Exactly forty hours after he had returned, Rex was finally able to verify that Black Knight's account of what happened was true. Nobody who was in Nevada's headquarters at the time of White's transformation had managed to make it out of the building. The only familiar face he encountered was Agent Wade, who fortunately hadn't been into work that day. They'd never been close, but it was still nice to see her. She only confirmed everything that Rex had already been told.

"It was an extremely tragic event. I mourned friends I could not be sure sure were even dead. " Wade was not remotely crying, but she still stared away from him into the sandy desert's horizon. Rex leaned against the balcony, pretending he could see whatever she was seeing, his hands burning slightly from the hot railing. His brain shied away from any thought that she mourned anyone close to him too.

He refused to imagine it.

"I'm sorry." He gave his condolences.

"You are hardly to blame. You are just a child." She dismissed.

He'd only been apologizing because it was the polite thing to do, but her attempt to absolve him only caused him to realize what guilt he had in causing all of this. Now, he did actually feel responsible. If he had been around…

"But if I hadn't disappeared… Maybe…" He said, merely thinking out loud.

"They knew what they signed up for when they joined Providence." Wade disagreed. "All agents agree to put their lives on the line for the greater good once they sign up for the job. You have nothing to do with that. We all knew the risks."

However, her words didn't succeed in bringing him closure nor did they make him feel better about himself. There was no denying that things would have been totally different if Rex had not gone missing. The Consortium, whoever they were, wouldn't have fired White for losing their EVO cure. The spark that set everything alight would never have existed.

But White's actions still didn't fit the picture Rex had built of him over the years. Yeah, the guy wasn't his biggest fan, but Rex felt he knew enough about him.

'You think you know a jerk.' He thought mystified. What could push a germaphobic, monster-hater into going EVO? Being fired wasn't the answer Rex would have come up with. It was almost as whacky as the idea of Hunter Cain willingly infecting himself. Even that guy probably didn't hate EVOs as much as White did. Losing a job wasn't the worst thing in the world; he also failed to understand why White's bosses would fire him as a result of Rex's absence. Providence seemed to have gotten along fine without a cure. They clearly adapted over time. The way they now operated showed that Providence was capable of managing without him. Their attempt to get rid of White was a total overreaction.

"Yeah. I'm just a kid. You guys are the professionals." He reluctantly agreed aloud, forcing the sarcasm out of his voice. He did not agree with her assessment of him. He'd never been treated as simply a child. For as long as he could remember, he had been a weapon first and foremost. "That reminds me. How have you guys been getting EVOs under control without me? It's like you don't even need me anymore."

Wade blinked at him. "That is not true. You are very much needed. We can only control EVOs, but we still lack the means of curing them without you. Providence has developed a method of taming EVOs using control collars."

"Collars…" He was relieved to hear that they weren't straight up exterminating EVOs like they used to do. There was no doubt that they wouldn't get that much backlash if Providence decided to fall back on their old ways.

"Yes." Wade said. "But it is not a permanent solution to the problem, you see. Like plugging a hole in a dam with your finger."

Rex didn't really care. It may not have been permanent, but it was better than killing them in his eyes.

He had the opportunity to see these "control collars" in action on one of his first missions after returning. During the battle, there wasn't much time to properly access the environment, so he hadn't noticed it then. They way that EVOs had become part of the scenery. It almost completely escaped his notice in the heat of the fight. EVOs and humans. They coexisted in the city. Formerly dangerous incurables were being used to guide tourists around the city. Dangerous, incurable EVOs were wandering through the streets like docile, trained animals. He was only able to relax and see it for himself after he had cured the EVO that Providence pointed him at. He noticed it clearly then: EVOs and humans were occupying the same spaces without disaster.


Whether it was during the day when he was beating down EVO after EVO threat or each night his ear hit the pillow, the guilt would not leave him. Since there weren't many details that could be gathered about what was happening within the walls of the Nevada headquarters, his mind ran away with whatever they were able to tell him. In his sleep, his brain conjured up the worst it could offer, grotesque visions of his dead friends and family. His mind was left to fill in the missing gaps of information with grim scenarios so vivid, they almost felt real. The intense emotions that yanked him from his sleep were certainly genuine, anyway. The dread, the helplessness, and shame were all real.

What a hero. How could you help everyone else, the world, but not your own family?

"You're free to use the communal lunchroom anytime, Rex. You're free to use the training rooms as you please, Rex." Rex mocked in a high pitched tone, bouncing a basketball aggressively against the blacktop of Providence's indoor gym. "You're free to leave if you want, Rex..."

Free Free Free.

They kept saying it. It sure didn't feel like he was.

"Those… all sound like good things." Noah said, watching him cautiously. "Isn't it? I'm actually surprised Providence is letting you hang out with me right now. You would think that after you went missing, they'd tighten security on you. I mean, if it were White Knight… that's what I'd expect."

"Well, it's not White calling the shots anymore." Rex stopped dribbling the ball, pulling a face. "Never thought I'd have to answer to someone worse than him."

He couldn't fully identify the reason why he disliked Black Knight. Maybe it was the way it felt like she was pulling his strings without having to use force or threaten him. Instead, all she did was lay down the facts for him, letting him choose his own poison. In the end, even if he got the choice, it was still poison. Like the way she had presented him with that ultimatum: Providence under new, creepy management or complete abandonment. That wasn't a one-time tactic. Every time she commanded him it was:

'Rex, today you will...'

'Your assignment for this week will be...'

' Your focus will be on...'

Will. It was not a request. There was no question about it. She was constantly operating with the knowledge that Rex was still dependent on them. Without them, he had no direction when it came to which EVOs needed to be dealt with based on urgency. He would be left without shelter or money and, more importantly, he would be entirely disconnected from the status of Providence's Nevada headquarters. White Knight was a hardass, but he wasn't a manipulative asshole. He was direct with him and straight-forward. Rex knew what he could expect from his old boss. Black Knight was just a snake.

"What do you mean? The way you're describing the new Providence sounds so much better." Noah said, baffled. "They're basically letting you do what you want. They're even giving you the option to walk out. White Knight never would have done that."

"They're not letting me do what I want." Rex scoffed, mumbling bitterly, "She knows I can't leave."

"I think you might be being a little too melodramatic about it." Noah stated, pausing when he saw Rex's face. He added quickly, "No offense. It's not like I'm saying it's a good thing White's gone-"

" Everyone's gone." Rex corrected sourly, starting to become annoyed with the way Noah was trying to spin things positively somehow. It struck Rex as a little strange. He expected more understanding. Agreement. Sympathy. Something more comforting from his best friend.

" I'm not saying it's good that they're gone." Noah said. "All I'm saying is that Black Knight might not be so bad. You're just not giving the new leadership a chance. Just because things are different doesn't automatically make them bad. You've been gone nearly a year. Of course things won't be exactly the same."

Rex rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like you got preachier with time."

He expected Noah to give him a retort, but the other boy didn't. He only laughed, causing Rex's fingers to tighten against the basketball. He threw it too roughly at Noah, who caught the ball with surprising reflexes.

Brows rising, Rex nodded to him. "Nice catch. You've been practicing?"
"Well, you've never had much of a throw, but I haven't had much to do without you." Noah gave an unhappy smile.

"Your world must revolve around me." Rex agreed sarcastically. While that was not entirely true, it occurred to him that it was at least somewhat true. What little Noah had of a professional life sure did revolve around him. He had been on Providence's payroll. Was that still true?

Testing his growing theory, he finally said, "I just wish they could tell me more about what happened to the base in Nevada. That's all I want. I could go along with whatever Black Knight wants if she gave me something. I can't get anything from news reports or articles."

"The whole area's been quarantined. They're probably only letting Providence personnel in on the details." Noah agreed.

"Did they let anything slip out to you?"

"What?"
"Did they tell you anything about it? Or did you happen to hear anything through the grapevine?" Rex asked, sounding too accusatory. "You're Providence personnel, aren't you? They hired you to spy on me for a while."

"White Knight hired me… and I'm not anymore. I haven't been in a while, especially without you in the picture. They had no reason to keep me around."

"So you haven't heard anything?"
"Nothing. Sorry."

Rex sighed.

"I'm sure a breakthrough will come soon." Noah assured. " If you really don't like Providence's new leadership, they're giving you the option to quit. If I were you, I'd wait a little longer to see how it turns out. If you still really don't like it, you can leave."

"Where would I go?"
"You can always stay at my place." Noah shrugged. "My parents would definitely help you out. They like you."

"Oh. Thanks, dude." He'd not considered that he could always stay with Noah. Maybe he wasn't completely alone after all. If not Noah, then there was always the Hong Kong gang too. In all his wallowing, he'd overlooked the fact that he still had friends. In a better mood, Rex smirked and joked. "On the bright side, your mom's pretty hot, so…"

Instead of being irritated by his comment or bitching at him for being disgusting, Noah smiled. "I'm sure she'll appreciate the compliment if you told her."

The response felt… so wrong.

Rex knew his friend.

That's not how he would have responded to a gross joke about his mom.

He understood that a lot of time had passed between them, but it wasn't nearly enough time to make Noah a completely different person. Lacking subtlety, Rex's alarm and suspicion must have been apparent. He'd been so taken off guard, he did not realize he was glaring at Noah for too long.

"What's wrong? Rex, are you alright?"

It all made sense now.

His weirdly pro-Providence stance when it came to Black Knight

"Guess Black Knight isn't so different from White…" He muttered under his breath. Was she using Noah to keep tabs on him? Unfortunately for her, Rex wasn't the complete dumbass she thought he was, and he wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice. He lunged forward, seizing Noah by the front of his shirt and dragging him to his toes. "Who are you?"

"Rex! Rex, what are you doing?!"

"Do you guys really think I'm that stupid?" He shook him hard enough to rattle his bones. "I know my own friends. What'd you do with Noah, huh?"

"Rex!" His voice was frantic and so convincing. It was disgusting. They were foolish if they thought he would hold back against an imposter wearing his best friend's face. No matter how sick the pleading made him, it was no different than Scarecrow using Holiday or Six's face to make him hesitate. They were just trying to play with his emotions. That was far more disgusting than the feeling of hearing his friends afraid of him- knowing that it was a trick to begin with.

Swinging his arm, Rex smashed his fist into his face. He wasn't sure if he'd broken the imposter's nose, but blood began to trickle out of his nostrils, pooling at his chin. Noah yelped in pain, trying to fight his grip.

Weakly, he began trying to pry Rex's grip off his his shirt. It was the lack of strength and blood that caused Rex to pause. He didn't hit him again, doubting himself for a moment. Would they have sent such a weak and easily injurable spy after him? Studying the suspected fake-Noah, Rex held him as still as possible. Upon paying closer attention to his struggling form, Rex became aware of the transmission of signals being given off by Noah's body.

Invisible in the air, there were codes being exchanged back and forth. He couldn't be sure from where. Still not releasing him, Rex reached out and patted him down, searching for a bug or microphone. His hand brushed up against a cold, inhuman growth sticking out of the back of Noah's neck. It did not feel like bone but like the smooth, hard metal of artificiality. Rex had expected to find a wiretap or camera merely hiding on him- easily removable equipment. That wasn't the case. It seemed like the device, whatever it was, was quite literally sticking out of his neck; it was embedded into his body, sending out and receiving messages.

"What…" He whispered to himself, brows furrowing. Rex's heartbeat quickened, not sure what to make of it. What the hell did they do to Noah? His fingers gripped the device tightly, his first impulse telling him to yank it out immediately.

The first tugs only succeeded in making Noah scream. It was the kind of horrible, hair-raising scream of someone being tortured. Rex was forced to stop immediately. Even if this Noah was a traitor, brainwashed, a fake, whatever, Rex didn't think he could stomach actually torturing someone. The spy already proved to be weak against a single punch. There was no way he wanted to risk actually killing him.

His second thought was to try and deactivate the transmitter. Rex held up his hand, his fingers glowing blue.

"I wouldn't do that, Rex." A familiar, dreadful voice called from behind him.

Rex turned around to see Black Knight step into the training gym, flanked by a few of her pawns. Narrowing his eyes, Rex did not put his hand down.

"Why shouldn't I?" He challenged. It was a bluff. He'd already stopped.

"You'll kill him." She drawled. "If you try to remove the transmitter without the right code, it'll self destruct. Your friend's head will be a casualty in the explosion. You don't want to be responsible for that, do you?"

Rex put his hand down.

"Good boy."
Gritting his teeth, Rex dropped Noah. The other boy did not scramble away in fear, his eyes glowing faintly in a way that wasn't normal. Noah's expression was completely blank, no longer displaying the fear he was showing before.

"You were spying on me." Rex said through his teeth, balling his hands into fists.

"That's being dramatic.

"Where's Noah?" He demanded of Black Knight.

"That is Noah. Essentially." She shrugged. "He's the same boy. Everything about him- his memories and personality- are all the same for the most part. We only modified his outlook. We thought it would be better if you had a friend who was a more positive influence."

They had brainwashed his friend. Rex's mind was racing, his first thought being that he had actually punched Noah in the face. Hopefully, the pain from the hit wouldn't be memorable to him on a later date. She had made him hurt his own friend. His second thought was that he needed to find a way out from under Black Knight's thumb. They had been crushing him this whole time. Clearly, the unease he'd been feeling was more than mere paranoia. They were not his allies and had no interest in helping him. They probably weren't even making an effort to help anyone who'd been trapped in Nevada. It all made sense. Why they were trying to fire Knight after Rex had gone through Breach's time vortex even though Providence seemed to get along just fine without him. Why White Knight had gone EVO in response.

What would push a germaphobe to become the thing he hated? A big enough threat. Something scarier than going EVO. This new Providence was only self-interested. They probably wanted to keep White out of the way just like they were trying to keep Rex distracted and occupied. The only thing he didn't know was why .

But he wasn't interested in learning. He just knew he had to get out.

"I get it now." He said, visibly relaxing. "You were never going to help me."

Black Knight didn't lower her guard despite the fact that it seemed as though he was at ease. "That isn't true. We're helping you to the best of our abilities, Rex."

"Really?" He said, skepticism heavy in his voice. "By brainwashing my friend? Your method of helping smells kind of funny. Did you help White into becoming infected too?"

"You're in no position to be making baseless accusations." She narrowed her eyes. "You're forgetting who is holding all of the cards, Rex."

No, he hadn't forgotten. His eyes flickered to the sides, wondering if his builds were strong enough to smash through the walls of Providence, but he didn't spend too long pondering. Taking a chance, he assembled a sword with his right arm and grabbed Noah with his left.

"Rex, what's going on?" Noah asked. His eyes were only confused, face bloodied from the punch Rex had given him. He wasn't just pretending either; the unknowing look on his face assured he was innocent. Acting in a snap decision, he activated the buzzsaw function of his blade. It began spinning wildly, but he was stopped from smashing it into the wall when Black Knight raised a single hand.

She didn't do anything. She didn't have to; Rex tensed anyway, unsure of what was going to happen.

"There's no need to ruin the walls." She stated. "Didn't I already tell you that you're free to leave at any time? I wasn't lying to you. You won't be stopped if you leave."

Rex frowned. Glaring distrustfully, he made his way backward toward the exit, his grip on Noah tight as a vice despite the uncertainty in his step. With each careful move, his instincts warned him against breaking eye contact with Black Knight.

"I should warn you, though. Our Nevada base is still under quarantine. You're not permitted near the premises." She called to his retreating back.

Rex snorted. "You said I could do whatever I wanted, didn't you? Try and stop me. I'm not exactly shaking in my boots here."

It was no offense to them, but Providence agents were no match for him when they could barely shoot the bright side of a school bus. All of the training they were afforded, and they still tended to miss the giant hulking EVOs Rex had to save them from-

Used to save them from. Dimly, in the back of his mind, he was once again reminded that things did not remain unchanged.

"You're still under the misapprehension that this is a Providence under White's command." She said coolly, not at all fazed by his dismissal of her agents. "You'll be delivered a swift and brutal correction if you try, but I welcome you to test the limits of my Black Pawns. You won't make it very far, Rex. I am not going to allow the cure to fall into the hands of a nanite-crazed, power hungry EVO."

Rex's grip on Noah only tightened. It took all his willpower to turn his back to Black Knight so that he could continue walking out of the building. Every alarm in his body was screaming at him not to turn around while her eyes were trained on him. She raised every hair on the back of his neck, making them stand on end with paranoia. It was like having the eyes of a viper locked onto the back of his head.