"Happy Father's Day," Rex said, coming through the pneumatic door with a whoosh and a grin. He had a cardboard box in his hands, complete with magazine clippings taped into a bow on top.

Six raised an eyebrow. He paused with his mouth barely open for a moment, putting down the papers he'd been scanning through. "Rex," he said slowly. "I'm not your father."

"I know that, Vader," Rex said, smirking. He thrust the box at him. "But I figured since there's no EVOs to fight today, it's, like, the perfect opportunity to do something fun together. Plus, you always forget my birthday-"

"-you don't have a birthday-"

"-yeah I do, it just changes whenever I feel like it sometimes. Anyway, you always forget my birthday, so maybe this will guilt-trip you into getting me something this year. I'm probably almost fourteen - you could buy me a video game or something." He said it with wide eyes and a big smile, putting on that bravado twist his voice always took when yelling at EVOs. Just the tone to make Agent Six sigh and rub his temple in exasperation.

The edge of the cardboard poked into his stomach and he gripped the sides of the box with his hands, leaning in to frown at Rex. "This isn't funny, Rex. I have important work to do."

The corner of Rex's mouth twitched momentarily, but his over-the-top enthusiasm returned in a flash. "Come on, Six," he said, rolling his eyes. "Do you even know how to have fun? You don't even have to use it, okay? just open it."

Six sighed and handed it back to Rex. "No, thank you."

Rex's grin widened yet again in response, and he started to talk, but Six folded his arms. "Rex. Please go back to your room."

His stern expression hadn't faltered once, until he heard the thump-crunch of something being dropkicked in the hall. Then footsteps on steel.

Silence.

Dr. Holiday passed one very dejected-looking teenage super-EVO in the hall on her way to meet Six in the main bay.
"What's wrong, Rex?" she asked, glancing him over.

Rex blinked, and forced a smile. "Nothing's wrong - now that you're here, Doctor Holiday, " he said with a flick of his hand, throwing on one of the come-on attempts he'd been interjecting into his conversations with her lately. "I was just, uh, pranking Six and it backfired." He laughed weakly. "Yeah. I gotta go play with Bobo."

Holiday frowned but said nothing. "All right. But if you're having trouble with anything, you know you can talk to me," she offered.

Rex smiled and waved, turning to walk more briskly in the direction of his room.

Dr. Holiday entered the room looking perplexed and carrying a slightly dented cardboard box.

Agent Six glanced up. "You're here early," he commented, turning back to the form he was filling out. "Our appointment was in the Bay 5. In thirty minutes."

"We need to talk, Six," she said, putting the box down on his desk. Pieces of newspaper and tape fluttered into place atop color-coded folders.

He returned his attention to her, putting his pen down. "We do?"

"About the way you treat Rex," she went on, locking him with a stern glare.

"Not this again," Agent Six sighed. "My job is to train the kid and make sure he doesn't make trouble, not-"

"Not care?"

"Don't pull that on me," Six said. "We have this conversation every week."

"He's a boy, Six. Not a machine you can turn on and off." She jabbed her pointer finger at the top of the box, right on the To: Six scrawled in blue pen. "He really looks up to you. Couldn't you pretend to have a heart and like his - present?"

"I'm not here to humor a thirteen-year-old." He got up, shuffling a handful of sheets between his hands. "We have more to worry about than whether the kid gets to play make-believe."

Holiday set her lips in a line and walked out the door. "I'll see you in half an hour, Agent Six," she said.

After she left, Six looked at the box still sitting on his desktop. One side squashed, taped-together ornament drooping off, lid peeling at the corners. It was a real blemish on the table.

"I need a cold drink," he muttered under his breath, turning his back on the gift and leaving the room.

Rex opened and closed the three drawers by the bunk. He was kind of doing it a lot, and the same clothes kept looking back up at him. Thunk. Thunk. Thunkthunk. They slid in and out smoothly and pounded against the wall when they went back in.

It didn't have any rhyme or reason but there was nothing personal in the little white room, nothing he could knead between his fingers or toss at the wall or crumple up, and he felt like he needed to do something or he'd start sprouting metal.

Thunkthunk. The drawers were too quiet but mostly the repetition was solid and safe. It made enough noise, though, for Bobo Haha to wake up.

"Can you keep that down, kid?" the monkey growled from his place on the top bunk. "Some of us are trying to get with our beauty sleep."

Rex shoved the top drawer in, harder, then dropped his hand. "Yeah," he said. "Sorry, Bobo."

Bobo's face materialized from beneath the covers. "That was… uncharacteristically cooperative," he said, squinting at the boy. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Rex sat against the wall, sliding down to rest folded arms on his knees.

"Aw, don't give me that. You know Bobo's your pal." His friend hung hairy arms over the edge of the bed, clambering down in a half-somersault. "You get punched by an EVO or something? Dog eat your math homework?"

Rex shook his head.

"Yeah, we don't have a dog." Bobo scratched his shoulder, looking left and right. "Look, kid, if y'need anything, like, I dunno, a hug-"

Rex cough-laughed. "I'll pass," he said, but the crack in his voice was evident.

Bobo's face fell. "Aw. Aw, man. What happened, kid?"
"I- I dunno," Rex said, throat tightening. He shook his head and buried his face in his sleeves. "I just – I had something for Six, it's stupid, but I saw it was F-Father's Day on the calendar, y'know-"

"Oh man," Bobo repeated quietly, patting Rex's shaking back with one hand.

"-um, and I thought, since, since we weren't doing anything today, he'd be okay with- b-but yeah, it was a dumb idea, I shouldn't have even bothered him." He squeezed his eyes shut against his now-damp arm. "I'm such an idiot, Bobo."

Bobo opened his mouth, thought, closed it. Tugged at the collar of his shirt. Opened it again. "Hey…uh. It's not your fault, y'know," he said, rubbing at his neck with one hairy arm. "Six ain't really a team player, if you know what I mean. It's okay. Okay?"

Rex sniffed but said nothing.

Bobo stood there awkwardly for a minute or two, shuffling his feet. After another sniff, he ventured, "You gonna be okay?"

Rex wiped his nose on his arm. "Yeah," he said, staring at his feet in front of him. "I knew it wasn't going to work."

Bobo coughed. "So, uh, you okay with me going back to bed?" Rex's eyes crinkled again, and he added quickly, "Because I was serious about that beauty sleep thing. You don't wanna see Bobo on less than ten hours. Not a pretty sight."

Rex laugh-choked, pulling his T-shirt up to wipe his face again and standing up. "Thanks, Bobo." He coughed. "You're the best pet ever."

Bobo grinned in relief, made a face at him, and pulled himself back up into bed. "Don't forget, you got a meeting at quarter to four," he said. "One of the Providence guys left a reminder but you weren't here."

"Got it. Thanks," Rex said again. He headed for the bathroom.

A little bit later, he was in the briefing room with Dr. Holiday, showing her how he could balance a pencil on his nose and waiting for Six to show up. It wasn't going so well – the pencil kept slipping off and clattering to the floor, no matter how goofy his expressions became in an attempt to keep it up.

Rex was just recovering from one such defeat, the ghost of a smile on Holiday's face, when the door hissed, and Agent Six walked in, green as ever.

They both looked at him. Holiday wore a frown, Rex glanced away and had no sassy comment. For once.

Six raised an eyebrow. "…Hey."

Holiday nodded in greeting, and Rex sheepishly followed.

The screen flickered to life.

"You have a target for the evening," the familiar pale image of White Knight said, voice filling the room from the speakers.

"Are you serious?" Rex said. White ignored him. "Spikes in EVO activity have been reported in unpopulated areas in Wyoming Valley," he continued to Holiday and Six. "It's a good opportunity to test the new weapon in the field with a lower risk of enemy surveillance."

"I have a name," Rex commented, brandishing with his arms. "Uh, plus, there is no way we can get to Wyoming that fast. I don't even know which one is Wyoming and I know it's not on this half of the country."

"Quiet, Rex," Dr. Holiday said gently.

"Your transport will be leaving in seven minutes," White added. "That is all." The screen blinked off.

"Go wake up the monkey," Six told Rex.

"Bobo needs his beauty sleep," Rex said sarcastically. "I can handle some lame EVOs without him for once."

Six looked at Dr. Holiday.

"Sounds fine to me," she said. "I'll be coming, too, this time, to get some better readings on Rex's transformations. Between the three of us and a pilot I'm sure we'll have enough firepower."

Six shrugged. "Suit yourself."

As they walked out of the room together to catch their ship, Rex threw his hands in the air. "Wyoming? Seriously? Wyoming?"

"Pennsylvania? Seriously?"

Multicolored squares of land dotted the countryside below them, bunches of houses huddled around trees in between each farmland quilt. A bridge stretched across one very blue river with a line of land and forest sitting squat between the two banks. They passed over an airport and a city and finally came to their destination, hovering over a stretch of forest.

"Who's in charge of naming these places?" Rex unbuckled his seatbelts just as the airship doors slid open. "I mean, en serio, guys. Why would you call it Wyoming Valley if it's in Pennsylvania. No wonder it's an 'unpopulated region'! Everyone who moves here probably gets lost in the wrong state!"

"That's enough," Six said, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. "We're on a mission now."

Rex rolled his eyes again but shut his mouth. Dr. Holiday waved them off when they prepared to exit the ship. "If you need backup, call," she said, tapping her earpiece.

"Thanks, Dr. Holiday, but I'll be done with these jokers and back before you know it," Rex said with a grin, pulling his goggles down over his eyes. He flashed her a thumbs-up and jumped out.

They found the EVOs easily enough, over a dozen snarling, hunched-over beasts with mismatched patches of fur and skin. They didn't spit anything but their tails were heavy and Rex found himself tripping more than once, only to catch himself by grabbing them with the Slamhands. Six, as usual, stayed quiet, hacking away swifter than sound with his swords.

Rex punched one in the face and it stumbled, dizzy, four eyes rolling. He rushed forward and shoved a hand into its pockmarked chest, squeezing his eyes shut. Nanites raced from his body into the EVO's, but the infected nanites shook and tumbled and rejected him and he jumped backwards as the monster recovered to swipe at him.

"Incurable," he said to Six, frown taut.

"Guess we're taking them out," his handler said.

"Let me try one more," Rex said earnestly. Six shook his head but he was already leaping at another one, and he grabbed a fistful of fur and focused.

Again the nanobots inside him quivered and he saw a flash of red before falling back, spots in his vision. The EVO made a pass at him and connected with his side, sending Rex sprawling into a tree. He let out an "Oof!" as he connected, and then fell to the ground, dazed.

"Rex!" Agent Six said, taking out two EVOs' arms with a slice as he fought for an opening to get to the boy.
"Uhh…" Rex groaned and got to his knees, rubbing his head. "That was majorly not fun." He stood up, steadying himself against the tree trunk. An EVO had lumbered over and was leaping to take him out with its claws outstretched but he batted it aside with a giant robotic hand.

"I guess we have to take out all of them, huh?" he said to Six, slicing his way beside the older man with a buzzing BFS. Six nodded and plunged one sword into the chest of an EVO.

The last three EVOs circled them warily, low growls coming from their mouths. One of them raised a branch from the ground in its arms, which caught Rex's attention. "Hey, uh, Six," he said nervously.

"What is it?" Agent Six said, eyes darting back and forth like a snake's head, watching for an opening to rush in and take out the EVOs.

"About earlier. Sorry I bugged you so hard. It was-"

"Now is not the time, Rex," Six said.

"But I'm sor-"

"Rex!" one of the EVOs had suddenly charged forward, and Rex reacted only just in time to send it flying back with a squeal.

"Concentrate, Rex!" Six snapped. "There are still three EVOs to take care of, so stay focused. I don't want you talking and getting distracted during missions – that was a dumb mistake."

Rex wanted to respond but suddenly the EVOs came at them again and he pulled up his sword to slice them but it was gone.

"What's going on?" He said frantically, jumping around a vicious swipe. "Six, I can't- my nanites aren't working!" His eyes were wide and he concentrated but they didn't travel any further than his hand. No machines materialized to help him out.

An EVO appeared above him, ready to rake down and slash him open, and Rex put his arms over his face to protect it, gritting his teeth in anticipation of impact.

The EVO never made it, though. Six had finished the other two and came leaping to Rex's side, taking the thing down in two big strokes to the chest.

"What happened?" Six said, frowning. "What's wrong with your powers?"

"I- I don't know," Rex said, shaken. "I- they just stopped working."

Six frowned and tapped his earpiece. "Holiday?" He said. "Yeah. We're done here." He glanced at Rex. "You don't look injured," he said. "We'll get an examination done once we get back to Base."

The ship shimmered into view above them.

Back in his office, the rejected cardboard box still slumped on his desk. Six sat down and pulled his paperwork out, but after a couple minutes of reading the same sentence over and over again, he sighed and pulled the box over. Frowning, as through he couldn't believe he was really doing it, Six peeled off the mismatched tape and lifted one of the lid's flaps. Inside was a bundle wrapped in newspaper and he unfolded the crinkling sheets to find one thing he definitely would not have anticipated.

It was a baseball mitt, the scent of soft leather drifting out now that it had been exposed. Nestled in the palm was a lopsided ball made of masking tape.The perfect opportunity to do something fun together… The first thing that came to mind was when? And maybe they should step up security on the kid.

Six placed it back in the box carefully, put the whole thing in a lower drawer on his desk, and slid it shut.

Thunk. Thunk.

Bobo sighed. "Y'probably just pulled a muscle or something," he said. Rex grumbled.

"Dr. Holiday said that my body is totally fine," he said, emphasizing the end with a push of the drawer. "That means that whatever happened, it was me." He glanced at Bobo, then back to the drawer. "Maybe I'm defective."

"Boy, you sure complain a lot," Bobo rumbled with a sigh, ignoring him for the bathroom. The thunk-thunking increased as soon as the door slid shut between them.

Bobo eventually pulled him away from the drawers before taking off to steal snacks from the Providence soldiers, so Rex was sitting with his back to the fridge and staring at the wall when there came a knock on his door. He didn't respond.

"Rex?" he heard, muffled by the door. It slid open a moment later to frame Six.

"Hey," Rex responded. Six tossed something forward, and it hit him in the chest. Rex fumbled and caught it in surprise, finding that he now held a pink rubber ball. The kind you didn't need a racquet or bat for.
"Happy Birthday," Six said shortly. "Work on those reflexes. And…" Rex looked up.

"…good work out there today. Rex."

"Thanks." Rex grinned. "But, Agent Six?"

"Yeah?"

"My birthday's in July."

Six stepped out without another word, but Rex saw the hint of a smirk as he turned away and the door slid shut.

Rex tossed the ball up, caught it. Threw it against his bunk. It returned to his hand with a satisfying smack.

He grinned.

"Dr. Holiday."

She glanced up from her clipboard to see him striding across the floor towards her, face pale and a little blue from the reflection of screens and lights. "Hi, Six. Done with your report?"

"No, actually." He came up beside her. "I think we should – throw him a birthday party. Sometime. You know."

"Who, Rex?" Holiday lowered the clipboard. "What, like some kind of quinceañero? With evo piñatas and a nanite cake?"

Six's eyebrow twitched. "…Something like that."

"Good job, Six," Dr Holiday said, ducking in to scribble on her clipboard and cover her face.

"What."

"You're an actual human being after all."

"I'm just making sure Providence's most important weapon isn't damaged."

She raised an eyebrow. Six sighed and left. "I have paperwork to finish, too. See you later."

She watched his retreating back, until the wide doors hissed shut behind him.

Dr. Holiday smiled and returned to her notes.