Rebecca found Six and Bobo, along with what was left of the grunts that escorted them. Many were still unconscious, but Six was among the first to wake up. “Holiday, what happened? Why are we in this state?” he asked. “I'm not sure, Six, but I feel it might have to do with me. I won't be sure until we get to base,” she said, looking for any jets in the distance. Rex was still flying around close to the group, but he kept an eye out in case there were people Holiday didn't find or if they got attacked again. “Rex, do you see anything?” Rebecca asked. He landed next to Six, shaking his head. “Nada, no other agents or Evos anywhere. I guess all the noise from earlier scared anything living around here off. Hey, do you think any of the tanks have some water bottles or soda in them? All that flying around in the sun gave me some mondo thirst,” he said.
“Hm, let me look. Say with the group while I'm gone, Rex. Thankfully, you still have your powers; they'll need you to protect them. Use that earpiece to call me if something goes wrong,” Rebecca said, walking to one of the destroyed transports. “Aye, aye, doc,” he said, saluting her. She rolled her eyes as she walked to one of the wreckages. Holiday walked up to one that was relatively intact, except for the fact it was on its side and dented. She walked inside to a mess of small and large arms scattered across the floor. Fortunately, the emergency rations chest was still in its place. She pulled it off the wall and fished out a few water bottles, collapsible cups, and protein bars. Suddenly, there was chatter coming from her earpiece. “Holiday! Holiday, we're back to normal! Get back here, quick!” Rex said into the earpiece.
Holiday rushed back to where the group was but saw no normal-sized people there. The people who were gathered up were scattered on the ground rather than on the rock she left them on. “Rex, Six! What happened? I thought you said you were normal-sized?” Rebecca asked, placing them back on the rock. The group covered themselves with their hands once more as the cloth they had before shredded when they grew back. “I don't know. A minute or two after you left, we started to grow back,” Six explained. She looked down at the people on the rock and stared down at herself. “Then that explains it. Staying near me is what's causing you all to shrink. Rex, do you think you can cure me?” Rebecca asked. Rex approached the hand she placed on the rock and attempted to cure her. The glow of his nanites entering her body crawled up her hand. The glow quickly faded, and he stepped back, confused.
“That's… weird. It's like your nanites are active but already deactivated,” Rex said, looking up at her. “It's okay, Rex, you tried your best. I can properly examine my mutation once we get back to base,” Holiday reassured him. While they waited, she poured water into the shrunken group's cups. They drank their fill as she tore up more cloth for them to wear. “Holiday to Providence; what's the ETA on the evac?” she radioed. “Evac Team to Holiday, ETA: three minutes, over,” they responded. “Hey doc, who's gonna rescue our rescue? The second they come near ya, they’re gonna be the same size as us.” Bobo mentioned. Rex and SIx gathered around him, with Six saying, “The monkey has a point. Do you think we need to warn the others before they land too close?” Holiday admitted they had a point and radioed ahead to land around the convoy circle instead of in it. “They've got their instructions. Does everyone want to fly with me, or do you want to head back on separate jets?” she asked the group.
Most everyone looked away, avoiding answering. “Look doc, no offense, but Bobo don't do tiny. I'd rather get big as soon as possible if you don't mind”, Bobo said. The grunts agreed, grouping around him. The sound of jets landing nearby caught the attention of the group. “We'll go with you, Doc. You've done tons for us, so it's the least we can do.” “Count on it,” Six and Rex said, stepping closer. Thank you, two. Now, let's get out of here. The sooner we get back and examine me, the better”, Rebecca said, scooping them up.
One explanation and jet ride later:
Holiday sat on her examination table, waiting for whatever Caesar was building to come in. She still had the jacket she borrowed from Rex on. Caesar insisted that she should be examined as soon as possible. She had to admit waiting to be tested in her lab was strange. She placed some of the pads she usually put on Rex on herself as she waited. Her head turned, hearing one of the doors to the lab open. A small drone with arms and a screen hovered in, with Caesar's face on it. “Hello, Dr. Holiday; I hope you can tolerate this drone until I can construct an adequate proxy. If it helps, it was Rex’s idea to put the screen on. He said it would make feeling examined less clinical. Shall we get started?” he said. “We may as well. Start the exam, Caesar,” Rebecca said, lying on the table. The drone activated the machine, sliding the doctor inside the tube.
The scan left an odd sensation as it passed over her body. It was as if someone was running a blanket with static over her body with each pass. The procedure took little time, with everything pre-set before the drone arrived. The table slid back out from the tube, and she sat up. The drone tapped a few keys on the machine, revealing a deep scan of her body. “Fascinating, simply fascinating. Rex’s earlier observation was correct. Because of the nanites both he and Van Kleiss sent inside you, they are in a constant state of flux. Constantly activating and deactivating themselves. This could lead to further mutations affecting your physical or mental state. What is curious, though, is that the nanites structure itself has changed. Even the color differs from Rex’s blue and the usual yellow to pink. Very curious,” he explained. “What about when Scalamander shot the energy pack we made for the curing gear? Could that have energized my nanites enough to change them?” Holiday questioned.
“A definite possibility. I'll start construction on a suppression device, so you should be able to interact with people normally. For now, I don't think you will be able to sleep in Providence base”, he said. A screen blipped on behind the drone, showing White Knight's face. “I can't have a scientist who shrinks people just by being around them. Dr. Holiday, I'll have special quarters constructed for you until you get your powers under control or cured. In the meantime, that doesn't mean you get a vacation from working. I expect you to work as if you weren't an Evo,” he said before the screen turned itself off. “As kind as he is cheerful, is he not?” Caesar said. Rebecca sighed, stood up, and said, “That's actually pretty generous, considering he could've shipped me off to some remote research facility. At least I'll be able to work in the lab.” She stood up from the table and stretched as the drone began to hover out of the room.
The jacket's zipper shot off it, hitting one of the monitors. Caesar turned the drone around to investigate the noise. “Did the zipper on Rex’s jacket break? It seems some physical changes are already in progress,” he said as the drone scanned her. “Hm, it appears that there has been a very slight increase in your height,” Caesar said, displaying the readout on the drone's screen. Holiday held the jacket together as she listened to him talk. “Caesar, this probably isn't the time for another exam. Are you going to need anything else before building your suppression device?” Rebecca asked. “Only one more thing, please, hold out your arm,” he asked. She rolled up a sleeve and held out her arm. One of the arms of the drone extended and pressed into her, extracting a blood sample. “So I can match it to your personal genetic and nanite signature. Have a good day, Dr. Holiday,” he said, leaving her alone in her lab.