just had the weirdest dream," Rex said as they looked down to see their red and purple jackets.
"It wasn't a dream."
"What?" Roxie asked. "But Paradise Bay-"
"Was destroyed," Six confirmed. "This is Purgatory Base."
"Come on," Holiday laughed as they exited the containment chamber. "You didn't really think Providence would leave its most valuable asset without a backup facility, did you?"
"And that ain't the best part," Bobo said, showing his Hawaiian shirt as he opened the door to reveal a desert.
"Well, it ain't exactly a tropical paradise," Rex said.
"Eh, at least it's warm," Bobo said as he and the twins walked out into the sand.
"They told me they could hear them," Six told Holiday. "The nanites."
"I picked this up during the offload," Holiday said, showing Six a file that contained lines of binary code. "It's nanite. I'm sure of it."
"Seems like there's more secrets inside those kids than we realized."