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title: the fall of a sparrow (chap2: the rest is silence) word count: ~12200 characters: holiday, six, white knight, dr. fell, rex summary: Six and Holiday were looking for a cure. White Knight was looking for answers. chap1 link: https://www.tumblr.com/neopuff/721160491946409984/title-the-fall-of-a-sparrow-chap1-what-a ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48147466/chapters/121413832

“Bleeding hearts. They’ll get us all killed one day.”

Six stared at Dr. Holiday as she stormed out of the room, barely listening to his partner’s muttering. He felt her words echoing in his head and frowned deeply. He’d seen her from afar plenty of times over the last two years, but never heard her voice so clearly. He wondered if she’d been saying things like that for a long time or if this was new.

Dr. Fell rolled his eyes at his assistant’s behavior, but switched to a smile as he turned and acknowledged his guests. “White Knight, Six. Always nice to have someone observing my work.”

“It’s nice to see these monsters get what’s coming to them,” Knight responded, smiling back. “Thought I’d show Six the good work you’re doing in here. Too bad Holiday had to open her mouth and ruin the show.”

“Don’t pay her any mind,” the doctor responded with a shrug. “The committee knows who has the right idea, and she has more than enough incentive to behave herself.”

Knight raised a curious eyebrow at that comment, but decided he didn’t care enough about her to comment further. He turned around to say something to his partner, only to discover the man was walking away. “Where are you going?”

“I need to check something,” was Six’s only answer as he walked off.

Hands in his pockets, Knight tilted his head and frowned. He had a good feeling that Six was going after Dr. Holiday, and though part of him was annoyed…another part was glad to see his friend acting like himself again.

“You’ve never brought your partner here before,” Fell noted, making notes on his computer about the dissection. “Trying to keep him motivated?”

“It’s his birthday,” Knight answered. “Thought a show would be a good enough present. Though it looks like he’s got something else in mind.”

Fell looked up, making eye contact with his coworker, not sure if he understood what the man was saying. After following Knight’s eyeline to Holiday’s station and back again, Fell sighed and rolled his eyes again. “Ah. Yes, there have been several incidents with soldiers interrupting my work to talk to her. It’s extremely agitating.”

“I still don’t see why you keep her around. Seems like more nuisance than help.”

“Hmm…” Dr. Fell took off his glasses, cleaning them with a rag he pulled out of his pocket. “Her credentials are impressive, I suppose. But more importantly, she works for almost nothing.”

“Is that so?” Knight shrugged. “It’s probably still too much.”

Fell smirked at that and put his glasses back on. He was inclined to agree.

x

Six had never planned on speaking to her.

Realistically, he’d never planned on speaking to anyone at Providence other than White Knight. He didn’t want to socialize with people who would probably be dead in a day. He also didn’t want to socialize with people who might try to socialize back.

But talking to Dr. Holiday wasn’t a social call. He was desperately curious about what she’d said to Dr. Fell in the lab earlier.

“Dr. Fell, why aren’t we studying them in a natural setting?”

Though the doctor dismissed her question and Knight seemed to think it was stupid, Six wondered the same thing. Most of the mutants acted like animals, and animals were supposed to be studied alive and naturally. In stable environments with food, water, shelter, medicine. That was how he understood it, at least.

He wasn’t a scientist. But she was. And she clearly had more to say on the subject, but was holding back. Six was sure she didn’t want to lose her job, but he felt like trying to save people instead of just caging or dissecting them was worth the risk.

Six was vaguely familiar with her routine, only because she entered the Petting Zoo every other day by herself. It was curious enough behavior to catch his attention, though he didn’t really know what to make of it other than a noticeable passion for her work. What mattered was that he knew where the science offices were located - just down the northern hall from Fell’s lab. Holiday had probably headed in that direction after storming off, and he intended to catch her while she was alone.

He’d heard the rumors about her talkativeness and hoped they were true, because he really wanted to hear more of what she had to say.

A small gasp reached his ears and Six doubled his footsteps to find the exact woman he was looking for staring down at the floor, clearly annoyed at herself for dropping all of her paperwork. Without making a sound, he walked over and quickly grabbed the clipboard that was splayed out on top of the other papers.

Six scanned the top paper quickly, curious what she’d been working on. It was immediately obvious to him that the work wasn’t related to Dr. Fell, and his eyes landed on the repetitive use of an interesting three-letter acronym.

“EVO?” he asked as she stood up.

Holiday looked annoyed and tugged some hair behind her ear. “Exponentially Variegated Organism. A little more scientific than spoiled meat. That is what you hired guns call them, isn’t it?”

Six didn’t argue as she grabbed her clipboard out of his hands and attempted to walk away. He’d never had such a bad first interaction with a woman before. Maybe he’d lost his charm after so many years of isolation. But he’d have to give it another shot before he let her get away. “It’s Six. And I don’t use guns.”

She stopped walking. That was a good sign. He took a few steps closer to her. “You told Fell we could learn more by keeping them alive. What did you mean?”

Holiday had danced this dance several times already. Probably more than that. She was used to soldiers pretending to be interested in her work just to grab her attention and she was very tired of it. This man, however, was so lacking in any semblance of charm that she wondered if he might be genuine. It was hard to imagine any of the hired guns caring about what she had to say, but…she was nothing if not an optimist. If he wanted her to talk, then she’d talk.

“The nanites are altering our DNA. But with the right type of research, there’s no reason they can’t be reprogrammed to stop or reverse the process.” She took a few steps closer to him, not wanting to speak too loudly. “Imagine a third option to this insane kill or contain protocol,” she added, looking away from the soldier.

He raised an eyebrow curiously. “A third option?”

“A cure,” she said, exasperated. All she’d wanted to do, every single day in the hellhole that was Providence, was work on a way to help her sister. And a cure was the only way to do it.

The alarm interrupted them, agitating Six and making Holiday squeeze her papers tighter against her chest as a group of grunts rushed by. One of them grabbed onto Six’s shoulder and gave him a smile, bragging excitedly about their next kill. He didn’t even acknowledge Holiday’s existence before continuing towards the hangar.

She watched him leave the hallway and glared, recognizing the man as Six’s friend who’d brought him into the lab earlier. If they were friends, then her first instinct about him was right. He was just another soldier trying to get on her good side. Holiday sighed and turned away, not even bothering to give Six another glance. She didn’t want to see his stupid sunglasses again. “Hopeless,” she muttered, headed back to the lab.

Six watched her walk away and frowned. He had a job to do and he knew that, but he was annoyed at the timing. Was a cure really possible? Dr. Fell didn’t seem to even consider it, but Dr. Holiday was clearly very passionate about the option. She must’ve had some reason to think so and he wanted to know more.

He exhaled and pouted, taking a moment to stretch his arms before following Knight. Hopefully this wouldn’t take too long.

x

White Knight had accepted that his partner was interested in Dr. Fell’s annoying, loudmouthed assistant. He’d even been satisfied by the fact for a brief moment, happy that Six was acting a little more like his old self. But all they’d had was one hallway conversation, and suddenly she was the first person he wanted to see after a mission?

He was annoyed. And suspicious. As far as Knight knew, Six had never spoken to her before today. But now he wondered what exactly was going on. And who the hell was the kid? What did he have to do with Holiday?

Knight watched them head towards the lab and glared. Something in his gut was telling him that he was going to have a very bad day.

Six barely acknowledged his partner as he took Rex and walked out of the Petting Zoo. He didn’t want to draw too much attention to the two of them, confident that the kid was some sort of mutant. Er - some sort of EVO. He didn’t look like one, he didn’t act like one, but there was no other explanation for his abilities. The glowing on his hand and the other EVO’s skin…it was clear that whatever had happened to make that man human again - it was all thanks to Rex.

“Where are we going? Why’d you have the monkey locked up? Who was that mean guy?”

Not used to the exuberance of children, Six took a moment to think about his answers. He needed to get to Holiday quickly before anyone else saw what was going on. “To see a doctor about your wrist. Because he’s dangerous. And he's an…associate of mine.”

“Oh, cool. My wrist does kind of sting. Why’s the monkey dangerous?”

Six put a hand on Rex’s back, pushing him in the right direction. “That’s classified,” he said quickly, not wanting to give a real answer.

“Huh?” Rex looked up at the strange man who’d saved his life. “Secret government…monkey business?”

“Exactly.”

Rex chuckled and kept his eyes forward as a white door in front of him suddenly swished open, revealing a scary-looking room full of lab equipment. “Why is everything here all white?”

“Hello? Who’s ther- Oh. Six.”

The doors shut behind them and Six stood there awkwardly with Rex at his side. “Dr. Holiday.”

Rex let out a low whistle as she walked closer to them, and Six furrowed his brow. How old was this kid, exactly?

She either didn’t notice or just ignored it. “Who’s this?”

“You’re the doctor, right? Six here said you’d wrap my wrist for me,” Rex said, pointing up at Six with his good hand.

Holiday smiled awkwardly down at the kid and then briefly glared up at the soldier. “Well. I wouldn’t want to make a liar out of him, now would I? Sit down over here.”

Rex rushed over and hopped onto the table as Six scanned the room. There was usually at least one or two EVOs caged and ready to be tagged for disassembly, and he was happy to see one that he’d wrangled less than a day ago sitting in a cage to the side. He made his way over and leaned against the bars, wondering if this was a good idea.

He wasn’t good at trusting people. Never had been. But Holiday…she seemed to be a very genuine person. He couldn’t see how it would benefit her to preach her theories like she did unless she really believed in them. So as far as Six was concerned, at that moment she was the only person he could trust.

Holiday threw him a few small glares while she wrapped the kid’s wrist, unhappy about their visit. She’d accepted that Six was just another soldier hitting on her, but she didn’t expect him to be so persistent about it. And what was he trying to do by bringing a child around? Show her that he was a good person? He wasn’t even talking to her. Just…standing there and watching. It was unnerving.

She squeezed the kid’s wrist a little too tight and quickly let go as he squirmed, walking away to get back to her work.

“Ow! Ahh! Let me see your medical license!”

Holiday rolled her eyes. She didn’t have an MD and she wondered briefly if Six even realized that about her. He’d seen some of her papers, but only for a few seconds. Either way - she was annoyed at him for wasting her time. If he really wanted her attention, he could just ask her out properly so she could reject him properly. Then she could get back to her work faster. “Six, we have nurses that could’ve easily handled this,” she muttered, not looking back at him.

Instead of responding verbally, Six certainly caught her attention by opening up the cage that was sitting in her lab. She quickly turned around and stared, more confused than she’d been in a long time. “What are you doing? That EVO is scheduled for processing.”

Six brought the EVO closer to the examination table. Holiday stared at him in concern as he brought a dangerous, man-eating mutant closer to a child that was currently in their care. What the hell was going on?

“Show her.”

Holiday watched, speechless, as the kid reached out and touched the EVO. His hand lit up with blue lines that spread into the EVO and then within a few moments…

…a human man fell out of Six’s arms and onto the floor.

She stared at the man - somehow fully clothed and twitching, seemingly asleep. What. What?

“We found it, doctor. The third alternative.”

Holiday couldn’t find her words. She didn’t know what to say. She continued to stare at the man that used to be an EVO, then slowly looked up at the two boys standing patiently on the other side of his twitching body. “What is he…? How…?”

“Meet Rex: the cure.”

Rex gave her a little wave that Holiday couldn’t even acknowledge, she was too dumbstruck. She didn’t know what was happening. There was a lot of information to take in all at once. But…she did know she’d been wrong about Six. More than wrong. Six wasn’t like the other soldiers. He actually listened to her. He cared. And somehow, just hours after their conversation, he’d managed to find exactly the kind of person that Holiday needed.

Exactly who Beverly needed.

Unable to contain her excitement, Holiday rushed over and wrapped her arms around Six’s shoulders. “This changes everything!” she said with a dreamy sigh, feeling more hope than she’d felt in years. Six was certainly more than she’d expected, and Rex was absolutely not what was on her mind when she’d mentioned a cure. But she wasn’t kidding. Rex’s power really did mean everything was different now. Things could finally, finally get better.

Six had forgotten what it felt like to have a woman’s body pressed up against his. That was…sad. He didn’t know what to do with his hands that wouldn’t be either offensive or inappropriate, so he just let them hang at his side. He’d known Dr. Holiday would be happy, but he hadn’t expected such a physical reaction and he’d had to stop himself from instinctively flipping her over his shoulder like an attacker. That probably wouldn’t have gone well.

Holiday felt a tap on her shoulder and turned her head to find Rex staring up at her with an expectant smirk on his face. Normally Holiday would ignore expressions like that, but…he was just a kid. It was kind of cute when he did it. She let go of Six (which seemed to relax him quite a bit, she noticed) and leaned down to give Rex the biggest hug of his life. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close, letting his face fall into her shoulder.

She pretended not to notice as he gave a toothy grin and two thumbs up to Six behind her. Pulling away, she let her hands linger on his shoulders and observed him closer - trying to see any signs of mutation. There was little doubt he was an EVO, but she’d never seen one that still looked so human.

“Rex, would you mind if I did some tests on you? No needles, I promise.”

He looked at her suspiciously, then glanced up at Six, who simply responded with a raised eyebrow. Rex had a feeling he was going to have to get used to that. “Okay. But can you make it fast? I’m so hungry!”

Holiday glanced over at Six and then back to Rex. She needed to talk to him about some important details, like where did this child come from? And where were his parents? “Come on, just lie down and I’ll do a quick scan.”

Rex looked at the giant scanner he’d been sitting next to and pouted, observing it carefully. He looked nervous.

“It’ll only take a minute. I just want to get a look at your nanites.”

He nodded, but in his nervousness he glanced up at Six again. Six was currently moving the recently-cured EVO (aka, unconscious human man) onto a nearby table so he wouldn’t be as unhappy about waking up on a strange floor.

With a deep breath, Rex laid down and closed his eyes. The table moved him into the scanner and the loud noises started immediately, scaring him a little.

“Did you contact his parents yet?” Holiday asked while she typed on her computer screen.

“He doesn’t remember them,” Six answered, walking over to stand next to her. He leaned slightly over her shoulder to take a look at the data as it appeared, though it didn’t take him long to realize he didn’t understand any of it. “I found him in some wreckage without any memories.”

She closed her eyes and slowed her hands down for a moment. “Well. That’s terrifying,” she muttered quietly, hoping Rex couldn’t hear her over the sounds of the scanner. “I’m glad you got him out of there.”

Six stared at the scanner, hands in his pockets. He was glad, too.

“Alright, Rex…” Holiday said louder this time, ending the scan. She just wanted to confirm that he was, in fact, an EVO - and he certainly was! His nanites were just as active as any other. “Thank you for holding still.”

As soon as the table was far enough out of the scanner, he jumped up and stretched his arms and legs. “No problem, Doc! Now…food? Please?”

She smiled and lightly nudged Six next to her. “Aren’t you going to get him something to eat?”

Six pushed up his sunglasses and gave her a suspicious glare. “I…think it’s taco day at the cafeteria. All three of us should go.”

Holiday raised an eyebrow at his response, but the smile never left her face. She was way too happy about Rex to be bothered by anything else. In fact, she was feeling happy about a lot of things. Like the fact that Six was actually quite handsome, when she gave him a good look. She wondered briefly if she’d completely misinterpreted his interest in her work, or if he had any interest in her personally. At that particular moment, she was leaning hopefully towards the latter.

Eh. It wasn’t the time. They could deal with that after Rex cured her sister.

“I don’t really want tacos. Do you think they could make me some burritos?” Rex asked with a big smile. He confidently walked over and grabbed both Six and Holiday’s dangling hands, squeezing them tight.

They glanced down at him, then at each other, and Rex suddenly let go of their hands. He stared at his hands in front of himself and frowned. “I…don’t know why I did that. That was weird. Sorry.”

Holiday stuck her hand back out. “It’s alright, Rex. I’m sure they can make you a burrito.”

He blushed slightly and grabbed her hand, happy that she wasn’t mad at him. “I’m definitely gonna need more than one. At least, like, five or six!”

“We’ll see what we can do,” Six answered, hands back in his pockets. “Cafeteria’s this way.”

The three of them walked down the hallway together - Six took note of seven people that passed by them, five of which noticed Rex, and two of which made comments to each other about him. He didn’t care so much that they assumed he and Holiday had a son together, but he wanted to keep track of anyone who knew about Rex being in the building. To them, he probably just looked like a lost kid that Six and the doctor were babysitting - not the future savior of the world. But one could never be too safe.

The cafeteria wasn’t too crowded when they arrived. Six never spent much time there, opting to grab some fruit or a burger and eat them while walking back to his room. He didn’t like being surrounded by trigger-happy soldiers with guns, no matter how much Knight praised the experience.

“Hi, sorry, um…would you be able to make a beef burrito for him?” Holiday asked one of the cafeteria workers. She flashed a shy, but gorgeous smile his way, and the employee’s cheeks turned red.

“Oh, um…yeah, sure.” The employee glanced between Holiday, Rex, and Six standing awkwardly behind them. “I, uh…didn’t know you had a son,” he said quickly, grabbing a nearby stack of tortillas.

“She’s not my mom!” Rex responded, letting go of her hand to cross his arms over his chest.

She chuckled and put her hands on his shoulders. “Six and I are watching him while we wait for his parents to come pick him up,” she lied, knowing that she didn’t need to give too much information out to random employees. Not until they could do some more tests, at least.

The employee - Holiday wished she could remember his name, but it was just not coming to her - started working on the first burrito and making small talk, which she participated in amiably.

Six observed them curiously. Holiday was surprisingly comfortable lying, and Rex was getting extremely excited by the smell of food. He could see the kid starting to bounce, and hoped that he wasn’t one of those extremely hyper kids that didn’t know how to calm down. Knowing his luck, Six had a feeling Rex would be bouncing off the walls once he was comfortable enough.

“Another!”

“Rex, why don’t you try eating the first three and then see if you’re still hungry?”

“Oh, trust me, Doc, I have never been this hungry in my life! I need more!”

“I’m so sorry. Could you?” she asked the employee quietly. “You can charge me for them if it’s too much.”

Six continued to watch silently as Rex collected a pile of burritos onto his tray, and thought back to the conversation he’d overheard between Knight and Fell earlier in the day. He’d been almost out of earshot, but he could distinctly recall Dr. Fell saying that Holiday barely made any money.

As they walked away to grab something for Rex to drink, Six took a step closer to the counter. Before he could say anything about how he’d be the one paying, if anyone, the employee held up a hand and shook his head.

“Half the soldiers here eat like that every day. It’s fine.”

With a nod, Six followed Rex and Holiday to the table they were occupying alone. He took a seat next to Dr. Holiday, who was staring at the kid while he scarfed down his first burrito as if his life depended on it.

Six frowned, feeling eyes on them. It wasn’t the first time a kid was in the Providence cafeteria, but neither Six nor Holiday spent much time in there. The scene probably stood out to anyone who was paying attention, which meant that there were now at least thirty more people aware of Rex’s presence in the building. He didn’t like that.

“So you only remember that your name is Rex?”

“Mhmm,” the kid answered, a big bite of burrito in his mouth.

“No last name? Parent’s names? Hometown?”

Rex shook his head and took a long sip of grape soda. “Nada!”

Holiday clasped her hands together in front of herself. “Alright. Well, that’s okay. We’ll take a DNA sample and see if we get any matches in one of our databases,” she said out loud, though it seemed more like she was talking to herself than either of them.

Her sleeve slid down just a smidge while she spoke, and Six noticed that her wrist was kind of thin. Thinner than he expected. He thought about how he never saw her in the cafeteria before this moment and frowned. “Have you eaten?”

“Hm?” She looked at him and tilted her head. “Me?”

Six just stared at her.

“Um…yes, I’m sure I ate this morning,” she said, not even registering her lie until it was out of her mouth. She’d started her day with two cups of coffee and hadn’t had a chance to eat lunch because she was visiting her sister again. Now it was after eight and she hadn’t even thought about it.

He frowned at her and Holiday frowned back, turning to look at Rex. She felt awkward under Six’s gaze, especially when he very clearly wanted to argue with her.

Rex just stared at the two of them, trying to figure out what their deal was. It didn’t seem like they knew each other very well. He shrugged and inhaled another burrito, burping loudly. “Could I get another? Maybe another three or four?”

Holiday blinked repeatedly at him. “Why don’t you let the first five settle-”

“Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?!” Rex whined, hands together in front of him. “I’m still soooo hungry, Doc!!”

She sighed and reached over to grab Rex’s tray, but was intercepted by Six. The two of them watched as he stood up and walked back to the cafeteria counter to chat with the same employee from before.

“He doesn’t talk much, does he?” Rex observed, gulping down more of his soda.

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Holiday answered. She hesitated for a moment before leaning closer to Rex. “Now, um. Rex. Since it’s just us, I want to make sure everything you’ve told me is true. Six didn’t, um…” She wasn’t sure how to word her question without sounding paranoid, but she had to ask. All she knew about Six was that he was some sort of contract killer. It didn't exactly leave her confident. “...didn’t tell you what to say to me or anything, right?”

Rex looked confused. “No? Six has been super nice. Is he not usually nice? Should I be worried?”

“No, no,” Holiday shook her head and sighed with relief. “I just don’t know him that well. Wanted to be sure you felt safe.”

“Ooohh.” Rex finished off his drink and stood up to get some more. “No need to worry, Doc! I’ve never felt safer.”

She watched him walk over to the soda fountain and exhaled through her nose. That was good. That was what she’d wanted to hear. But she suddenly felt extremely stressed out. Maybe it was the combination of lack of food and sleep, but she was completely overwhelmed. She wanted to get Rex to The Hole as soon as possible to cure her sister, but Beverly was big and terrifying. She couldn’t subject Rex to that without first making sure he’d be alright. And she definitely needed to do more tests on him before he went around curing all the EVOs, just in case his abilities weren’t limitless.

Her thoughts were cut off by a plastic bag full of wrapped burritos being placed in front of her. She looked up to see that Six had returned, and that he clearly didn’t want to stay in the cafeteria any longer.

“We should go. There’s too many eyes here.”

Holiday shrugged and stood up just as Rex came back. She smiled down at him. “Still hungry?”

“Yes!” Rex grabbed the bag and took a big whiff. “Are we leaving? Can we go somewhere with a TV?”

The adults glanced at each other again. Holiday wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I…think the rooms in Medical have TVs.”

“I don’t want any of the nurses giving him a check-up,” Six said dryly, lightly shoving Rex so they could start moving.

“It’s fine. I’ll just tell them I’ve got it handled,” she answered. “It won’t be a problem.”

Rex glanced between the two adults, once again confused by the way they spoke to each other. The doctor confirmed his earlier suspicions that they barely knew each other, but they also seemed really suspicious of everyone around them. Why would they work for a place that they were so suspicious about? It didn’t make a lot of sense to him.

But, well. The burritos were really good. So Rex decided to leave it alone for the moment and walked where he was directed. He wondered if the TV would get any channels with cartoons or if it’d just be the news.

After a few minutes of walking, Rex felt his stomach grumble. He opened up the bag as Holiday got the number of a free room from some nurse, and glared as Six once again shoved him in the direction he needed to go. This guy was so pushy.

“Room 413 is free. And it’s out of the way,” Holiday said quietly as she walked past the two boys. “Follow me.”

It was a short walk to the room, but Six felt a headache building as Rex talked to him the entire time. He wasn’t used to kids at all. He barely remembered being a kid himself. He was glad that Holiday seemed to have some idea of how to talk to children. Maybe it was a kind of maternal instinct.

“Ugh, who put a salad in here?” Rex said as he finally stuck his hand into the bag. “You’re not trying to make me eat healthy, are you?” he asked, glaring up at Six.

Holiday turned on the light in what was about to be Rex’s room, looking towards the two of them with a raised eyebrow. She watched as Six grabbed the salad out of Rex’s hand and held it out towards her.

“It’s chicken caesar. Guy behind the counter said it was your usual order.”

She stared at the plastic container like it was something foreign and slowly reached out to take it from him. “I, um.” She wondered if her cheeks were turning pink. “Thank you?”

They were both distracted from the little moment between them by Rex jumping on the bed excitedly and starting on his next burrito. Neither of them could comprehend how he could still be hungry after so many, but Six had asked for as many as the cafeteria worker could give him. Rex seemed like the kind of kid who would eat cold leftovers without complaint, so long as he had food.

Once Rex found the remote, he turned on the television and quickly flipped channels until he found one that was loud, bright, and colorful. Six groaned and left the room, wondering if he could find some non-drowsy painkillers for his headache. The darkest sunglasses in the world couldn’t shield his eyes from the saturated colors on that screen.

Holiday stayed nearby, eating her salad and observing Rex as he ate and watched TV and talked. He talked a lot. But she was finding it very comforting. Everything about Rex was so…normal. If he was an EVO, and he was able to pass as a regular human, that meant there were other EVOs in the same situation. She couldn’t wait to take Rex to the Petting Zoo to cure some more of them, and show her findings off to Fell and the other scientists that had dismissed her so many times before. Once they saw what Rex could do, they’d have no choice but to listen to her. And with Six the terrifying, intimidating killer by her side - they’d take her orders with a salute and a smile.

After consuming another ten - ten! - burritos, Rex yawned loudly and fell back onto the pillow.

Holiday grabbed her phone, surprised to see it was already past nine o’clock. She wasn’t sure how old Rex was, but it was getting late enough. He’d had a big day, after all. With a sigh, she turned off the TV and the lights, taking one last look at Rex before closing the door.

He really was going to change everything.

x

Knight was frustrated.

At first he’d thought Six was just trying to enjoy some stupid birthday fling. Then he’d acted strange out in the field, talking about trying to keep one of those monsters alive. Then the kid, and following Holiday around like some lost puppy…

It was getting annoying. His partner was keeping secrets, and Knight didn’t appreciate that. He’d given Six so much leeway at Providence, used his resources and connections to allow Six the privacy that he needed to be comfortable. He gave him an opportunity to use his skills to save the world. And how did he thank him? By treating him like an enemy?

That was not acceptable.

Knight had heard through the grapevine that Six and Holiday were spotted in the cafeteria feeding that child Six had brought in from the field. He’d told the other soldiers that Six was a killing machine, ready to take on anything, and suddenly he was playing house with Fell’s assistant and some random orphan. It wasn’t just bad for Six’s reputation, it made Knight look like a fool. And he was pissed.

Nyquist let him know that he’d seen Six headed to Medical with his new wife and kid, which earned an eye roll and a thanks from Knight as he made the decision to follow. If Six wasn’t going to let him know what was going on, then he would just have to figure it out himself. Even if that meant subjecting himself to the germiest part of Providence - he’d just take a long, hot shower later.

It didn’t take long to find him, though Knight knew he’d have to be especially sneaky to avoid being caught. Six was more observant than most, though with these new people in his life distracting him…who could know?

Holiday exited one of the rooms and Knight glared, leaning back against the wall. She was the catalyst for all this nonsense and he felt fine directing a lot of his anger towards her. He’d never liked women much, not even his ex-wife, but Holiday really took the cake for women who liked to stick their nose where it didn’t belong.

“I can’t wait to see Fell’s face when we show him.”

Knight tilted his head to the side, listening carefully.

“No. Not a word to anyone. Tomorrow we move him to a safe location.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets, curious about Six’s urgent tone. There was no doubt they were discussing that kid from earlier, but he didn’t understand why. What did some annoying little brat have on Six that he was so worried about?

“But…I need to get to work on him straight away!”

“Trust me. Not everyone will feel the same way about working with an EVO. If we time this wrong, it could turn ugly.”

“I hate this war.”

Knight’s fingers twitched, itching to understand what they were talking about. What the hell was an EVO? Was that Holiday’s stupid special scientific term for the mutants? Fell would have a laugh about that, he was sure. And did that mean the human-looking boy was actually a mutant? Why would Six be protecting one of those monsters? He waited patiently as Holiday’s heels clicked down the hallway and Six finally turned around to notice him.

He crossed his arms over his chest, not caring if he came across as possessive. “Hey partner. How’s tricks?”

Six kept his face stoic as ever, ignoring the double meaning of his friend’s question. He already knew what the man thought of Dr. Holiday and didn’t feel the need to get into it with him. “What are you doing in the medical ward? I thought you hated germs.”

“Made an exception today.” Knight stood up straight, taking a step towards Six. “Something I should know?” he asked carefully, hoping that Six would tell him what was going on. Maybe he just wanted to gain Holiday’s trust for a few hours, but now that they were alone, he’d tell Knight everything that was happening.

Instead, Six stared at him for a second before starting to leave. “Just another day at the office.”

Frustrated, Knight reached out and grabbed his arm. “You can trust me,” he said, almost pleading. He didn’t understand what was going on with his partner, but watching him throw away a good career just for some obnoxious woman and a mutant child was not acceptable.

“I know.”

He watched Six walk away from him and frowned deeply, trying to decide on his next move. If Six wasn’t going to talk to him, then he’d have to take matters into his own hands. He glared at the door he’d watched Holiday exit from earlier, knowing that the boy was inside. As tempting as it was to just grab the little mutant and bring him straight to Fell, he figured it would be prudent to confirm everything before taking drastic measures. Just in case they were talking about something else, and the kid was a normal kid.

Knight pressed a finger to his communicator - three quick taps to put him in touch with Providence Employee Information. “I need Dr. Holiday’s room number.”

Within a few seconds he had his answer, and Knight started walking in the right direction, annoyed that he had to go through such drastic measures just to get basic information about what was going on. He didn’t want to trick Holiday into talking to him. He just knew it would be easy. Everyone knew she liked to blab and if he could convince her that Six had already started the conversation, she’d give up everything in less than a second.

Knight knocked on her door, briefly wondering if she’d be asleep already.

She opened it only a moment later, fiddling with the comm in her ear and placing it on the small table by her door. “Um…hi? Do you need something?”

“Holiday,” Knight said with a smile, trying his very best to be charming despite how much he would rather strangle her than have a conversation with her. “I just got a report that the kid you and Six were walking around with is down in the Zoo.”

“What?” Her eyes went wide and she rushed out of her room, leaving her comm behind and barely remembering to close the door. “Is he alright?”

“He’s fine,” Knight answered, following behind her at a leisurely pace. “A special kid like that won’t get hurt so easily.”

She hesitated for a moment in her walk, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond and just kept up the pace, hoping Rex wasn’t getting into any trouble.

Suddenly, White Knight was walking next to her and placing a hand gently against her back. She wanted to punch him, but chose to play nice since he was being helpful.

“Six told me just how special he is, you know,” Knight lied.

Holiday looked at him cautiously. “Oh? He must really trust you, then.”

“Of course he does. We’re partners.” Knight watched as the doors to the Petting Zoo opened up and the two of them headed inside. “The kid is a big deal, after all. He could lead to big changes here.”

She smiled despite her worries about Rex’s safety. So far she wasn’t seeing or hearing anything in the Zoo that seemed out of place. “Curing EV-er, curing mutants back to their normal selves is more than a big change. Finally people can have hope again.”

Knight’s eyebrows flew up, shocked by what she’d said. Curing? The kid was some kind of monster that could turn other monsters back to normal?

He frowned, allowing her to walk in front of him while she shouted the kid’s name. So he could cure mutants? What did that mean for Providence, exactly? That they should put all their funding into this one monstrous child in the hopes that he could save every puppy and kitty that suddenly grew spikes and a third eye?

No. No, it wouldn’t work. A stupid kid couldn’t save all of humanity. But if he really did have powers like that, Dr. Fell would want to study him. Dissect him, disassemble him, look at the data. Maybe Providence could build weapons that would deactivate a mutant’s nanites long enough to subdue them without chance of casualty. It could be very useful.

“I’m not seeing him, Knight,” Holiday said quietly, glaring at the soldier as if she didn’t trust him. Which she really didn’t, even if Six did. “He must’ve left already.”

“I’m sure the monkey saw where he went,” he responded with a casual shrug.

“Monkey?”

“Over here.” Knight motioned towards the cage that the annoying, talking chimp was in, happy to see that he hadn’t moved.

Holiday followed and leaned over to see the current resident sleeping. “He’s asleep.”

“Then we’ll just have to wake him up.”

Before she could even react to that, Knight had opened up the monkey’s cage and swiftly kicked Holiday in the rear, sending her flying forward into the metal box. She gasped and thankfully managed to bring her arms in front of her head just before she smacked into the floor.

“Hey! This one’s occupied!” the monkey shouted, suddenly awake.

Holiday pushed him out of the way as she turned around, only to find that Knight had closed the door again and locked her in a cage with a monkey. “Knight! What the hell?!”

The older man squatted down and leaned his arms on his knees, glaring at her righteously. “I’m not going to let my partner risk his career over some loudmouthed whore and a mutant brat.”

She felt indignant heat rise to her face and Holiday grabbed the bars, shaking them wildly. “How-how dare you?! Get me out of here right now!”

“Have fun in there, Doc,” he said with a smirk, standing up and walking away. “It’ll be nice to spend time with your intellectual equal.”

Holiday reached one arm through the bars, trying to grab hold of him - but he was already too far away. “Don't you dare touch him, Knight!! Come back here and let me out!”

Knight laughed and left the room, satisfied with himself. After all the stupid shit he’d been through that day, the opportunity to mess with Dr. Holiday almost cheered him up. He wasn’t very excited for what was going to happen next, but he needed to fix things so that Six didn’t screw everything up. He quickly called Dr. Fell, letting him know there was need for an immediate, emergency mutant dissection.

The doctor responded that he was still in the office and would patiently await his next subject.

It was a quick walk back to Medical - Knight grabbed the kid, who was a very heavy sleeper, then hoisted him over his shoulder and headed to the lab. Mutants were usually big and heavy. This kid - not kid, this monster, felt like he weighed nothing at all. Almost like a regular kid.

Fell would confirm the kid’s mutation status before they did anything to him, of course. But once they knew for sure - they could really make use of those powers.

x

After his uncomfortable conversation with Knight, Six had trailed back to his room with a singular focus on what he was going to do as soon as he woke up the next day. He and Holiday would need to grab Rex and get him to one of their vehicles - maybe a plane, if they could grab one undetected - then hurry and get him away from Providence.

He’d gotten used to the ways things worked at their organization and he knew how many soldiers and scientists would be against working with someone like Rex. He couldn’t risk them ruining things with their closed-minded pessimism. He needed Rex. He needed to bring Rex to One. He needed to get his master back.

It was his highest priority, above everything else.

Six knew that he should wait before bringing Rex to the island. Let Holiday do some more tests, make sure Rex’s powers would continue to work on every EVO before breaking the oath he’d made: to never bring outsiders to his master’s island. The other Numbers would criticize him for even thinking about it. But thanks to Rex, Six finally had a reason to think things could get better. He just needed to be careful.

Knight’s suspicions were worrisome. Six knew his friend well, after so many years of working together, and knew that when Knight wanted something, he’d do anything to get it. Knight was probably going to keep digging until he learned the truth about the kid, so Six could only hope that the day’s activities were tiring enough to delay his truth-seeking until tomorrow.

Unable to sleep, Six had been training and slicing up the dummies Providence provided for him. The dummies that Knight, specifically, had asked for on Six’s behalf. He felt bad leaving his friend in the dark after all he’d done to make him more comfortable. But his trust in Knight had started wavering the moment he suggested that EVOs were inherently weak.

One was the strongest person alive and Six would stop at nothing to bring him back.

He picked up the gift that Knight had given him earlier in the day. It was a tanto - a shorter weapon than his usual katana, but a useful gift all the same. It was just another reminder of how close he used to be with White Knight. He hadn’t felt close to him in months - despite spending every day together, fighting an endless battle, he’d never felt a greater distance from him. They used to see life so similarly, and now they couldn’t have been more opposite.

The lights started to flash around him - Six recognized the sounds and patterns from the main lab. Curious, he moved towards his room’s intercom which he had connected to Holiday’s as soon as he’d gotten back to his room. He needed to be able to contact her at a moment’s notice, just in case things went wrong.

“Holiday. Is Fell running protocols at night now?”

He waited a few moments, knowing she’d gone back to her room after they’d left the medical ward. She wouldn’t have left without telling him, considering all the plans they had for tomorrow.

“Holiday?”

Something was wrong. He needed to get to the lab fast.

x

No one was officially referring to what had happened as a coup, but the rumor mill went wild.

White Knight was suddenly in charge of everything. Six - now Agent Six - was head of all defense operations. Dr. Fell was fired, and Dr. Holiday had taken his place as Chief Research Officer for the entire Providence Science Division.

There were a lot of changes in a very short amount of time, all thanks to one very special EVO.

“She can’t really fire me, can she?” Fell asked during his private meeting with the new head of Providence.

“Well…no,” White Knight answered, trying to ignore the sounds of construction all around him as the crew of men in hazmat suits worked tirelessly to turn his tomb into a decent-looking office. “But I can.”

“Don’t do this, Knight! You know I’ve been loyal!” Fell stood up, waving his arms in front of him. “I still have so much to offer Providence. You know I do.”

Knight sighed deeply. He didn’t want to have this conversation. He and Fell were friends, or at least they had been. He wasn’t sure if he would be capable of having friends again after the ordeal he’d been through. “It’s got nothing to do with what you can bring us. Having you here is bad optics.”

“Bad-?!” The scientist clenched his fists at his sides. “We were working together! You should shoulder as much blame as I do!”

“I should,” Knight answered matter-of-factly. “But as the only nanite-free human left in the world, the committee wants me around. They don't want you.”

An awkward silence came over the room as Fell glared harder, a new and vicious hatred coming over him. He pushed his glasses further up his nose and scowled. "How lucky for you."

"Lucky. Right." Knight glanced around his future office - currently the room he spent literally all of his time in - and sighed. The design for his new setup included a nanite-free bedroom and bathroom to the side of the main room, but he still felt like he was someone's pet, trapped in a hamster cage. Being nanite-free was amazing and he was happy not to have to worry about turning into some thing and betraying his team. But he was going to miss every other aspect of life.

He didn't feel lucky. But he had to admit, it was nice to be in charge.

"Please reconsider," Dr. Fell said, giving it one last shot. "I can still be of use."

Knight kept his gaze on the wall of his room, not bothering to look at the whiny, begging man on the other side of his screen. It was unbecoming of a man who'd had so much power just a day earlier. "You'd be working under Dr. Holiday, you know. She's in charge of all the science and research departments now."

Fell's frown deepened significantly and he adjusted his glasses once more. "It's completely ridiculous to put a diversity hire in charge of an operation like this. You know that, don't you?"

"It’s not my call."

"Of course not. You're running Providence, but nothing's ever actually up to you, hm?" Fell shoved his hands into the pockets of his white coat. "Politics doesn't suit you, White Knight. You were a perfect soldier out in the field. Now look what they're doing with you!"

Knight crossed his arms over his chest, tapping one arm lightly with his pointer finger. He was definitely going to miss the adrenaline rush of mercenary life more than anything else. He'd spent his entire adult life hunting and killing and suddenly he was going to give it all up to give orders from afar instead.

It didn’t suit him, Fell was right. Deep down, he was always going to be a soldier, no matter what his title was. And he wasn’t going to enjoy being so far from all the action. There were so many monsters that’d need to be captured and killed (and cured) and he wouldn’t get to participate in any of it.

He thought about Six. And Rex. And the way that just two days earlier, the kid’s nanites were bulging giant metal weapons from his flesh and attacking anyone nearby. He was dangerous. All EVOs were dangerous, and Rex was no exception. He could’ve killed all three of them without even trying. It wasn't safe to give him full reign of their organization without taking safety precautions..

Knight thought about how useless it was to bottle up his skills and put them on a shelf. With Six’s feelings clouding his judgment, someone needed to be ready to make the hard choices in case things with the kid went sideways. He leaned forward onto his new desk and considered his next request carefully before speaking.

"Before you go, Fell…" Knight said suddenly, not really acknowledging his ex-friend's last statement. "I have one last project you can do. You'll be paid well enough to cover expenses while you look for a new job."

Fell's back straightened and he raised a curious eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I need you to help me design a suit."

x

"So any food can be passed through this giant magnet and it'll be safe for me to eat?"

"Pretty much. We've tested it on everything you asked for and it's all come out nanite-free," Holiday muttered, checking something off on her clipboard.

Knight glared down at her, unhappy knowing how much they'd be working together for the next indeterminate amount of time. Playing nice was not his forte.

"I've also got a team working on your special water tank. You won't have to worry about getting infected while showering or washing your hands." She still didn't look up, just reading things off of a list. "By the time we're done, you'll have a luxury, nanite-free apartment all to yourself."

"Good."

In preparation for their meeting, Knight had been looking over Holiday's paperwork. He hated to admit it, but she'd been significantly overqualified for her previous job and she was adequately qualified for her new one. She had enough experience leading a team, she'd worked in a well-known nanite research lab, and she'd even done some robotic engineering during one of her PhD programs.

The most interesting note in her file, however, was one he'd heard Fell mention, but he'd never asked for details on. There was a large and very unique contract that spelled out an agreement she'd struck. One that ensured her continued loyalty and cooperation for the life of her sister.

He almost laughed when he read it. That explained why she acted the way she did. It was all for one hopeless wreck of an EVO. Knight wondered if she'd had Rex cure her yet. Would she still be standing there if she had? Definitely not. That meant that Providence had the same power over her that they'd always had.

"Have you talked to any of the doctors yet?" Holiday asked suddenly, moving down her list. "I can't say for sure since no one else on earth has ever survived partial molecular disassembly, but you could potentially have some significant health problems come up. We should get you checked out sooner rather than later."

Health problems. Knight felt like he'd aged ten years in the last two days. Health problems didn't even begin to cover it. "There have been discussions. It'll get it taken care of."

"Alright." She didn't check anything off that time. "Was there anything else you wanted us to get for your room? Exercise equipment, decorations, books?"

Briefly, Knight wondered if the tension between them was as noticeable for her as it was for him. Every word she said felt like it was dripping with hatred. It could've been his imagination, but he was pretty sure she thought he should've been fired with Fell. "There are some things in my old room. I'll send Six to pick them up."

"Fine. I'll make sure they're clean when you get them."

He also wondered if she was expecting a thank you for the work she was doing. Though technically none of it was in her new job description, it was still her job as head of the science division to organize and delegate relevant assignments to her team. He would never thank someone for doing what they were paid to do.

Like a switch had been flicked, Holiday smirked up at him and put a hand on her hip. "Have you thanked Rex yet for saving your life?"

Knight frowned. There was the lack of professionalism he'd heard so much about.

"I mean, if he hadn't taken the time to save you, you'd have dissipated into nothing." She spoke matter-of-factly, but there was a tone of satisfaction in her voice. As if she was happy to remind him that he'd almost died. "It's pretty scary, isn't it?"

If she was going to be so bold, Knight decided that he would do the same. He leaned forward on his desk and glared at her, hoping his gaze held the same terror over a screen that it did in-person. "I would watch your tongue when you talk to me, Dr. Holiday."

Her expression changed rapidly to one of confusion and offense. "Excuse me?"

"In case you were unaware, your agreement with Fell is going to continue just as before." He tried not to be too happy that he'd clearly ruined her good mood. "And he was much nicer than I am."

Holiday squeezed her mouth shut and glared at him, holding her clipboard tight.

"So don't act high and mighty. Providence expects you to cooperate and continue at the same pay rate you'd been offered previously."

She almost gasped, clearly unprepared for the suggestion that she'd be taking on her new position without a raise. If Providence didn't provide food and housing (for a fee taken out of their biweekly paychecks), she would've barely made enough to get by. As an assistant, it didn't come across as all that strange.

But as Chief Research Officer, it was absolutely insane.

"You've got to be kidding," she said finally, unable to think of anything better to say.

Knight smiled. It was nice to have the upper hand. "If you're unhappy with your compensation here, you can always feel free to seek employment somewhere else."

She scoffed and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to find the best way to build her next statement without risking her sister's life.

He interrupted her thoughts with another smart aleck comment. "Think of it this way, doctor. When the public sees how much you make, they'll think you're very altruistic. It'll really convince people that you're just here to help."

Holiday's hand squeezed around the ends of her hair, flicking a group of strands back and forth. "You won't have this over me much longer, Knight. Once Rex cures her, you'll have to treat me like a real employee."

"Then why don't you go cure her?" he suggested nonchalantly. "Then we can allocate those resources onto something important."

She scowled and huffed, clearly very annoyed at the direction their conversation had gone. "With your permission, Sir, I'll get it done as soon as possible."

White rolled his eyes as she headed out the door, not really caring one way or another. If she thought she could negotiate her way to a reasonable salary just because her sister was home free, she'd have another thing coming.

Several hours later, after Knight had endured meeting after meeting after meeting with every single Providence employee who was in charge of something or someone, Holiday came back. She'd found a break in his schedule and marched into the empty room they were using as his guest office space.

Neither of them said anything initially. Knight found himself curious - her hair looked very messed up, there was dirt and what looked to be blood all over her uniform, her nose and eyes were noticeably red, and she wasn't looking up at him. There was one very clear explanation.

Rex couldn't cure her sister.

Holiday tugged some hair behind her ear, unable to make eye contact. She opened her mouth to say something and quickly closed it again.

Knight pouted slightly. He'd expected this to be a possibility. And normally he enjoyed seeing Holiday so upset and out of sorts. But at that particular moment, he couldn't even force a smirk. It was unfortunate to know that the world's only hope wouldn't be able to save everyone.

In a rare act of pity, he said, "You look terrible, doctor. Take off the rest of the night."

She was glaring at the floor, and didn't move or flinch or react in any way to his words. She didn't want to admit defeat, obviously, but there was nothing she could do or say to improve her situation. Providence would continue to have a leash tied around her neck until she could figure out how to save Beverly.

There was no fighting back. Not until she managed to make herself irreplaceable as an employee. For the moment, all she could do was say two simple words.

"Yes, Sir."

x

Every day, Monday through Friday, at exactly 8 am, Agent Six and White Knight would have a meeting. Excluding when Six was in the field or otherwise unavailable.

They'd agreed on this meeting schedule immediately after the committee had made their decisions on Providence's new structure. As White Knight was in charge, he needed to be updated on Rex's progress daily. As Rex's handler and partner, Agent Six would need to submit those updates.

On his second day of being in charge, Knight was not excited to meet with Six. He didn't need to go through any personnel file - knowing it'd be empty - and he didn't need to offer the man more money to guarantee he'd stay. The first meeting was a formality, and a reminder of what had happened between them.

The first priority, of course, was discussing Rex.

"You'll need to keep him in line. No broken machines, no dead EVOs in the Petting Zoo." Knight glared down at his ex-partner, trying to make sure he covered everything that needed to be said.

"Understood," was Six's only response.

"Every minute of every day, I expect you to be training him. Teach him how to behave and how to use his powers safely."

"Understood."

Knight glared. "And I don’t want to hear a word of complaint about it.”

There was a moment of hesitation between them. A moment where Six had an opportunity to stand up for himself, instead of choosing to stand there and be consumed by his guilty conscience. He didn’t have to be there. He could grab Rex and run anytime he wanted, no turning back.

Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets and said, once again, “Understood.”

There wasn’t much else to say. Knight knew it, Six knew it. There was no big discussion to be had. Six needed to spend some time with his new protegé and learn everything the kid could do, then they could have a more detailed discussion from there.

A discussion about expectations was a priority, once they knew what Rex was capable of. The committee was immediately on Knight’s ass, trying to find out absolutely everything they could possibly know. They had their own private team working on a related project and wanted updates on Rex as often as possible. They wanted every piece of information they could get.

Which was difficult, considering the memory problems. But Knight knew there was much more to Rex than meets the eye.

He knew Six had found the kid in some wreckage in Mexico, after the giant biomechanical mutant had exploded. He'd just assumed that he'd somehow missed the evacuation call and was lucky to survive long enough to be found.

Seeing him twitch and transform on the lab table under Fell's knife, however, made the truth very clear.

The kid was that giant, world-destroying monster. And if they weren't careful, there was no reason to think he couldn't turn into it again.

Six knew. Knight wasn't sure if he'd known the whole time or if he’d also figured it out during their fight, but he definitely knew. Rex was, undoubtedly, a danger to all of them, all of Providence, and the entire world.

But Knight didn't get to make those calls. He would do as ordered and keep the committee happy, which meant keeping Rex around and gathering as much information about curing EVOs as possible. Thanks to all their new funding, Providence was at the top of the game when it came to finding a cure. Dr. Holiday and White Knight would be the faces of Providence’s cure until Rex was competent enough to be out in public.

The committee wanted Rex’s face and name public as soon as possible. But Knight had spent a total of two minutes with the kid, and he knew that wasn’t going to be easy.

"How's the training?" he asked Six. It was Day Three of being locked in a box, Day Two of being in charge of Providence, and Day One of Six trying to figure out what all Rex could do.

"Slow."

Knight would’ve smirked if he wasn’t so busy fielding calls from members of the committee. He didn’t have time for slow. But it was a little nice to see Six suffer. "Not all you hoped he'd be?"

The agent in green chose not to respond, so Knight decided to talk. He wanted to put everything on the table and make sure Six understood the situation they were in.

"Still. Who would've thought the kinder, gentler approach would do such wonders for our profile. The notion of a cure has gotten Providence funding, and worldwide prestige. The committee's happy.” They were very happy. It wasn’t an exaggeration. But Knight didn’t enjoy working with them so closely. He’d known money while working as a mercenary, but never like those men did. They were so detached from the rest of humanity, it was obscene. “Your new partner may just be the best thing this operation could've asked for.”

Six didn’t respond again, which pissed him off just the slightest. Knight tilted his head and leaned forward onto his hands. Six was going to be cooperative, and he was going to hate every second of it. “Funny, isn't it? Because of you, I can never leave this chamber. I'm now the only pure human left in the world. And the perfect poster boy to run this operation.”

There was a pause before White added a very, very sarcastic, “I suppose I should thank you."

The grunts sitting on either side of Knight’s screen glanced at one another subtly, trying to continue their work without making it clear they were hanging onto every word.

Six didn’t acknowledge anything Knight said, knowing that he had nothing relevant to add. He’d made his choices and Knight had made his. They would just have to make sure Rex was prepared for anything. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and spoke up, thinking back to a conversation he’d had with Rex and Dr. Holiday earlier in the day. "I promised him that we would help uncover his past. Find his family."

"Whatever keeps him on his leash. But if he shows the slightest sign of turning into that thing again, it's all on you,” White said threateningly.

Six knew what that meant. They’d made an agreement. If Rex became a real threat to them and their operation, he had to neutralize him. The grunts around them didn’t need to know the details. Six hoped beyond hope that Dr. Holiday never learned about the agreement, either. But more than anyone, he didn’t want Rex to know.

It was hard to admit, but Six was already starting to like the kid. He needed him to help One - and they’d get there, eventually, when Rex was ready. But he also felt a need to keep him safe.

Knight turned off the screen and Six looked up at Rex and Bobo playing around in the training chamber. Six sighed and ran a hand through his short hair.

This was going to be a lot of work.

x

"Hey there."

Six turned his head to see Dr. Holiday walking his way, a shy smile on her face. They hadn't had much of an opportunity to really talk since everything went off the rails. "Doctor."

Holiday stopped a few feet away from her new coworker, looking him up and down. “I like the new suit. Did you have to get it custom-made?”

Most people were too intimidated by Six to comment on his fashion sense, so her question almost caught him off-guard. He simply responded with a raised eyebrow.

She smirked and shook her head, still testing the waters of how friendly she could be with him. “Nevermind. Sorry.” Holiday looked away, curious about what was going on in the Petting Zoo. Being able to study the EVOs like regular animals was going to have a real impact on her work, she was certain. "It's kind of like an actual petting zoo now, huh? Not just an ironic name anymore."

Six turned his attention towards some EVOs fighting each other. "I wouldn't recommend treating it like a regular petting zoo."

She chuckled and rolled her eyes playfully, as if she'd expected him to say something just like that. "How are things going with Rex?"

"Good. Slow, but…good." Six's hands twitched in his pockets, wondering if there was a reason for her talking to him. He'd been so antisocial for so long that it was difficult to adjust back into the world of smalltalk, but Holiday seemed very well-practiced. "How did his last checkup go?"

"Fine. No changes," she commented, hands clasped behind her back. "It seems like when he cures EVOs, he absorbs their active nanites. I'm worried he might have a limit to how much he can take."

"Then what?" Six asked, suddenly a little anxious. "Does that mean he can only cure so many EVOs before he's done?"

"No, I don't think so." Holiday tilted her head to look at him. "I'll keep a close eye on his levels, but so far it looks like building those machines expels some of the active nanites. Not a lot, though, so we may need to find a way to force them out."

Six didn't really understand the science behind the nanites. He definitely didn't understand EVOs or how they worked, and more than anything he didn't understand how Rex's powers worked. He seemed to be able to talk to machines and tell them what to do, he could absorb active nanites, and he was able to build small machines out of his skin. It was all very unique and interesting, but Six knew it was for everyone's benefit that he leave the science to the professionals. "I'll take your word on that."

She smiled again and Six felt himself stare at her for a brief moment. Prior to finding Rex, he had never, not once, seen a smile on her face. It was…nice. Nice to know he had something to do with it, even if it was mostly because of the kid.

"Should I start limiting the number of EVOs he attempts to cure per day?" Six asked.

"Hmm…probably." Holiday brought a hand to her chin in thought. "I mean, you should take things slow with him in general. This is an entirely new environment and he doesn't seem to have any understanding of his own powers."

He frowned. "I'm making sure not to overwhelm him, but we don't exactly have time to take things slowly. Knight wants Rex out in the field as soon as possible."

Holiday's expression faltered and she moved her hand down to rest underneath her chin. "Of course he does. But you need to remember, he's just a kid. He can't handle the same kind of schedule you and I can."

"He agreed to stay here," Six said sternly. "I won't force anything on him, but if he's going to be a part of Providence then he'll need to be prepared."

She sighed and waved a dismissive hand in his direction. "Alright, alright. I didn't come here to argue."

Six looked out at the Zoo again. "And what did you come here for?"

Holiday stayed silent for a few moments, contemplating. She clearly had a lot on her mind. It seemed like she was a person who was constantly thinking about ten different things at once. But she wasn't scatterbrained, just moved from subject to subject quickly. "I just…I wanted to say, um…"

They fell into a relatively awkward silence as Holiday tried to find her words. Six didn't want to interrupt.

She glanced at him briefly, then turned back to stare down at the Zoo. "I know you're going to shrug this off like it's nothing, but I'm saying it anyway," she started, playing with her hands.

Six only raised an eyebrow, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Thank you, Six. Thank you for finding him. And for trusting me." Holiday laid her arms over her middle, holding onto her elbows. "I know this probably isn't what you wanted for yourself or your, um, friend, but…if it's any consolation, I really do believe Rex is going to change things for the better."

He took a deep breath, head fully turned so he could stare at her properly. Six wasn't always sure what to make of Dr. Holiday, but he knew they'd be spending a lot of time together in the coming months. Maybe even years. He didn't quite know how to respond to her optimism. He wanted to feel as confident as she did, but it was difficult. Rex was a handful and Providence’s militarism wouldn’t mix well with his playfulness. Still, he was all they had.

"Let's hope so, Dr. Holiday."

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