The sky above Mexico City was a hazy blend of orange and gray, smog and sunlight mixing in the aftershocks of a recent EVO outbreak. But today, it wasn't EVOs that caused the tension in the air—it was the convergence of legends.
Kairos and Ben landed on the outskirts of the city, cloaked in a swarm of protective nanites. The Mamachine coordinates had led them here, to one of the densest nanite concentrations in the Western Hemisphere. Somewhere in this chaos, Rex Salazar was active—and unaware of just how important he was to what came next.
Ben adjusted her cap and glanced around, her instincts twitching. "Omnitrix is picking up strange fluctuations. Definitely Rex-style nanites. I guess we're close."
Kairos didn't reply at first. He was focused. Not just on finding Rex—but on something else: the unique frequency pattern humming beneath his skin. Something familiar. Ancient.
Then, they heard it.
A sonic boom.
A blur crashed through a nearby parking structure. Rubble flew, and from it emerged a teenage boy with spiky hair and mechanical limbs shifting in real time. His arms transformed into massive cannons, ready to fire.
"You two better not be EVOs," Rex shouted.
Ben stepped forward. "We're not! We came to talk—"
Too late.
Rex fired a stun blast, sending them both flying. Ben flipped midair and morphed into Diamondhead, forming a crystal shield to block the second wave. Kairos caught himself with a magnetic burst, hovering inches off the ground.
Kairos spoke clearly. "Rex. We're not your enemy."
Rex narrowed his eyes. "Then why do you have active nanites? You feel... wrong."
Kairos stepped forward, slowly. "Because I'm not just infected. I'm something new. Or maybe something old. And I think you and I are connected."
Rex hesitated. His nanites flickered uncertainly.
Ben dropped her transformation and stood beside Kairos. "Look, dude. We've seen what's coming. Providence is scared. Mamachines are waking up. There's a False God trying to seize the entire nanite grid. And somehow, Kairos is at the center of it."
Kairos added, "And so are you."
The moment stretched. Then, unexpectedly, Rex lowered his weapons.
"You're serious. I can feel it. Your nanites... they're talking to mine. Syncing. Like we're nodes in the same network."
Kairos nodded. "The same architecture. Different outcomes. You're the natural host. I'm the Catalyst."
Rex looked between them. "Alright. I'm listening. But this better not end with another world-ending monster, because I've had my quota."
Ben chuckled. "Try multiversal extinction this time."
---
They retreated to an abandoned tech lab that Rex once used as a safehouse. Inside, Kairos projected a hologram of Earth's hidden Mamachine grid—ten nodes, all beginning to stir.
Ben pointed. "Each one resonates with different types of nanites. Some dormant. Some... sentient."
Rex frowned. "Why now?"
Kairos replied, "Because something has reactivated the central core. I think it was me. Or rather, I was made to be the failsafe that wakes them."
Rex leaned back. "And this False God?"
Ben hesitated. "We don't know much. Only that it's a being or force trying to hijack the grid and reshape reality through nanite evolution. It's old. Hidden. And smart."
Kairos clenched his fist. "If it gets control of the Mamachines, it won't just reprogram Earth. It will overwrite existence itself."
Rex shook his head. "Okay, yeah. That's worse than what I've dealt with."
He stood up. "I'm in. But we do this my way—Providence has resources. We get backdoor access to their mainframe. Maybe even Dr. Holiday can help."
Kairos tensed. "Providence is watching us. They tried to kill me."
Rex grinned. "They try that with everyone. You'll win 'em over."
Ben smiled faintly. "That's what I said."
Kairos looked at them both. Two people who trusted him. Or were beginning to. He hadn't told them everything. He couldn't. Not yet.
But he knew this much:
The real war hadn't started yet.
And soon, the Mamachines would choose.