It was a girl! She had an oddly cute frown on her beautiful face as she stood there, hands akimbo. She looked to be considering something as she looked past me. She remained like that for a bit, giving me time to admire her striking features. Each made even more attractive by the convenient breeze tossing her light purple hair about. She wore a white blouse and matching skirt that only managed to cover her body slightly. Her skin looked as if she hadn't seen the sun in years. And her bosom, held by a black bikini top peeking from the blouse, was close to nonexistent as she breathed. She was quite thin as well. Frightening so, as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. Around each wrist, there was the circular cuff from a restraint, a three link chain hanging from the right wrist. A collar peeked out from around her neck. It appeared to have a label, but she must have caught me staring because she brushed her hair to cover it.

"Hello?" She said. "Are you all right?"

Unable to find words, I gave a swift nod.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you." The violet haired girl apologized. "I didn't see you there."

"It's okay." I looked over this girl. Feeling warmed by her presence. She had a cheerful smile and my defense was strangely lowered around her. A feeling I should have been more suspicious by. But she seemed like a genuinely good person. She continued to smile as she eyed me up and down.

"My name is Rex." I said in the coolest voice I could muster, offering my hand. "What's yours?"

Her melodic giggle sang to my ears as she replied, "My name is Emma. You might have heard of me?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think I have."

"Really? Based on where we are, you obviously work at this convention. And yet you haven't heard of me?" She motioned out towards the crowd below us. Each so eager to get out of the rain and into the building we stood upon. From the look of things the doors had just started to allow the first few people to trickle in. "Not to sound too snooty, but if you ask anyone down there. I bet they could tell you who I am."

Again I shook my head, her grip tightening on my hand. Why was she still holding it? "Sorry, doesn't ring any bells." I smiled back at her. I really didn't know who she was. But this was definitely entertaining. "I'm sorry if it's a slap in the face from a lowly convention employee. But I can't say I've ever even seen your face. Much less heard of you."

"Oh. That's too bad." She pulled the glove off of my left hand. Tracing the many lines of my palm with her finger. "I'm sorry to bother you." The violet haired girl apologized.

"No. No. That's okay. You're okay." I replied, my arm tensing as she continued to trace it up. "I wasn't really doing anything important anyway."

"So, uh, can I ask you a question?" Emma asked.

"Go ahead." I smiled. Speaking with her was such a pleasure. A kind of pleasure I rarely got to experience. Even if the things she did were a bit weird.

"Why did you lie to me about working here?"

"I didn't lie. I really do work here."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"What makes you think I'm telling you a lie?" I challenged her. I couldn't help but smile at her cute demeanor. Why you ask? I don't know. It was just cute how much she was trying to convince me of how important she was. And now she was saying she could apparently see through my ruse. How ridiculous.

Emma got on her tippy toes and pointed at my forehead with an extended finger. "Because I went in there and saw that you weren't being honest with me." She took a step back and placed her hands on her hips.

What was she talking about? What did she mean 'went in there'?

"You know what I mean Rex." She took another step backwards

"I don't believe I do?" I said mirroring her step with one forward.

"You think I'm an idiot?" She took a couple more steps closer to the wall.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. Providence sent you didn't they?" Emma stopped with her back at the door, fumbling with the doorknob as she glared. "That's why I can't control your Nanites. You're here to take me back."

"Take you back?" Hands up, I stopped a few feet away from her. "Calm down. You're acting crazy. I didn't even know who you were until a few minutes ago."

Emma's face was a mask of confusion as she let go of the door handle. "No...you're have to be."

"I'm not." My mind hadn't yet come to grips with the situation. As I allowed myself to relax a bit and took one more step forwards, coming to stand in the shadow of the doorway as I awaited a reply. I hoped that she would say something to explain all the hysteria. But all she did was close her eyes and sigh.

"Are you alright?"

"No…"

Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief when she finally answered. But as quickly as I found that relief. It was taken away as she spoke again.

"Are you with Providence?"

"Yes...well no. But yes. I...uh...I work for Providence."

She nodded, eyeing my communicator.

"They're not listening to this conversation." I assured her. "They probably don't even know I'm here."

As Emma tried to decide if I was telling the truth, the girl gasped sharply and pointed behind me.

"Behind you!"

Quickly I spun, shoving her to the side in the process. But, as I whirled around to investigate, I felt something slam into my body and tackle me through the doorway. I let out a sharp grunt of pain as I fell helplessly through three floors under the weight of the impact, losing my communicator in the spinning colors. Slamming into a convention booth, I finally managed to catch a glimpse of what had hit me. Much to my shock, it was a pink robotic suit modeled after a cat. Who would want something that looked like a cat?! What a waste of a robot! Frantically, I tried to hold off the adversary with my arms and hands as it clawed viciously at me, screeching and failing at me.

"Get it off me!" I shouted as I fought to keep the thing at bay and reach for my communicator at the same time. But my struggle for the comm was allowing the thing to land hits on my face as my upper body strength, burdened by the weight of the debris and the robot, was proving too little to keep the savage assault away. As the robot switched from gouging at my poor face and shifted to punching at me violently.

Instantly, seven beefy men in combat uniforms rushed into the room past the fleeing cosplayers and general attendees.

Combat uniforms that were oddly familiar-

"Shoot the EVO!" One of them barked, as they trained their rifles in an attempt to line up a clear shot.

I reacted quickly, kicking the robot off as I scrambled to my feet and dove into a conference room. Where a terrified Emma was hiding in a corner. Emma held my communicator in her hands, her breathing rapid, her eyes wide in astonishment as bullets flew through the open doorway.

"I'll take that back now," I said after securing the door with a heap of chairs and tables.

Emma gave me a vacant stare, my words failing to register at the moment. As I wrapped my fingers around the comm, I gave her a swift nod before placing a gloved hand on her shoulder.

She didn't respond.

As I turned my attention back to the men breaking through the barricade, my radio clicked in my ear.

"Rex, do you copy?"

Fireman carrying Emma, I kicked down the wall and highballed it. "Not the time Six."

"Cain escaped," Six stated, obviously ignoring what I just said. His voice seemed somewhat agitated and he sounded out of breath. "Be prepared for evac. I'm on my way."

A sudden flicker of light pierced into my eyes as a rifle trained in my direction. As the members of the squad spread out encircling me, the robot worked its way forwards between them, inching closer as the image on its helmet flickered to the lesser Cain's smiling face.

"Woah! Woah! Woah!" I threw my hands up. "Before anyone gets trigger happy, hear me out…"