I'm trying to slowly build his character up to the confidence level he has in the show. But still trying to keep it realistic, so don't complain if he seems off, I'm sure the ERP five years before the show's beginning changed him a lot. (I'm fairly certain they said two years) but anyway, still haven't edited this much yet, so forgive any stupidity D: I have the story laid out though, all that's left if the writing part C: enjoi~

[EDIT] Darke Eco Freak was kind enough to remind me that it was five years not two before they found him, so he would actually be about 15. LETS ALL PRETEND HERE FOR A SEC that he's actually about 19, so I guess that makes it slightly AU, but bear with me guys! Sorry for the age mix up XD I suck at figuring out their age.

Rex woke up with the serrated teeth of pain crawling through his muscles. A choking groan wobbled from his throat as he rolled to his side, eyes still squeezed shut and his fists clenched. Sweat drenched his neck and back as he struggled to sit up. His mind was a blank, the only thing recognizable in his head was his name; Rex.

Eyes snapping open in panic, Rex sat back against a wall amongst debris and coughed in the low laying cloud of dust stretching as far as his eyes could see in an ugly brown horizon simmering in the midday heat. Nearly hyperventilating in his panic, Rex forced back the raw ache settling inside of him and forced himself to his feet with a labored grunt, falling back against the wall as his legs barely held out.

Pushing back from the wall, Rex panted in agony and fear as his heart raced to keep him on his feet as he staggered forward. Nearly limping, Rex started through the ruins of a city. His city? He couldn't remember. Not making it far in his struggle before he had to stop to rest, Rex gasped and looked up as he heard the sound of a motor. He was terrified, but if he could find someone to help him, anyone, maybe he could get his questions answered.

Jogging toward the sound, Rex stumbled and almost fell as he shouted, his voice raspy from misuse, "Hey! Hey! Can you hear me!" His call didn't fall on deaf ears as a open jeep skid to a halt in front of the street he was running on. Two men, the one in the passengers side with a rifle, sat in the front seat. Both looked grim as they stepped from the vehicle, almost as wary as Rex himself.

Upon seeing the rifle, Rex felt his heart lurch in fear, taking a couple steps back as they grew closer. One of the men stopped seeing him back away, but his hand didn't leave the rifle, "What's your name son!"

Rex kept his eyes on the weapon and called back, "Rex." He still wasn't sure if these two men meant him harm or if they would help.

The other one asked, "Where you from?" suspicion still heavy in his features.

Rex felt his panic rise as he clutched his throbbing head, "I don't know! I don't know..."

The two men shared a look and Rex didn't fail to notice as the man with the weapon lifted the gun and held it in front of him.

Fear once again clutching his heart, Rex fell back to the ground in a stumble and moved to run. He was surprised when the man dropped the gun, and then kicked it away. Arm still raised protectively over his heaving chest, Rex felt some of his panic diminish into confusion. The man started forward, hands out palm up as he reassured him, "Don't mean ye' any harm. I'm unarmed, see?"

Rex watched him slowly walk forward, mistrust still clear by his tense muscles. When he saw Rex flinch when he came to close, he stopped and said calmly, "We can't help ye' if you don't let us."

Not sure what he should do, Rex went over his options as the man stretched a hand out to him. He realized with no memory of anything, there was little he could do on his own, plus, even though he was afraid of these strangers, at least he could get some answers. Slowly reaching back, Rex took his hand and allowed the man to pull him to his feet.

Turning back to the car, but still not completely putting his back to Rex, the man kept talking to calm him down, "When we get back my wife can see what wrong with ye'. Sound good?" Rex clutched his ribs, which still felt like they were shifting apart as he clambered into their backseat, but held his tongue. They left their rifle laying in the dust by the abandoned buildings, not wanting to spook the older teen any further.

The drive back to wherever they had come from was silent and was taking longer than a few minutes as Rex built up the courage to ask, "What happened?"

The man in the passenger's side gave him an odd look before asking in disbelief, "You don't remember?" It was then that Rex noticed how they were dressed; they weren't dust covered and dirty, but their clothes were pressed and clean. That confused Rex even more.

Still rubbing his temple Rex groaned, "I don't remember anything..."

The man thought about that before deciding, "It'd best wait to tell you then, you don't need anything else to worry about just yet."

Frowning, Rex silently fought to remember even a shred of who he was, but everything was a clean slate, like there had never been anything at all.

As they drove further, Rex began to notice they were leaving the city, as buildings began to look more pristine compared to the rubble from before and he began to see other people. Scattered at first, but soon they were driving down streets were people seemed to be going about business as normal. Normal until you noticed not very many of them had something to smile about.

His fears beginning to settle in the presence of so many people, Rex was calm when he jumped out from the backseat when the man parked in front of a normal suburban home. Still feeling pricks of pain in his body and dull exhaustion, Rex still didn't look his best, but he reconciled that at least he didn't feel like a cornered rabbit as much as before.

Leading him inside, Rex only hesitated for a second at the doorstep before picking up his pride and stepping in. He stood there awkwardly before the older man who had approached him first turned and introduced himself, "My name's Greg and this is my son Tony. You can take a seat on the sofa while I find Susan." Leaving Tony in the room with him, Greg turned and left the room calling her name into the confines of the house. Tony, who looked to be about in his late twenties, flashed him a reassuring smile as he gestured to the living room, "Come on, relax, you look like hell."

Rex actually looked himself up and down for the first time and mumbled, "I don't want to ruin your furniture."

The guy waved a hand, "Don't worry about it, have a seat." He gestured to the couch before making himself comfortable on a chair across from it. He waited expectantly as Rex fell back on to the couch with a sigh and leaned forward onto his knees, his body unhappy with the exertion and mental stress he forcing on himself.

Tony saw Rex clench his jaw as he saw how badly his hands were shaking, holding his hands together as he looked around the room. Taking his mind somewhere else, Tony talked, "My mom's a sweet lady, and you're welcome here, so try to relax a bit buddy."

Rex tried his best to grin and said softly, "I'm fine."

Tony's look told Rex he saw through his lie like cyran wrap, but he didn't push it; the lost look in his eyes brought up pity he knew the other didn't want. Rex jumped when a shrill voice next to him exclaimed, "Oh my God! You poor thing!" Rex stiffened until the latino woman grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to his feet, "Come here sweetie, we need to get you cleaned up so you can rest." Rex let himself be dragged by Tony's mother to their bathroom where she tumbled about grabbing towels and showing him how to work the shower.

Rex was a little overwhelmed as she squeezed his shoulder with a warm smile, "You're in good hands, just let me go take some of Tony's clothes for you to borrow, you wait right here." Rex waited patiently until the bustling woman came flying back through the door with an armful of clothes, "I grabbed a few things, that way you can try it on and make sure it doesn't fall off; you're quite a size smaller than Tony."

Dropping the clothes next to a towel rack she started to back out of the room before she asked, "Need anything else sweetie?"

Rex rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah no, I'm fine, uh, thanks."

As the door closed she called, "Call me if you need anything!"

Rex blushed, embarrassed at the attention of such a nice woman before he turned around to work the shower. Catching his reflection in the mirror, Rex felt his breathe hitch, he did look like hell. His arms were covered in small scrapes and bruises and he was covered in dust and grime. Dark circles were etched under his haggard eyes and his hair was greasy with sweat. Rex just sighed before he turned away from his reflection.

Grimacing as he back muscles twisted when he removed his shirt, Rex got undressed as delicately as he could, his muscles clenching when he moved the wrong way. Standing under the warm water was a blessing to his sore body and Rex could barely hold in a content groan. Letting the water beat on his shoulders after Rex went through the soap she'd left him, Rex felt an emptiness settle inside of him as he turned off the water and dried off, finding the closest thing that fit with methodic careful movements.

Leaving the bathroom, Rex felt the un-humidified air to be refreshing as he retraced his steps to the living room. Greg's wife found him first, catching him and ushering him to a bedroom, "This used to be my oldest son's bedroom, but seeing as he isn't here, make yourself at home." Rex turned just in time to see her closing the door behind him, "I'll have something for you to eat when you wake up."

Rex mumbled a heartfelt thank you and she just smiled, "Get some sleep." Rex stared at the room for a few minutes before he practically fell into the bed. Not bothering to climb under the covers, Rex shuddered as he finally felt himself relax. His head was still pounding, but feeling his body drag him into sleep, Rex didn't have much time to feel it.

Rex woke up to darkness, not so dark that he couldn't see around, but dark enough that objects were nothing but blurry dark shapes. His head didn't hurt as bad and Rex pushed the pain aside as he sat up rubbing his eyes with a yawn. His muscles still felt cramped, but his hands weren't shaking anymore and it wasn't a chore to breathe, so Rex stood up at a command from his empty stomach to leave the room.

Once again, Rex was intercepted before he could make it anywhere, but this time by Tony, "Hey, look who it is, you actually woke up just in time for dinner. Come on." Rex trailed him to their dining room, which was a dinner table in an alcove outside of the kitchen. Rex's stomach rumbled when he smelled the spice of cheese and tomato paste. Susan turned when he walked in, "There you are, sleep well?" She checked the stove as he walked in and Rex noticed Greg in a room past the dining room watching the news. Something about relief efforts and Providence.

Tony ushered him to a seat and sat down across from him with a word of explanation, "Mexican food, mom likes to bring out her heritage in her cooking. Likes to think it brings out her Latino pride." Rex found himself smiling as Tony chuckled, "So he can smile. Say, how old do you think you are?"

Rex looked down at his hands, a strange emotion filling his chest, "I-I don't know."

Tony gave him a sympathetic smile, "I'd say late teens. Maybe 19? 20?"

Rex just shrugged, so Tony went on, "You asked earlier what happened, so you really don't remember anything."

Rex shook his head as Tony filled him in, "Do you know what nanites are?"

"Uhh itty bitty machines, right?"

"Yup, there's this company called Providence, they actually found a way to make them, claiming it was going to change the way everyone lived their lives." His voice became sarcastic as he let out a bitter laugh, "Well, it did. There was an explosion, took out the area surrounding it; a lot of people died and too many were hurt. They say the explosion contained nanites...lots of them, and now the entire planet is infected with them."

Rex asked in confusion, "Is that bad?"

Greg cut in, having changed locations to the dining room, either because he smelled dinner or he heard the change of topic, "It wouldn't be, if the nanites didn't randomly mutate their host. To the majority of the population, they're harmless, but for some unfortunate people, they get turned into mindless monsters. Recently, it's been happening to animals too."

Rex's brow drew down as he stared at his hands, "So, I have little robots inside me?"

Tony nodded, "It's been a few weeks after the incident, makes me wonder what happened for you to lose your memory."

It was at that moment that Susan interrupted him, "Talk like this can wait until after dinner. Working yourself up just gets you a sour stomach."

Rex felt the mood lighten as she set down a tray of enchiladas. Serving Rex first, then her family, she sat back down and grinned, "Come on, eat! Before it's cold." Rex's eyes widened as he took a bite, "This is good."

Her family laughed, as Susan encouraged him, "Well I certainly hope so, eat as much as you like!" Rex only realized how starved he was after he started eating, and then it was all he could do to chew his food.

Susan laughed, "God I miss that, it's been years since Tony or Steven could eat like that, I forgot you boys were bottomless pits."

Rex gave an embarrassed laugh as Tony chuckled, "Nah, I'm sure Steven could eat more. Man, he was a horse."

Rex finished with a glass of water and sighed, "That was amazing."

Susan blushed, "Aww, it's nice to hear a compliment on my cooking every now and again...GREG."

He snorted, "You know I love your cooking honey."

He was interrupted by a small voice from the front of the house, "Mom! I'm back!"

Susan jumped up, "Oh I almost forgot to tell you!" A little girl wandered in, about 6 years old and asked, "Who's this?"

Gesturing to Rex, Susan explained, "Katie, this is Rex. Rex, Katie. She's been at a friend's house, I completely forgot to tell you."

Rex raised a hand, "Hi."

Katie looked him over before she smiled and asked her mom, "How long is Rex staying mommy?"

Susan looked at Rex with reassurance as she answered her question, "As long as he needs to baby. Now come here and give me hug."

Katie hugged around her waist as Susan leaned down and squeezed her tight, "Have a good day?"

Katie smiled, "Yep."

"You had dinner at Kristie's?"

"Yep."

Susan smiled and rubbed her head, "Good girl. Now go and get ready for bed."

Katie smiled and ran off, Rex assumed to her room, and Susan turned to pick up the dishes. Rex immediately stood and asked, "Can I help?"

Susan gave him a grateful smile, but insisted, "On no you don't need to lift a finger, you're our guest and still injured! Let me handle it."

Rex almost begged at a chance to do something, "Ma'am, I insist. Please let me help."

Taking a second look at his face, seeing the desperation, Susan understood, "Of course you can. Just grab those plates there and follow me into the kitchen."

Rex threw his entire concentration into cleaning those dishes. His heart couldn't stand any thinking at the moment. He helped her dry and put away all the plates and cutlery but still, Rex was itching to move, to give himself some meaning.

Susan could see the strain in his shoulders as she patted his back, "Do you need to get some air? You could go for a jog, we have a safe neighborhood here, I wouldn't worry."

Rex let out a pent up breath, but he still felt like he was searching for an escape, "Yeah, yeah I will."

She nodded and asked, "You can find your way back?"

Rex nodded, "Yeah."

As she led him to the front door she handed him a key from a hook on the wall, "Just let yourself back in and lock the door after you; I'll leave some towels out for when you get back." Susan gave him a sad smile and watched him go, but not before throwing in, "Be careful."

Rex was glad he could turn his back as tears fell from his eyes as he held his breath and tried not to sob. He felt so alone and yet so at home at the same time. Did he have a family, a home? As Rex took a mental note of their address, he cried for everything he wasn't sure he had. He was so lost.

Tearing down the street, Rex skipped the jog and threw himself directly into a run. Shoes slapping the pavement, Rex ran until his lungs burned and his legs were numb. Only after Rex couldn't run anymore did he turn around and find his way back. He wished he had a home to return to, but he had no idea if the people he cared about were hurt or worse, dead. What if did regain his memory only to find that they were gone?

Wiping the sweat from his already burning eyes, Rex was afraid. The only people he could turn to for answers were complete strangers, and Rex was confused at all the kindness they were throwing at him when he had absolutely nothing to give in return. They took a stranger into their house and they had a little girl. Walking up to their front porch, Rex wasn't sure what he was going to do; maybe try to start a new life? Or maybe he would remember and go back to his old one.

Sighing, Rex let himself back in as silently as he could. Passing through the kitchen to get a glass of water, Rex frowned at the time; it was already two in the morning. He really hoped he didn't wake anyone up when he showered.

After Rex cleaned up and collapsed back into bed he promised himself that he was going to find a way to pay these people back. At the moment they were the center of his universe, and the guilt that he was intruding on their life would eat away at him if he didn't do something.

Curling onto his side, Rex held back the tears that wanted to fall with firm resolution; he wasn't going to cry anymore, he was going to fix his life and not feel sorry for himself. He wasn't going to get anywhere other than depressed if he kept that up. Closing his eyes on a dark room, Rex fell into a dark, dreamless sleep, with not even a fond memory to send him there.

Sorry for all the talking, but I promise, the next one has action in it! C: