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His life began as the world ended; in a spray of fire and pain.
He mostly remembered the sound...the loud screeching of billions and billions of nanites breaking free, flying into the air, infecting everything. Smoke filled his nostrils and stung his eyes. Heat lapped at his skin.
His head was filled with nothing. ..he was nothing . Just another body lying in the rubble, staring at the stars peeking through the heavy clouds. No names came to his mind. No faces.
Simply, nothing.
“You wanted to see me, Boss?”
The boy sauntered into the room, hands shoved into the pockets of his frayed jeans, eyes scanning the room warily.
Quarry forced his stone face into a poor mockery of a smile, beckoning Rex to take a seat across from him, every movement screeching with the ear-grating sound of rock scraping against rock.
Rex flinched at the sudden noise–as he always did–and the crime lord’s smile grew.
Quarry himself had grown used to being made of stone months ago. He was stronger now. Better. And being an EVO made him an ally to the others of his new kind; a savior to the ones who found themselves constantly dogged by the likes of humanity. He offered them protection in exchange for their loyalty, and, because of their abilities, Quarry’s hold on the city had never been stronger.
This new world was perfect for him.
And this boy–Rex–staring with hollow, narrowed eyes that spoke of too much pain...he was something special. He was smart; a cunning thief, who could barely speak a word of Cantonese when Quarry had found him running in the streets. Unlike most EVOs, Rex appeared entirely human...but inside...
Inside was the heart of a machine.
“I wanted to talk to you about your last mission.” Quarry began, leaning forward on the desk. Rex flinched, his eyes darting about the room. So skittish; so afraid and cautious. Good qualities for his men to have; however, to see it turned against him...
...though, he supposed that he deserved it.
“You did very well.” The EVO continued, his ill-formed smile returning. Rex merely shrugged.
“It could have gone better.”
Quarry chuckled, all too aware that it sounded like gravel crunching beneath the tires of the cars he could no longer drive.
“Regardless, you got the diamond. No one else could.”
The boss reached into his desk, pulling out a small black tablet, sliding it across the polished surface towards the boy.
“I got you a gift for your hard work.”
Rex tentatively took the device in his hands, examining it cautiously. After a few moments, he looked up, his lips pulled into a frown.
“What is it?” He asked.
“It’s an electronic diary. I’ve heard about your bouts of amnesia, Rex. You’ve done so well here...I wouldn’t want you to lose it all again.”
“Thanks, Boss.”
“You have a future here, boy.” Quarry continued. “Keep it up, and you’ll be top lieutenant in no time.”
***
It was raining outside, the stench of garbage and filth permeating the air. Rex slid the tablet into his pocket, slogging through the water-logged streets, guided by the endless neon signs crackling softly in the darkness. After a while, he cut into an alley, climbing over a rusted chain-link fence as he began the winding trek home.
Worry always lingered in the back of his mind; the fear of being followed, of being tailed by one of Quarry’s goons. The Boss had a habit of collecting EVOs, snatching them off of the street, taking them away from their lives and their homes, scattering them around the country to carry out his work. Rex was lucky...so far...his friends were safe, they were well-fed, and happy.
What more could he ask for?
Tuck was waiting for him outside the shack, the bandages that made up his body soaked through. He was sitting in a heap on the ground, red eyes snapping up as he heard Rex approach.
“Dude, you’re going to get water all over the floor.” Rex jabbed, flashing a strained smile. Tuck grumbled something beneath his breath as he stood, wringing water from his cloth arms, forcing shape back into his body.
“You gotta stop disappearing on us.” The EVO hissed. “Cricket was worried about you. She almost went looking.”
“I’m sorry” The boy replied, fishing a wad of cash out of his pocket. “I told you guys not to. I’m fine.”
Tuck’s attention instantly snapped to the money, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the American bills clutched in his friend’s fist.
“I know you’re just trying to help.” He said. “But if you’re doing something dangerous–”
Rex stopped him with a hand, his blue eyes sparking dangerously.
“I’m fine. Tuck, I can literally turn my arm into a sword, do you honestly think anyone could take advantage of me?”
The other EVO scoffed; an unsaid “yes” lingering in the air between them.
“I’m going inside.” Rex huffed, pushing past his friend, forcing the money into the boy’s hands.
***
It wasn’t easy being a sentient EVO in a human’s world. Tuck had quickly fled to Hong Kong after hearing promises of a better life, fed up with the police dogging him endlessly. It was bad enough that he was suddenly being made of bandages, but to lose his home, and his family, and everything he cared about? It was just too much.
Hong Kong wasn’t exactly what he’d been promised, but it was better than what he’d had, and Tuck hadfound other EVOs like himself. They came and went; old friends disappearing without a trace, others joining up with the local mob. Tuck slowly came to be the leader of a select few.
But then Rex showed up...and everything changed.
“You’re not eating much, Rex.” Skwydd said, pushing a hair-tentacle out of his eyes so he could see better. Rex mumbled a reply, rolling around a dumpling with his chopsticks, the rest of his food untouched.
“Hey, Rex.” Tuck said. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” The boy replied. “I was just...thinking.”
“Your family?” Cricket asked, resting one her clawed hands gently on his shoulder, large eyes filled with sympathy.
Rex nodded.
“I want to find them.” He murmured softly.
Tuck knew how much Rex wanted answers, and he couldn’t blame him. The kid could cureEVOs. Who else had a skill like that? They’d all known, from the day that they’d met him, that there was something special about Rex...something that could change the whole world for the better...but Tuck didn’t want him to leave. Before Rex, they’d gone weeks without food. There’d been times when they’d been driven from their homes and forced to huddle in cold alleys. Times when good friends had failed to show up ever again. Rex had changed all that...made life better. They couldn’t go back to having nothing.
Tuck wouldn’t.
“We’re your family now.” The EVO said, setting his chopsticks down. “Isn’t that enough?”
“We got your back, Rex” Skwydd chimed in.
Rex shook his head.
“I don’t know guys…”
“Hey, why don’t we go to the arcade?” Cricket said. “We haven’t been there in a while.”
Rex smiled slightly, and nodded.
And that was the end of that...for now.
***
“Have you been using the gift I gave you, Rex?”
The boy nodded, drawing away from the unconscious, human,body of a mobster who hadn’t lived up to Quarry’s expectations.
“Every night, I make short recordings.” He said. “About anything I can think of.”
Quarry grinned.
“Attaboy. The next time you forget, you’ll be ready, won’t you?”
The mob boss saw an instant change in the EVO. He’d hit a nerve. Rex didn’t worry about much, but it stood to reason that his amnesia would cause him undue stress. What man wanted to live with the thought of losing everything in an instant, without knowing what the trigger was?
“Don’t let it get to you.” Quarry said. “You’re better than this.”
Rex said nothing, instead turning to kick the unconscious mobster in the gut.
***
“There are Providence agents everywhere.”
Rex sat across from his friends in the small shack, hanging his head as he relayed the grim news. Tuck watched him with cold eyes, while Cricket chewed nervously on her nails. Sqwydd was strangly silent.
“It’s too dangerous for you guys–”
“We can’t just stay here forever.” Tuck snapped. He got to his feet, holding out his arm for Rex to take.
“Try and cure me again.”
“Tuck...”
“Just try!”
Rex frowned, grabbing Tuck’s wrist, digging his fingers into the soft linen of his body. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the red-hot angrynanites he could feel coursing through his friend’s blood. Steeling himself, he reached for them, glowing circuitry running though his skin, spreading from the point of contact.
He could do this. He hadto.
He couldn’t let his friend down.
And then...it was over.
Rex swallowed thickly.
Tuck blinked red, inhuman eyes, staring down at the dirty, mottled bandages still covering his arm. He chuckled dryly, snatching his wrist out of Rex’s hold, hands clenching into fists at his sides.
“I guess that’s it then.” The EVO said, shaking his head. “This is what I am now. I’m never going to be able to leave this place again.”
“Tuck–”
Rex’s plea was cut short as Tuck turned away, slinking into the corner, resting his head on his knees.
“You go run around out there in the sun, Rex.” He said, eyes staring fixedly at the wall. “Enjoy it while you can.”
Not knowing what to do, Rex left the shack, his failure leaving a heavy lump in his gut
***
That night, Quarry ordered Rex to ‘cure’ one of his less-than-loyal henchmen. When he failed to do so, Rex was instead ordered to throw him off of the top of a twenty story building.
And he did.
***
Hunched over in an alley, Rex cradled his journal in his lap, listening to the previous entries, his face growing darker with each passing breath.
The person talking back to him was cold and cruel; indifferent to the violent acts he committed on a daily basis. He hadn’t realized…
Was this the person he had become? A brute? A killer? It’d been months since he’d left the shack, and Providence’s hold on the city had only grown. Quarry was paranoid, frightened, decreasing his ranks with clinical efficiency in hopes of cutting all ties back to himself...and Rex was the one doing the cutting.
The boy’s grip on the tablet tightened as he grit his teeth.
If he were to suddenly forget everything again...would this be the life he chose? Would he even wantto pick up where he left off; a soldier under the command of a ruthless gangster?
No.
Throwing the tablet on the ground, Rex summoned his nanites, punching the screen until there was nothing left but fragmented bits of pulverized plastic and glass.
Breathing heavily, the boy shifted back to normal, narrowing his eyes as he watched a Providence van race by the alley’s mouth, likely in pursuit of some unaware EVO.
He could save them. He was the only person in the entire city who could, and he’d wasted too much time at Quarry’s beck and call.
But no more.
He would be better. He could be better.
For all of the EVOs of Hong Kong, he would change.
***
“Can you really cure me?”
“Hopefully.” Rex replied, smiling softly at the young woman whose face was twisted into a fleshy beak, bursting with razor sharp teeth. Beside her was a man–a normal humanman–who lovingly held onto her clawed hand.
Rex reached forward, taking a deep breath, calling his nanites to action, feeling them gather in his fingertips. He rested his palm gently on the woman’s shoulder, sending a pulse of energy through her body, sighing with relief as her monstrous features slowly faded away.
With one shaking hand, the woman reached up to touch her cheek, tears brimming in her eyes as she felt the smooth skin. She buried her face in the man’s shoulder, and they embraced, crying with joy. They were safe now. Safe from Providence. Safe from Quarry. Just safe.
Rex felt his heart leap.
His powers...the gift that he had. With them, he could make a difference…
“We can’t thank you enough.” The man said. “You saved her.”
“It was nothing.” Rex replied. “Just get the word out there. I’m going to cure every EVO I can, before Providence gets to them.”
“I will.”
Rex watched as the two ran out of the alley, racing fearlessly by a Providence tank patrolling the streets, nothing to worry about now that they were both human.
Suddenly, the boy saw a flash of green out of the corner of his eye...but when he turned to look, nothing was there. Shrugging, he chalked it up to paranoia, and forgot all about it.
***
He found himself walking by the old hideout more often than not, getting as close as he could, while still staying out of sight. Rex had a good amount of money stashed way from his days with Quarry, and he would leave boxes of food for his friends before slinking off into the darkened streets alone…
***
Rex had just finished curing a child the first time it happened.
A pain shot through his arm, white hot and sharp. The boy yelped, grabbing at the skin, only to find it covered in layers of burnished metal. Panicking, he tried to will it away, and when that failed, he scratched and tore at it until his fingers bled. In the end, he was left with a sprawling scab of metal on his forearm; a corporeal reminder of the monster that lurked beneath his skin.
“Are you alright?” The child’s mother asked, resting a cautious hand on his shoulder.
“It wont go away.” Rex said, all too aware of the tremor in his voice. Never before had he...he’d never…
His inhumanity was suddenly bared for all to see.
“Can I have your jacket?” He asked. “I can’t…”
I can’t let anyone see me like this.
Without hesitation, the woman pulled the red and orange denim jacket from her shoulders, pressing it into the EVO’s hands.
“You’ve done so much for us.” She said, holding her daughter close. Rex allowed himself a weak smile, slipping his arms into the sleeves. The mass of metal was covered, out of sight. As long as no one could see it, he would still be okay. Providence couldn’t find him…
He sat in the alley and prayed that it wouldn’t happen again.
***
About a week later, Rex ventured out of his latest hiding place, pockets filled with folded bills–the last of his money from Quarry–braving the streets in pursuit of food. The sun was slowly setting, its outline red and bloated against the haze of pollution.
Rex took each step with caution, all too aware of the metal growth creeping up his forearm. The jacket still hid most of it from view, but he was going to need a pair of gloves soon if it kept spreading like it was. Every time he cured someone, the scab got worse...the paingot worse. Rex felt heavy and tired, his bones all of a sudden like lead weights. His appetite was gone; he always felt full. Was this normal? Had this happened before? Would it go away in time? He had no way of knowing, so he kept trudging on, day in and day out, doing what he could to save the EVOs on the streets from seeing the back of a Providence tank.
He missed being with his friends…
“Excuse me, kid.”
Rex glanced over his shoulder, keeping up a brisk pace. There was a man trailing behind him; tall, slim, dressed in a green suit. His eyes were hidden by dark sunglasses, and he had two long sheathed knives fastened to his belt. He didn’t look like Providence but…
The boy shoved his hands into his pockets, and continued on.
“Kid.” The man repeated. “I need to talk to you.”
Rex broke into a run, pushing through pedestrians in an attempt to shake the man. He turned corners, bolted across busy streets, dipped into alleys, and finally came to a stop by an old abandoned deli, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.
“Kid, I reallyneed to talk to you.”
Rex spun around, just in time to see the green-suited man leap over the fence he’d just scaled, landing gracefully, like a cat. He was unruffled, not a speck of mud or dust on his suit.
“About what?” The boy demanded, taking a few steps back.
There was a moment of silence–heavy in the stale evening air–before the man replied…
“My name is Agent Six, of Providence. I’d like to talk about what you can do.”
Rex’s blood ran cold.
“I can’t do anything.” He insisted.
Even with his eyes hidden behind dark lenses, it was plain to see that the man wasn’t buying it.
“There are rumors going around, about a kid who can cure EVOs.” The man continued, taking a few steps forward. Rex stood his ground, but could feel his resolve waver. “And I didn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes.”
He knew he knew he knew!
Rex panicked, shifting into his motorbike build, revving the engine and tearing away from the scene. There was no going back now. No more hiding. He’d have to leave Hong Kong by boat or by train or by his own volition. He couldn’t stay. Not with Providence on his tail. Not with them knowing what he could do.
He kept seeing images of white walls and scientists in labcoats. Of needles and cells and of a life as a thingto be studied.
No.
He couldn’t stay here anymore.
Rex raced around until his build fell apart, and he found himself rolling amongst broken scraps of metal. With a groan, he pulled himself up, crawling a few feet before managing to stand with the help of a chainlink fence. It was slow going, but he was soon able to take a few steps deeper into the alley, in hopes of finding safety from Providence... if only for a little while. With a sigh, he collapsed beside a dumpster, exhausted and run ragged.
Everything had fallen apart.
His mind wandered to Tuck and Cricket and Sqwydd; the only friends he’d ever had...to his knowledge at least. He wanted to run back to the hideout and apologize, to take them away from this place, to find a new home, untouched by Providence.
A place where they could be accepted.
As his strength slowly returned, his thoughts wandered to his family...or...to the empty place in his mind where they should have been. Were they looking for him? Did he have any brothers or sisters? Had they given up the search and moved on with their lives?
Were they even still alive?
He closed his eyes, and tried to remember.
There was course sand beneath his hands, sun on his face, a warm breeze rolling over the plains. Blood-red sunsets, dry, desert air. The howling of a coyote in the distance.
“I guess you didn’t run far enough, kid.”
Rex looked up, eyes widening as he found himself surrounded by a dozen faceless Providence grunts, each one hefting a blaster aimed right at his skull. Agent Six was among them, knives held at the ready, his body tense and prepared to attack.
“If you come with us, we won’t hurt you.”
“How do I know that?” Rex demanded, gritting his teeth. He shifted slightly to the left, cringing as the barrels of the blasters followed him.
“You don’t.”
There he was, surrounded on all sides, backed against a wall like a cornered animal. His mind ran wild with scenarios; some where he tried to run for it, only to be gunned down. Others where he went quietly and fell into oblivion. However, there was oneother option...
Yes.
“We needprovidence.” Rex said, getting to his feet. “I get that. There are EVOs out there that need to be stopped, but...there’re also ones who just need help.”
Six raised an eyebrow, his frown deepening.
“I’ve spent too long following orders for the wrong people.” the EVO continued, calling on his nanites, “And until you start going about it differently, I won’t be a part of it!”
Metal broke free from his back, bending and twisting, forming itself into engines and wings. Everything seemed to slip into slow motion as he bent his knees, and rocketed into the sky shooting up up up, into the night. He could hear weapons firing at him, could feel the feel sharp pain as one shot grazed his shoulder, but he continued on, until he was out of sight, and lost among the clouds.
He wouldbe free.
***
His new life began the same as his old one; in a spray of fire and pain.
Smoke filled his nostrils and stung his eyes. Heat lapped at his skin.
His head was filled with nothing. ..he was nothing . Just another body lying in the sand staring at the stars peeking through the clear sky. A whispered name came to his lips, lost on the warm wind…
“Rex.”
In the distance, a man in green drew nearer...