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Rex watched proudly from the Rexcelsior as Emmet soared through the air towards the top of the Space Temple. He counted down silently in his head, reaching zero right at the point of impact.
"Boom."
He mimed an explosion with his hands as the entire structure trembled, then began crumbling.
He laughed triumphantly, bumping fists with the raptor that sat beside him on the bicycle contraption he had thrown together.
He had done it! He'd actually done it!! Rex beamed down at his fellow Master Breaker with pride as he straightened amid the ruins of the cake.
He'd always known he could do it.
Rex reached up and pressed the Talk button on his receiver, voice buoyant with happiness.
"All right, way to go, kid! That's what I'm talking about!!" He continued talking as he adjusted his harness, making sure one last time that it was secure. "Now just hold your position, I'll be right there. We're blowing this pop stand."
Rex gave Norris a thumbs up, and the raptor returned the gesture.
Rex took a few steps back from the edge of the hatch, before running forward at a breakneck sprint. He didn't even need to think to channel the manic energy that was constantly pulsing through him. When he reached the edge of the ship, he tensed his legs, bracing himself, and jumped.
He rocketed forward much faster and farther than should have been physically possible.
God, he loved being an overpowered asshole.
Rex swallowed a whoop of excitement as he cut through space, forcing himself to stay focused on his target. Emmet's back was to him, his gaze on Lucy as she extracted herself from a pile of debris.
Rex reached out, ready to take hold of Emmet and bring him back to the ship… where Rex could tell him everything, and they could celebrate, maybe throw back a few drinks if Emmet felt up to it.
"I gotcha br--"
Rex had just landed behind his counterpart when something yanked him backwards again. His immediate thought was that Norris had begun reeling him back in too early, but this guess was quickly wiped from his mind as--instead of back upwards to the ship--Rex was yanked downward, towards the vast emptiness of space.
He looked over his shoulder wildly and saw that a giant, jagged piece of rubble from the ruins of the temple had caught on his lifeline. A moment more and the mass had snapped the thin line effortlessly.
With the line broken, there was nothing pulling him back... but there was nothing to keep him from falling into the starry void, either.
"Shit!!"
The ground pitched sideways beneath him, and his descent picked up speed. Rex scrambled to grab onto something, anything, but the smooth slope provided no easy handholds, and any loose piece he tried to grab onto broke away in his frantic grasp. The side of the temple beneath him rumbled as a giant crack shot through it with the same force and appearance as a bolt of lightning, sending more rubble flying out into space.
A terrified cry pierced the air. Rex was unsure if it had come from himself or not.
His thoughts were far too clouded with panic to tell.
In his mind's eye, he was no longer at the Space Temple.
The rubble flying through the air around him was not the bright pink and white of a wedding cake... But the yellow and blue of a little house ship.
He forgot about the Rexcelsior, about his raptor crew, about his mission...
He knew nothing but the mortal terror that had its vice-grip on him.
No. No I can't go back. I won't. I won't! No! NO!!
Rex was suddenly jolted out of his panic, literally. Something had caught him, his descent down the side of the temple jerked to a stop.
Rex looked up, stunned, the haze of delirium beginning to dissipate.
Emmet had grabbed hold of the shoulder of Rex's vest, and had planted his other hand in the very side of the temple, painfully wedged into a crack.
Emmet's jaw was clenched tight from the effort of supporting both of their weight, but he managed to force out words of reassurance nonetheless.
"I... I got you! Just hold on!!"
For a moment, Rex was too stunned to reply. He simply stared, overwhelmed by emotions too powerful to comprehend.
"Emmet--"
The rest of his words were cut off by a ground-shattering explosion.
Rex came to with a frightening jolt, giving a stuttering gasp. It was completely dark. He couldn't move.
His eyes widened as his heart began pounding in his ears. He braced himself to hear roaring winds, to inhale a mouthful of dust...
He closed his eyes and forced himself to shake off the fuzz of unconsciousness that clung to him like cobwebs.
Back then, Undar hadn't been completely dark.
And although it was currently difficult, he could move. There was nothing to hear, save... distant voices.
Rex lifted a hand slightly, and felt pieces shifting over him.
Ah... So that was what was going on.
Rex immediately calmed as comprehension of his situation sank in. He took a slow breath and keyed in on the sound of conversation, letting the murmur guide which direction he should dig.
At first, every movement was a calculated effort. It had been years since he had last found himself in the Realm of the Man Upstairs, but he had spent plenty of time training there before going back in time. He had gotten used to the limited control he had of his body, and soon, he found himself readjusting to the strange feeling. The same energy that powered his punches and jumps gave him all the strength he needed to fight through the immobility that accompanied this place.
The talking above him grew louder as he ascended, and he found he could pick out individual voices.
"--the end? Are we really trapped here forever...?"
That was Unikitty.
"I don't think there's anything we can do now... So... Yeah. This is it."
Benny.
"It would seem our ship has run its course. T'was a pleasure sailing with ye."
Metalbeard.
"And so it ends for Batman the way it began. In darkness."
Rex rolled his eyes. Always with the melodrama. He was looking forward to never having to hear those voices again.
Rex's hand finally broke through the surface of the scattered pieces, and he heard all talk die down to dead silence.
He couldn't help but give a cheeky smile at that.
"Did you hear that?" Benny asked, fear touching the corners of his voice.
"Something's moving out there...!" Unikitty intelligently observed.
Rex rested his arm on the surface of the bricks and hoisted himself out of the pile, taking a deep, grateful breath. Phew! It had been hard to breathe down there!
He stood up and stretched comfortably, more for show than anything. With his limited available motions, it was more so just him lifting his arms over his head, but it certainly did catch someone's attention.
"It's a person! He's standing!!"
Voices of confusion rang out on every side, overlapping and jumbling together and rendering one another quite incomprehensible. Rex choked back amused laughter, looking around with an air of comfortable leisure… and there was the exit of the Bin of Stor-Age, a square of distant space miles above them.
The Rexcelsior was surely waiting for him up beyond the entrance. His raptors were probably parked patiently outside of the entryway right now, debating whether or not to risk paralysis to send a rescue squad.
'Nah, they know they don't need to,' Rex thought cheerfully, looking down and picking up an appealing dark blue piece by his feet. 'I'll be out of here in no time.'
Once he finished constructing an escape ship for the two of them, all he had to do was collect Emmet and be on his way. There had been so many ships in the Systar System, it probably would be a cinch to find all the pieces he needed.
He started walking.
"W-who are you? How are you doing that??"
Rex glanced over at the voice and made eye contact with a minidoll... a stranger. Her multicolored eyes bore into his desperately, pleading with him. He raised a brow slightly, returning her gaze with indifference, before turning away.
"Wait! Please, you have to help us!!"
Rex tuned out the voices around him, humming to himself as he climbed up a small pile. When he reached the top, he began using random pieces in his vicinity to build a base to their escape ship. He didn't pay attention to the colors... He'd cover it with cooler pieces later.
Man, he was looking forward to getting back! He had a pint of celebratory ice cream waiting for him on the ship. He'd been looking forward to eating it for ages, but he had been saving it for after Armamageddon. It was calling his name!
He straightened, whistling, and walked back down the hill.
"Hey, wh--?!"
Rex kicked a Systarian guard out of the way unceremoniously, grabbing a steering wheel that had been under their leg.
"What the hell is your problem??"
Not to mention the raptors had a crazy party planned! Complete with party games and everything!
They had tried to make it a surprise, but he had overheard Connor talking to Daisy about--
Rex frowned, pausing as he attached the steering wheel to the interior of his construction.
Huh...
The raptors that had been with him during the jungle fiasco were probably in here too, somewhere. Once he got back to the Rexcelsior he'd have to organize a search. He wasn't going to be able to dig them out without some tools.
He nodded and turned back to the pieces before him, walking down a different side of the hill.
"S-sir?"
Rex saw the spaceman in his peripheral, but didn't bother changing his trajectory. He planted a foot on Benny's chest and continued on his way, scooping up a few more dark blue pieces as he did.
Rex could practically feel the shrapnel fly as the astronaut's resolve shattered. "Why are you doing this??" Benny howled in despair, voice strained.
Rex kept walking.
Yeah, his raptors were nowhere in sight. They weren't on the surface. The temple had clearly been one of the last worlds pulled into the Bin... Who knows when Harmony City had been taken?
"What did you do? Did you hurt Benny??" Even with her fur red and ruffled, Unikitty still lacked the emotional power to move. Not that Rex had expected anything different.
He began rummaging through the pieces near Unikitty's head, pulling out some more promising parts.
Once he got out, he would build a contraption that was easy to control with limited motion. Some kind of drill, probably. Then he'd come back and start excavating. Once he found the pieces of Harmony City he'd get out and begin digging by hand. The raptors would be able to recognize his voice easily, it wouldn't be too hard to find them from there.
"Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you!!"
Rex felt a twinge of annoyance, and resisted the urge to tell her to shut up. Her voice was so irritating .
How could anyone stand her?
Arms laden with new pieces, he walked back the way he had come, back up his little mound.
The voices had died down now. He could feel eyes locked on him as he walked past, gazes burning.
So reality had finally sunk in. Good.
Their pleas had really been grating on his nerves.
With effort, Rex began connecting the pieces of his little ship. Building in the Realm of the Man Upstairs always sucked. Getting every piece in place was a chore.
He'd never admit it, but building the Rexcelsior had taken him way, way too long.
Fortunately, this little ship didn't have to be anything special. Just enough to get him and Emmet back up to the Rexcelsior.
Emmet...
Rex felt an unexpected surge of warmth as he thought of his companion.
Sweet, loyal Emmet.
He had chosen him.
Lucy had been right there, completely immobilized by debris [that's debatable…], right in front of him…
And he had turned away from her.
He had gone to help Rex.
Rex found himself humming happily again, an uncharacteristically bright smile on his face as he constructed one of the wings.
"Just a little longer, bro, hang on. I'm coming for ya."
"What the devil are ye doing up there??"
Rex's cheerfulness evaporated slightly as another accusatory voice rang out below him. He didn't need to look to know who had spoken. He didn't bother responding, either.
"... Are ye constructing an escape ship?"
Rex straightened, turning to face the pirate below him. With a slow, dramatic flourish, he stood aside to let Metalbeard get a good look at the little rocket he was building.
"That's…" Metalbeard gave an angry cry. "Ye lily-liver!!"
Rex sneered at him before turning back to the ship.
"What is it Metalbeard??" Benny asked, hearing the distress in his friend's voice, but unable to see what had upset him from his vantage point.
"That ship be barely big enough for two! He be the only one with a lifeboat, and he's abandoning ship with all of us still inside!!"
Cries of outrage rose like the swell of a wave, dashing the last of Rex's happy mood against the bricks.
Why did they have to be so dramatic?? Everything was always about them. Why couldn't they just shut up and take their fate with dignity?
Huh… dignity. Funny. As if they had any of that now.
He returned his attention to the ship, adding a windshield he had grabbed. It wasn't the prettiest little thing, but he was--
"You can't just abandon us here!!"
Rex froze, hand raised, as completely and utterly still as the immobile crowd below him.
They seemed to notice his sudden change in demeanor, and once again, a hush fell over the Bin.
Blood roaring in his ears, Rex slowly turned to face Unikitty, the pink cat barely visible amongst the bricks.
Her eyes shone with unshed tears of indignation, and she glared back at him with defiance.
"Yeah. Yeah, I can," he said in a deathly whisper.
He let out a single, barking laugh, an unexpected and unwelcome sound in the dim cavern.
"I can, and I will!! Hell, I'm doing it now!!!" He was laughing hard now, filled with a sort of crazed glee.
"Haha, doesn't feel so good to be on the receiving end, huh?! To be the ones left behind?!?!" he shouted as his eyes darted around at the paralyzed people below him in a manic frenzy, taking joy in every horrified expression.
He leaned down over the hill to loom over her, his grin morphing into a crazed grimace. When he spoke, his voice game out as barely above a whisper, but it nonetheless seemed to echo through the whole chasm. "Well guess what? Now you're finally gonna know what it's like. To be abandoned. Paralyzed, trapped, forgotten.
And no one is coming to save you."
He stood straight again and kicked a brick by his foot. It clattered near Unikitty's head, causing her to flinch.
He turned away again, breathing hard, as if he had just run a marathon.
"Now… if everyone could shut their fucking mouths, I have some work to do. I got a spaceship to finish."
Lucy's hearing rang from Rex's hushed roar. His words still echoed in her ears, in time with her heartbeat.
Abandoned. Paralyzed. Trapped. Forgotten.
From her position, face-down and partially buried, she hadn't been able to see what was happening around her. But she had taken advantage of this to do some thinking.
She had been missing something. Some hidden piece of this puzzle had been staring her right in the face this whole time, and she had been unable to see it.
Rex…
No. It couldn't be.
And yet the more she thought about it the more, to her horror, things made sense.
The way he talked. The vest. The stupid, clearly made-up name. His voice. And just now, how he had been strolling around humming "Everything is Awesome."
And…
His rage at Lucy's friends.
That was an anger only bred by true pain.
And how could they hurt a complete stranger this deeply?
She knew, deep down, that she had always known.
That from the moment she had seen him she had known. But it has seemed too impossible back then for it to be true.
She would never be able to forget the man she loved, no matter how much how different he seemed. No matter how much he changed himself.
Somehow, Rex…
He was…
"Emmet."
She hadn't meant to say the last word aloud, but she did.
And the word was heard.
And a cry rose up.
It was quiet.
It was dark.
And he was all alone.
Emmet had given up trying to move. He had quickly learned that doing so was impossible, and had stopped pointlessly struggling with his invisible bonds.
Besides… Even if he could move, what did it matter?
This was it.
The hell he had been trying to prevent.
And he was the one who had brought it about, trapping everyone he cared about in nothingness.
When he came to, he had heard faint cries of distress… but even those had faded to silence now.
Another tear threatened to fall from the corner of his eye, and he didn't bother blinking it away. It escaped and traced its way down the side of his face, falling onto the pieces below him.
Everything was his fault.
Everyone had tried to warn him. They had tried to defend the wedding. Rex had been mistaken… they weren't brainwashed at all, they just understood. Destroying the ceremony had been what caused Armamageddon, so… Protecting the wedding… Would have stopped it…?
Poor Rex. He was probably so torn up about this. His plan to stop Armamageddon had completely backfired… As badly as Emmet was feeling, Rex surely felt ten times worse. He was probably blaming himself incredibly harshly… The look on his face as Emmet had stopped him from falling had been so haunted, so empty. It had broken Emmet's heart.
He hoped he wasn't hurt from the explosion.
Then again… Rex was made from tougher stuff than he was--if Emmet was okay, then Rex absolutely was.
Well then, wherever he was, he hoped Rex wasn't alone out there.
Or…
Maybe it would be better if he was. If anyone found out he had orchestrated this, Rex would probably be in so much trouble. Emmet wasn't sure that even his friends would…
His friends…
Oh, Lucy.
Emmet sniffed and blinked hard, but the tears began falling in earnest again.
Lucy had tried to stop him up until the very end. And without hesitation he had dismissed her.
She tried so hard to show him he was wrong. She opened up her heart and revealed what he now knew was the truth about herself, trusting him with everything when he had trusted her with nothing. There were so many things he wanted to ask her now, so many things he wanted to say…
Emmet choked on a sob, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.
What he wouldn't give to see them all again. To say he was sorry. He'd completely understand if no one would forgive him. He would never forgive himself, after all. But he wanted them to know… He was so, so s--
"Emmet!!"
A distant, muffled voice broke through the silence. Emmet's eyes flew open as he looked around in vain, as if hoping to spot the speaker.
It had sounded like someone had shouted his name at the top of their lungs.
Emmet waited, breath held in anticipation… and heard another, though indecipherable yell.
And suddenly, there was a wave of noise.
It was impossible to distinguish one voice from another in the sudden cacophony, but Emmet was able to make out bits and pieces.
His heart swelled.
They were calling for him.
The voices of his friends were all united, reaching out to find him.
"Emmet!" "Where's Emmet? Is he all right??" "Guys, look! Is he over by you?" "I don't see him over here!" "Emmet, please, where are you???"
Emmet gave a choked laugh, tears of joy replacing the bitter ones that had stung his eyes moments before.
"I'M HERE!!" Emmet shouted, his heart feeling full to bursting. "GUYS I'M HERE!!!"
They were looking for him. Despite everything… they were looking for him. They cared about him… They hadn't given up on him.
And he wouldn't give up on them.
Emmet's face scrunched with effort, every fiber in his being straining, trying to break through whatever force was keeping him immobile.
"C'mon Emmet! C'mon Brickowski!!"
They were waiting for him! They were worried about him!! He had to move… He had to…!!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"
The feral scream tore from his mouth without him intending it to, fueled by his stress and longing.
"I-I'M RIGHT HERE!!"
His breath hiccuped slightly, and he stopped, taking a calming breath. He was hysterical, he wouldn't get anywhere like this--
"I think I heard something!"
"EVERYONE QUIET!!"
A hush once again fell. Emmet opened his mouth to call again, but to his dismay, his throat had closed from the effort of voicing his emotion, and the most he could manage was a strained "Here…!!"
"Emmet?"
Emmet felt as warm as if the sun had just broken through an overcast sky to shine directly onto him.
"Emmet, i-if you can hear me…"
Her voice trailed off, unable to continue.
"I can hear you," Emmet whispered, pure joy filling his entire being, spilling outward as fresh tears. "I can hear you, Lucy."
His hand moved slightly.
Emmet gasped, grabbing onto the sensation and clinging to it. He turned his hand over in wonder, as if feeling it for the first time.
He could move.
Slowly, laboriously, he managed to lift both of his arms and push a piece aside. A euphoric laugh flew from his mouth, his eyes shining.
He moved more pieces out of the way, straightening up best he could. He began clambering up through the broken bricks, forcing himself upward. Every motion was strange and alien, and his way was constantly blocked by something he had to shove aside, but he barely noticed. He didn't care.
All he felt was overwhelming happiness as he thought of seeing his friends again.
He could see light now. It was faint, and hazy, but he could see his hands in front of him, and the outline of the bricks he was climbing through.
He felt the pressure above him lessening, his ascent becoming easier with every moment.
Finally…
His hand broke through to open air.
His breath caught in his throat, but he forced himself to remain calm.
He carefully lifted his other arm, hooking his hands best he could on the piece above him.
He shut his eyes tightly and focused. Slowly, carefully, he began lifting himself out of the pile. First his hair, then his head, his shoulders… The moment his torso was exposed he quickly flopped forward, freeing his legs as well.
For a moment all he could do was lay atop the bricks, mind and heart racing, overwhelmed by emotion.
Slowly he straightened, standing on top of the bricks, blinking in the light.
"I see him! He's up!!"
"Unikitty!" Emmet turned towards the voice, beaming.
Robbed of words by her feelings, the princess could only manage to give a happy mew, returning his grin.
Unable to contain his happiness, Emmet ran forward as best he could and wrapped his arms around her neck, careful not to jostle her too much.
All around them, a cheer rose up. Shouts of relief and excitement rang out on all sides as the message was passed around the Bin.
Emmet was free.
"H-how are you doing that, Emmet??" Unikitty asked, laughing, as Emmet stood up straight again.
"I don't know!!" He laughed too, a little embarrassed, rubbing the side of his head. "I don't know but I'm gonna figure it out, and I'm gonna get you all out of here! Where's--"
"How can you move like that other guy? Why can you move while we can't?" a voice interrupted from behind him.
Emmet turned, stunned, to face the Systarian citizen. "Other guy?"
"Yeah," the minidoll confirmed. "Someone else was walking around, too. He--"
"He's a big meanie pants," Unikitty growled, genuine anger in her voice, despite her innocent-sounding censor phrase. "Don't associate with him, Emmet. He'll be gone soon."
"I don't… Someone else--?"
Emmet looked around, bewildered. He didn't see anyone else standing.
Then he spotted a rise in the bricks.
His eyes followed the slope upwards, until he had to lean his whole body backwards to see the top.
There, staring down at him in pure shock, was Rex.
"Rex?"
The piece Rex had been holding fell from his hands and tumbled down the hill.
How was this possible? It was as if everyone's calling had just… caused him to materialize. Why had they… It was because of Emmet they had been trapped here, why did… why did they care…?
Rex hurriedly shoved these thoughts aside, burying them with ease. He had long since been a pro at pushing things down in his mind.
Instead, he faced Emmet, who was hurrying up the hill, a look of wonder on his face.
"Emmet," Rex responded with a grin, walking down to meet him.
When they were only a few steps apart, Emmet suddenly lunged at him.
Rex tensed, not in the least bit prepared for a surprise attack, but bracing himself best he could--
Only for Emmet to wrap his arms around him in an attempted facsimile of a hug.
"I was so worried about you…!!" Emmet said, the side of his head affectionately bumping against Rex's.
Rex pat Emmet's shoulder, awkwardly clearing his throat.
Of all the things he had expected, this was… Yeah this definitely wasn't one of them.
Emmet kept holding Rex for a moment more, seemingly reluctant to let go. Finally, he stood back with his hands on Rex's arms, looking him up and down appraisingly, as if checking for damages.
"When that explosion happened and I lost my hold on you, I thought…" Emmet trailed off, looking sheepish. "I was really scared. Which I realize is silly now. You're strong, I had nothing to worry about. I mean, look at you! You're up and moving too, just like me! Somehow!! And you're… Oh, what's that??"
Emmet had spotted Rex's ship, and hurried up the hill to investigate further.
Rex remained standing where he was, staring into space, left overwhelmed by Emmet's enthusiasm and excitement. He had only heard about half of what he had said, a combination of how stunned he was mixed with his bad hearing.
He shook his head slightly, allowing himself a hidden, warm smile as he turned to follow Emmet.
"Emmet, you're friends with this guy??" Benny called, dismayed.
…
Why did someone always have to screw everything up?
Emmet turned back from the ship, surprised. "Well, yeah!... Ah, sorry, I should introduce you!" Emmet proudly placed a hand on Rex's back, beaming down at his crestfallen friends, Rex grimacing uncomfortably.
"Everyone, this is Rex!"
If Emmet had been expecting his friends to give a warm welcome, he was about to be sorely disappointed.
The silence that followed this introduction was frigid.
"... Emmet, this guy's not… He's not exactly… friend material." Benny finally said, voice halting.
"What…? H-hey, you just met him, don't be so quick to judge him…!" Emmet laughed nervously, shooting Rex an apologetic look.
Rex simply started straight ahead, expression neutral.
Emmet swallowed hard.
"He was planning on leaving us all stranded down here!" Unikitty chimed in, and a murmur of confirmation rippled through the crowd.
"What--? No, no, that can't be right, this was all a big misunderstanding! Rex and I thought we were stopping Armamageddon, we didn't--"
"If he truly be as fair-hearted as ye believe him to be, explain why his wee spaceship there only has room for two."
Emmet looked from Metalbeard, to the ship, to the stoic face of Rex, and back to Metalbeard. "He… He only just started building it, it's not done-- w-we'll add more room…"
"Emmet. Rex isn't who you think he is."
Rex's heart sank at that voice. He had to stop this, and fast.
"Luc--"
"Emmet, the ship is nearly done. Go have a seat, I'll finish it up, and then we can get out of here." Rex nudged Emmet towards the ship, reaching down to grab another piece.
"We're just going up to get the Rexcelsior, right? So we can come back and get everyone else…?" Emmet said in a faint voice, looking like he was about to throw up.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Rex said gruffly, pushing Emmet gently again as he walked past him to place the brick he had grabbed.
Emmet planted his feet, expression unreadable. "Rex. Tell me we're saving everyone."
Rex tensed for a moment, then sighed, shaking his head slowly. "I really hoped you weren't going to make this difficult." He turned to face Emmet, putting on his best disappointed face. "There's no point in saving them, Emmet."
Emmet's face fell, looking for the world as if he was about to cry. "Rex… you can't mean that."
He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the kid. Still so attached to this façade of friendship he had built with these two-dimensional caricatures. His poor soft heart was breaking at the thought of letting the curtains close on his happy little play.
"They're just pieces of plastic, Emmet!" Rex snorted with derisive laughter, then started walking towards him, expression grave. "I thought that we both agreed that it's time to let go of the past."
Emmet began slowly backing away from Rex, eyes wide. "No… No, how can you say that?? They're my friends… They're my family." His voice cracked on the last word, and he blinked rapidly.
Pathetic. He always did that when trying to hold back tears.
"I…"
He stopped retreating, standing his ground.
"I won't leave them behind."
Rex stopped moving too, scowling deeply. "Emmet. Get in the damn ship."
Emmet flinched slightly at the 4-letter word, but didn't back down. "... No."
"That wasn't a request, Brickowski."
Emmet shook his head quickly. "If you… If you want to leave here without my friends, then you're leaving without me, too. I'll find a way of rescuing them myself.
So… so…"
Emmet stood at his full height, looking Rex right in the eye.
"So if you're going to leave, then leave."
Rex stood completely still, statuesque as he stared back at Emmet.
So.
It looked like, in the end…
Emmet would chose an illusion over Rex after all.
Rex gave a quick exhale, the side of his face twitching. Then he gave a single laugh. Then another.
In moments he was practically in hysterics, his manic laughter once again filling the cavernous space with unwanted noise.
Emmet looked taken aback, almost a little frightened, as Rex heaved with uncontrollable laughter. "Rex…?" He wavered, unsure whether he should take a step forward or back.
"Oh, oh isn't this just rich!!" Rex shook his head, looking up at nothing. He pushed his hair out of his face, a crazed gleam in his eye.
"Not only do my so-called friends abandon me… But even I turn my back!... On myself!! Wow, just, wow, you can't make this shit up can you??? It's almost poetic!! A piece of mother-fucking art!!!"
Definitely a step back. "R-Rex, you're not making any sense--"
"Oh, shut up."
Rex looked over at Emmet with a mixture of disgust and contempt, as if he were something smeared across the polished steel toe of his boot. It became clear that the glint in his eye wasn't from the distant starlight after all, but was a sickly green glow that seemed to come from inside of him.
"Shut the hell up, Brick-kowski." He practically spat the last word, hands clenching into fists at his sides. He could hear the ringing in his ears grow louder with every pulse of his heart, his blood coming to a boil.
"I… am so… so, fucking tired… of everything."
Rex turned his back on Emmet, on the crowd below him, on the world that had turned its back on him.
He leaned against the incomplete ship, rubbing his temples as they throbbed. Nothing could ever go right for him. Nothing was ever easy, or nice. No… Every time he thought he had something, anything, he was knocked back down. Something came along and ruined everything, and he always ended up at square one…
Alone, friendless, and unwanted.
"... Rex, you don't have to--"
"Don't you lecture me, Brickowski." Rex's voice was calm. Smooth as a pane of ballistic glass. "It's always the same crap."
Rex's voice then raised in pitch, the rasp he had worked so hard to cultivate falling away. And as he spoke with their voice, he heard Emmet gasp behind him.
" 'You don't have to do bad things, friend. You can be a good person! You can turn everything around and everything will automatically be okay for everyone always and forever, because that's how the world works right??'"
"Wh… how did you sound like--"
"NEWS FLASH, EMMET!!"
Rex whirled around and socked Emmet in the stomach with all his strength. Emmet gave a cry of pain as he was sent tumbling back, down the slope of the hill. Horrified shouts rose from the spectators surrounding them.
Rex strode after him, watching as the winded man struggled to rise again.
"That's not how the world works! Things won't magically turn out fine because of love or friendship or whatever bullcrap you are oh so keen on clinging to!!"
He aimed a kick at Emmet's head, who barely managed to raise his hands quickly enough to block it. He skidded back, farther down the hill.
They were calling Emmet's name now, begging for him to get up, urging him on, but Rex could barely hear them over the buzzing of his own rage in his head.
" The world is SHIT! People are shit! Love is shit!! Life is shit!!"
Rex sprinted towards Emmet right as he managed to regain his footing, launching himself forward in a full-body tackle. The two men collided and tumbled end over end to the bottom of the hill. They landed hard on the ground, forced apart.
"Everyone leaves you...! Y-you're all alone, in a world that hates you!!"
Rex rose to his feet, panting hard. When he spoke, his voice was strained, clipped. "Nothing… Nothing matters, anymore."
Without warning Rex gave a furious roar, turning and charging at his adversary. He threw another punch at his prone form, knocking him back down with such force it created a small indent in the loose bricks.
All of his hatred, all of his anger, all of his pain was flowing freely, uncontrollable and unstoppable. He was only partially aware of what he was doing and he didn't care. Some part of him knew, some part of him had seen this coming and planned for it. And Rex was more than happy to oblige.
Emmet whimpered softly at his feet, a disgusting, pathetic sound.
"End of the line, Brickowski," Rex growled, planting a foot on his back.
"Now it's your turn to break."
Rex raised his arm, channeling everything he had inside of him, every repressed emotion, every memory, every lost day, every cry of pain into that fist. He had to make this count… This would be the final blow.
This would finally end everything.
His eyes burned with that ghastly green light, the air around him crackling with rage-fueled power.
Rex's mouth opened, a scream building up in his chest--
And something caught his arm.
" Emmet. That's enough."
Rex's mind went completely blank.
Then he blanched.
He recoiled as if he had been burned, backpedaling away from Emmet and… the voice.
It wasn't possible.
She wasn't real, not like him and Emmet. There was no way she should be able to move, be able to…
He fell backwards onto his butt and stayed there, staring without really seeing.
Lucy bent down, placing a hand on Emmet's back. He turned slightly to look at her, making a quiet noise. She spoke to him softly, gently brushing the hair out of his face, cupping his cheek. He shifted slightly to rise, and she gently took him by the arm, slowly helping him to his feet. He leaned against her as he stood, breathing labored.
Rex opened and closed his mouth, no sound coming forth.
Emmet closed his eyes and muttered something to Lucy. She took his hand and held it tightly, and he managed to give her a weak smile.
Then, in unison, they turned to look at Rex.
Rex was suddenly aware that his face was burning. His eyes pricked with tears, which threatened to spill over at any moment. He wanted to wipe them away before they were seen, but his body refused to respond.
He was forced to sit, frozen, as Emmet and Lucy slowly approached him, hands still tightly clasped.
They stopped right in front of him, close enough to reach out and touch.
And they looked down at him with looks of identical sadness.
Rex gave a watery laugh, his attempt at a smile causing his face to twist into a pained grimace. "Don't… Don't you fuckin' look at me like that. Y… You can't look at me like that, no one… no one ever looks at R-Rex Dangervest… like that."
Lucy and Emmet turned to face one another, something unspoken passing between them.
God, how he wanted to… punch… their connection…
He couldn't even find it in himself to get worked up.
It just hurt.
The pair turned to face him again, their silent discussion ended.
Wordlessly, Emmet reached out a hand.
Rex stared at it, not understanding. What the hell did he want? Rex had nothing to give him.
"Come on, Rex," Emmet said quietly, giving the fallen man a slight smile. "I'm saving all my friends today."
Rex's eyes widened slightly. And suddenly his tears, hot and unbidden, began sliding down his cheeks in a relentless cascade.
"Wh… Why are you doing this…?" Rex took in a shaking breath, his laugh of disbelief escaping as a sob. "I… I don't understand. I don't…!"
Rex squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear their kind expressions any longer.
"What the hell is your deal?? H-how can you just… turn around and just… forgive like that?? How is it so easy for you?! I-I'll never understand… I can't…" He bent over, burying his face in his hands, entirely overcome.
Emmet and Lucy didn't move, watching Rex sadly as he sobbed.
The entire chasm was taken by a collective hush. The only thing that broke the silence were the soft sounds of despair. No one dared to speak, and risk breaking whatever spell had been cast.
Finally, Rex's breathing evened out, his shoulders going still.
He let his hands fall, staring down at his legs with a hollow expression.
A few long moments passed before he could lift his gaze again.
Lucy and Emmet were still there, Emmet's hand still stretched out to him. In fact, he brightened when he saw Rex looking at him, and he leaned forward slightly.
"Well? Are you ready?"
Rex looked between Emmet and Lucy, eyes searching their faces. Everything about them radiated kindness.
No. He wasn't ready.
And he knew he never would be.
But despite it all, Rex reached out and took Emmet's hand.