They rocketed in the direction of their workplace.

The sun hung in the sky, sheeting its magnificent golden rays onto the city below. Cordra District wasn't as poor as other districts, specifically those in the outer ring. Although, it wasn't as grandiose as the higher-up districts either. 

Nevertheless, it was a prestigious domain if the fancy-looking stallions cruising the bustling streets weren't telling enough. Instead of open-air markets, multi-storied shops and restaurants consumed a decent portion of Cordra. Skyscrapers towered above them as monorails carrying swarms of people sped across the tracks reticulating between numerous buildings.

If a person didn't produce enough jen they'd be forcefully evicted. That was the law. This meant everyone who wasn't already rich had enforcers constantly breathing down their necks. Rex and Chase weren't exceptions. They eagerly ran through the sea of people, ignoring the foul looks they'd receive for doing so. Miraculously, they weren't as late as Chase suspected. Their employer was on the other side of town. 

If they maintained their current pace they'd arrive before long. Chase glanced at Rex running beside him, his brother showing no signs of exhaustion. He'd always fared a lot better when it came to endurance compared to himself. This was another reason why he excelled at his job. If Chase got put into such a position he'd be fired before the week ended. With both of them living under the same roof they could earn double the amount of jen. Additionally, when combined with the income their father made they'd have enough to spare.

"How was breakfast?! Seems you enjoyed it!"

"Seeing as how I'm alive it must not have been as toxic as those scrambled eggs last week."

"Harsh man! I put my heart and soul into those eggs!"

"That's probably why they tasted so terrible."

"You jerk! I know a thing or two about food!"

"I am speaking to the moron who bought a bag of scorpion tails instead of a hare, right?"

"Scorpions are delicious if you prepare them correctly!! And I couldn't bring myself to cook a rabbit! They're my favorite animals! Those big ears of theirs are so cool!"

"Coincidentally enough, their ears are almost as big as your mouth." Chase sneered.

Before Rex retorted to the snarky comment Chase caught his brother by the collar of his shirt. Had they continued running they'd dash right in the middle of oncoming traffic. The line of stallions sluggishly drove across the street, blue-colored smoke expelling from their exhausts. Rex quickly noticed how most of the hovering vehicles were being operated by butlers as their lazy bosses resided in the passenger seats. 

He glared at a certain stallion, in particular. It was bigger and needlessly bombastic. The large purple vehicle had five pairs of windows and discharged loud obnoxious music. Poking their heads out the many windows were teenagers not much older than himself. A blond-haired kid sticking his body halfway out cheered and shouted like a crazy person. He flaunted blue stacks of paper, showboating bundles of sapphires to the public.

Those papers were extremely important. They were called jen and each represented a unique value. Jen split into five categories: Blights which were worth a single credit, comets worth ten, jades worth twenty, sapphire being fifty, and finally hearts being a whopping hundred credits. Acquiring jen became increasingly difficult, especially if you were poor. This noble owned more in a hand than most made in a month. Rex wanted nothing more than to face the inconsiderate rich boy and punch him square in the jaw. However, if he did he'd end up getting into trouble with the authorities . . . Again.

"You think we could afford a stallion ourselves? It'd be a nice change of pace." Rex bawled his fists tightly, his callous glare aimed at the purple machine. "Although, I'd never act like that clown. If anything, I'd ram my stallion into whoever had the gall to behave so immaturely."

"I don't know if you've noticed but there's a clear distinction of who can have what. A stallion is a machine strictly reserved for those who can afford it. Say we do buy one, we'll still have to waste jen on spare parts and e-cores. No matter how you look at it, owning a stallion would cause us more trouble than it's worth."

Rex chuckled. "Thought so,"

"We should be striving for a more attainable goal." The stallion carrying the horde of rich kids started honking its horn. Chase turned towards it and muttered, "However, I'm not against the idea of someone ramming them. It'd serve as a nice reality check."

* * *

The brothers worked at a repair shop. It came in the form of a large warehouse-like building at the corner of a street. The main part of the building allowed people to drive their vehicles in and drop them off. Carl Fredrick owned this fine establishment. He was a bit on the porky side, his belly almost as big as some engines Rex carried. As always, his navy blue cap sat atop the set of rusty-colored hair surrounding his bald spot. They found him barking orders at the workers, per usual.

"You idiots! What am I paying you for?! I expect you to do your job at least somewhat decently! Otherwise, our competition is gonna swallow us whole! Do you want to live on the streets because I sure as hell don't!!" Red eyes set upon a boy struggling to push a trolley of spare parts. "Put your back into it! My niece can lift heavier and she's only five years old!!"

"Morning Mr. Fredrick!" announced Rex and Chase simultaneously.

"Ah! You boys finally came?! You're the only two I can count on! You're both better than the rest of these ingrates!" He made it a point to bellow the last part remarkably loud so that everyone could hear.

"Now, we've been over this. They're never going to get any better if you keep shouting at them all day," sighed Chase.

"Yeah man, I'm sure progress will run a lot smoother if you'd give them a break every once and awhile."

"Ha! You two know it's not my style. Plus! Why would I congratulate them on things they're terrible at doing?! I want to reprimand them for their lackluster performance, not reward them!"

Mr. Fredrick was a handful, no question, but fair nonetheless. Regardless, something he hated with a passion was workers failing to complete their assigned roles. This was the reason he favored the brothers. Unlike the rest of his crew, they actually knew what to do. A sad reality to be sure considering their young age. 

Rex manned the repair division. Even if he was a child, Mr. Fredrick entrusted him to be in charge. Progress noticeably sharpened under his supervision. This, however, didn't boat well with other employees. They often made his job difficult by not listening and even going as far as to ignore him. Today was no different. 

Waiting in the humongous driveway rested a busted stallion. Rex opened the exos deposit at its rear, immediately noting how the pumps draining the azure orb's energy were damaged. He made for his toolbox, retrieved a wrench and screwdriver, spiraled them in his hands, and got busy. Mr. Fredrick and Chase observed from afar, the man handing Chase a pile of papers to file. 

"It took these worthless morons the entire morning to pinpoint the problem. Makes me wonder why I bothered hiring them."

"It's not their fault Rex is immensely talented when it comes to machines."

"I suppose you're right. If I kick the bucket earlier than expected I'd be fine with him taking over this business."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, sir."

"Why not?"

"While my brother is talented in the art of repair you've forgotten of his disdain towards nobles. Should he be put in charge he'd ban them, no doubt."

". . . Maybe I should leave this place to my son after all."

"Probably for the best, sir."

He left to indulge in his duties. Walking through a door behind them he entered an office area filled with men and women sitting at desks. Even though Sanctuary was essentially just a giant dome it contained a large number of streets and roads. Accidents, wrecks, and, in the worst case, people getting run over by an oblivious driver were common occurrences. 

Chase and workers like him monitored these events and predicted what kind of service the owner of the vehicle would request thus enabling the repairmen an opportunity to prepare. He'd organize the predictions into cabinets underneath his desk. Additionally, people filed in requests for having their equipment fixed. This business didn't solely handle stallions. They also served those who'd broken appliances or mechanical tools. 

He would organize these requests from urgent to minor and then decide upon who'd be the most qualified to deal with them. This was a rather easy decision to make considering how it almost always happened to be Rex. No-one questioned it except for himself and their father. Rex never got an education in the arts of machinery repair yet he was capable of rebuilding a stallion. It was interesting, to say the least.

"And done!" One of the repairmen, Todd Rex believed his name to be, hopped inside of it with a disgruntled breath. To none of their surprise, the stallion worked like a charm. It hovered off the ground, spewing clouds of dust in the onlooking workers' faces, and waited idly for someone to take control.

"Thought it'd do the trick. Its exos pumps must've corroded due to overexposure to the e-core's energy. The driver just needs to be careful." Rex analyzed aloud to nobody in particular.

Todd drove the now functioning stallion to the warehouse where it'd stay until it's owner arrived. As soon as it left another machine took its place. This time it wasn't a stallion. Stomping through the backdoor a fifteen-foot tall mechanized suit entered. Covered in black paint the mecha bore the symbol of the enforcers on its shoulder: A pair of crossed red swords in front of an ominous-looking eye. 

Forget a stallion. I want to pilot a gallant! 

The mechanical titan possessed large arms capable of crushing a man with ease and two robust legs granting the bulky mecha smooth mobility. A crimson visor ran through its rectangular shaped head beetling from its chest area. Meanwhile, mounted above its left shoulder was a turret. It, along with the enormous assault rifle it carried in its metallic hands, acted as both a means of offense and intimidation. The hatch door located atop the gallant swung open. Escaping the robot came a dark-haired man wearing an enforcer uniform.

Becoming so entranced by the impressive mecha Rex failed to notice several enforcers trailing behind. They helped the pilot dismount. His hair drooped unkempt onto his forehead, a few bangs hiding his red-colored eyes. "Alright, you lot! This old girl can use a cleaning as well as a maintenance test. We don't want it malfunctioning while I'm out stopping criminals, do we?" Rex glared. His pompous attitude struck a nerve. Almost as if the enforcer felt the hate-filled lour he glanced at Rex, his eyes locked on the sequence of numbers imprinted onto the boy's shoulder. "Wait, is that him?"

"Yeah," answered the soldier closest. "The kid they found outside the walls. You can tell the king deemed him to be completely useless. Why else would he shove him in a dump like this?"

"You don't say," He turned to the boy again. "Listen, I want my gallant fixed. Just don't let that little rat touch it. Understand? Keep his unworthy hands off of my equipment."

Before anyone could respond, Rex advanced towards them. He didn't look mad. Instead, he displayed a reserved smile. "What's the problem? You stop criminals for a living yet you're scared of having a fourteen-year-old check your gallant? Aren't you supposed to be a defender of the city? It's kind of pathetic you're this worked up over something so mundane."

The enforcer's grin faded. Who did this brat think he was? A rat like him had no place to speak in such a disrespectful manner, especially since he didn't belong in Sanctuary to begin with. He stomped menacingly to the good for nothing. To his surprise and partial disappointment, his domineering display had no effect. They looked each other dead in the eyes. No-one, enforcer or otherwise, interfered with the intense staring contest. Perhaps they were too shocked to speak. Too stunned a person with no power had the audacity, the guts to stand up to an enforcer. The repair shop remained in a veil of silence.

"Who the hell do you think you are, brat? Maybe you need to be educated in what I am . . . And what you are." His condescending grin widened. The taller man started circling Rex, studying him as he shook his head. "My oh my, so the rumors are true. When I heard they found someone outside the walls, a boy in the arms of his dying father, well I didn't buy into it. Who'd do something so stupid? Well, I suppose there are those fools in the Seeker Corps but nobody takes them seriously. No, I brushed it off as a prank. In spite of that, I find myself in the presence of the so-called alien. The Desert Boy."

Rex bawled his fists at the very mention of the name.

"How can a child and a half-dead man survive the perilous world of the outside, I thought. Who'd choose to venture that sandy hell willingly, and with a child no less? These questions led me to believe it to be nothing but a scam. A mere hoax created by some drunken assholes looking for a good laugh." He leaned into Rex's face, the boy smelling the fancy cologne emanating from his neck. "Now I'm thinking you and your father just stumbled outside the walls by accident and you merely feigned ignorance in front of the king so you'd avoid receiving the death penalty. Jeez, can you commoners sink any lower? You should've been shot for breaking such a serious law. Although, I suppose you should be grateful to his royal majesty. It's because of him you're still breathing right now!" he bellowed, going into a laughing fit.

Rex wanted so badly to retaliate. Veins pulsated on his neck. His jaw clenched tightly. He couldn't contain his rage. Couldn't quell the hurricane of emotions. Before he knew it, a fist hurdled at the snickering enforcer. It never connected, however. His attack was swatted away with a single swift swipe, the force vibrating up his arm. 

"Big mistake, brat," the scowling enforcer muttered. 

He lashed out, grabbing a handful of Rex's shirt and suspending him in the air. Rex responded by grabbing the enforcer's wrist whilst releasing grunts of frustration and anger. His attacker, the clearly enraged "defender" of Sanctuary, formed a fist with his free hand. "I'm going to teach you the consequences of attacking a soldier! Let this be a lesson to never mess with the enforcers ever again in your worthless, pathetic little life!" Suddenly, another hand wrapped around the enforcer's arm. It didn't belong to Rex but rather his older sibling. Chase's constricting grip on the stunned soldier made the man fear for his bones' safety.

"What the . . . Hell?! Let go of . . . Me!"

"Release my brother and I'll release you." Chase scowled.

The cursing enforcer dropped the struggling Rex. Only then did Chase let go. The enforcer retreated to his mecha, hastily scaling its side in order to return to the cockpit. The sounds of the gallant powering on added noise to the building long since absent from it. "I don't need to deal with this kind of shit right now! If I wasn't so composed I'd have used my gallant to smash the both of you little bastards!" The gallant departed as the remaining enforcers followed behind it. Each step shook the earth, the gallant leaving a trail of deeply rooted footprints in its wake. "I'll show you mercy just this once! You should be thanking me, you crazy brats!" he snarled, his irritated voice ejecting through its built-in speakers.

The group of enforcers disembarked and for a brief moment, everyone gaped at the exit. They'd then slowly shift their attention to Rex and Chase. Rex sat on the floor coughing as Chase tried his best to recollect himself, grasping his trembling his hand. No good came from creating powerful enemies. Had that enforcer picked on anyone else there wouldn't have been an issue. Unfortunately, he couldn't so simply turn a blind eye this time.

His brother needed help.