Theme 019 - Inevitable (about 1,036 words)

Inevitable. Something that is bound to happen, no matter what. If things don't change that thing will happen...maybe it will happen even if things do change. Rex not listing to orders and running off? It was inevitable. It was bound to happen. Why didn't providence (and Six) listen to Holiday's warnings? There are many things in life that are inevitable. This? This was one of them. It was inevitable that a child so young would snap under all the stress and expectations that they placed on Rex. All the training and harsh words. Anyone would break. Especially a little boy. Holiday told them it was inevitable and now they saw for themselves just what happens when you push a child beyond their limits both physically and mentally. The inevitability that they would snap and disobey, run off or worse get hurt. Maybe all three.

It started yesterday. During morning training. Rex turned and snapped a remark towards Six then stomped off. Six wasn't prepared for such a thing (and even if he was he just wasn't good with kids) so he made things worse when he yelled at the ten year old and pulled at his arm to stop him from getting any farther. He continued to yell at the boy about his disobedience until the kid was practically in tears. Rex managed to get free from his guardians grip and run off before he could get caught again. Now they didn't know where the boy ran off to. He was still in the base that much they knew because none of alarms were tripped and they were sure he didn't know about them or was in the mind set to think about there being alarms for him to use his nanites to disable them.

Where in the large base he was hiding was just a large game of find the needle in the haystack. He was tiny and a good climber. He could have crawled into just about any nook there was. Both known to the other agents and unknown to them. They were sure the boy could find a place to hide that no one else knew existed. The ten year old was good at things like that. They first check his room to be sure, as expected he didn't run off the the closet of a room. They checked all corners of the petting zoo, cafeteria, the labs, and all the main rooms. Nothing.

They checked the other bedrooms, but he didn't seem to have ran into any of them. Where could he be? They figured he'd come out of his hiding place when he was ready and that it was pointless to wast energy trying to find him. He would only be found when he wanted to be found. Simple as that. With a sigh Six went back to the petting zoo to continue his own training.

Rex meanwhile was between two raptors hidden by the ceiling tiles. He had climbed up a small service latter that was broken and slid into a small opening. He stood hunched over with each foot securely, or so he thought, on a raptor. His breathing was slow and even. Quite so not to be detected. A recon skill that Six had taught him. He lat a loud gasp escape as his right food started to slip from it's placement in the center of the raptor. He gripped his hands tighter to the angled raptor at his side. But it was to late he was slipping. He was going to fall. The fall was a good thirty feet at least! He struggled to stay put but in an instant his foot slipped off the the other foot came quickly after. He was left dangling , holding on with a slipping grip. He tried to regain his footing but couldn't pull himself up far enough. His hands were slipping. He screamed as his hands slipped off and he fell towards the concrete floor.

He felt and heard the snap of his leg as he made contact with the floor.

Six heard the screams and came running, swords drawn just in case. When he saw Rex on the floor, he figured what happened. The boy had fell from his hiding spot. In the raptors. He put his swords away and went to help the boy.

"My leg.." The ten year old moaned. He rested his head in the green clad ninja's lap. Cuddling close to his adoptive father. "Shhh it's alright. I know, I know you're in pain but be strong okay?" he comforted the boy  But it didn't last long. Six contacted Holiday to let her know they were on their way "Holiday we have a situation. Rex fell and hurt his leg, it might be broken. We're on our way" He said into his communicator "I'll prepare the lab, get here soon." she replied. "I'm on it, Six out." and then he picked the boy up in his arms and carried him off to Doctor Holiday's lab.

Rex rested his head on Six's chest and curled up close to him. "I'm sorry I ran off Six..." he mumbled quietly.

Six shhhhed him once more. "It's fine, don't worry about it...not now. I forgive you for running off but it's my fault for pushing you too far, I'm sorry too buddy. I should have saw the inevitable and stopped myself before you snapped..." He said giving the boy a kiss on his forehead. Rex curled close and closed his eyes tight as he let out another moan.

"Hang on kiddo , we're almost there Holiday will get you all fixed up." They got to the lab and Six set the boy down on a near by cot that Holiday had ready for him. She gave the boy some pain relief medicine then looked to his leg. "It looks t be broken but we'll need an X-ray to confirm it...even if it is broken there's no need to worry. The nanites will take car of most of the healing we only need to stabilize it for a few days or so instead of about the month it would be for normal humans..." she ruffled his hair and left to go set up the x-ray machine.