Leader of the Pack

The agents of Providence mobilize to stop Van Kleiss when he arrives in New York City aboard a giant whale-like airborne EVO, but are forced to stand down when it develops that he is there to address the UN and therefore has diplomatic immunity. Rex observes Circe among Van Kleiss' followers. Later at Providence, while voicing his suspicions, Rex learns he has been invited to a reception at the Abysus consulate, though White Knight intends to dispatch Agent Six and Dr. Holiday instead, not wanting Rex to cause any commotion. Rex locks Six into a room, steals one of his suits, and meets Holiday at Van Kleiss' party. Six gets out of the room so he and Bobo go to the party. Rex again spots Circe, but when he tries to get her to tell him what Kleiss is doing, she knocks him out. After the party ends, Rex awakens in a prison cell with Bobo, who had been captured while trying to find him. They escape; Rex goes after Van Kleiss, following BoBo to an underground tunnel, where Breach and Circe are using large, worm-like EVOs to transport dirt from Abysus into the tunnels (through one of Breach's portals), enabling the full use of Van Kleiss' powers over his surroundings. Breach orders an EVO to attack, but Circe countermands her and tries to convince Rex to join the Pack willingly instead. He declines, and a disappointed Circe retreats with Breach into Abysus. Meanwhile Van Kleiss addresses the UN General Assembly, immediately showing his cards: he takes the envoys hostage inside the chamber and proceeds to demand that the world submit to him. Rex arrives from the tunnels and tries to fight him, but Van Kleiss' powers prove too strong. However, an offhand comment Van Kleiss makes leads Rex to return to the tunnels below and busting a large hole in one of the walls, causing the East River to flood the passages and flush out the Abysus soil. An angry Van Kleiss attempts to strangle Rex with vines, but as the Abysus dirt dissolves in the water, his powers fail and he finds himself defenseless. Now holding the advantage, Rex punches Van Kleiss and manifests a sword, when Van Kleiss tells him that "his parents would be proud of him." This causes Rex to hesitate long enough for Van Kleiss to escape on an insectile flying EVO creature that ferries him back to his flying whale, which in turn retreats through a portal to Abysus. Rex sees Circe inside it; she looks at him with disappointment and turns away. Agent Six and BoBo arrive, and Rex is ordered to fix the problem he created and plug the leak in the East River.