"Congratulations!" She turned her attention towards the notably pleased call. Her scalding stare however, obviously did not return the sentiment.
"Woah there, easy kitten." An amused blonde began pacing nearer, halting at a distance too close for her own comfort.
It wasn't that she disliked him so, in fact more than anything, she admired him. But the circumstances at hand made every living, breathing creature near her range the target of her irrational annoyance.
Numbuh 274 indulged her with a welcoming, boyish simper. "I trust we're already somehow acquainted with each other way back from Arctic Base but as Supreme Leader, I'd still want to formally welcome you, Numbuh 362 into Global Command. Congratulations on being the newly appointed Global Tactical Officer." The way his eyes roved over her face was expectant, but sadly the quaking of her arms underneath the heaps of heavy carton boxes only further heightened her irritation.
"Thank you sir, it is my pleasure to have been chosen for the position. But, with all due respect, I'm afraid I can't really converse at the moment. I still have a lot of
moving and unpacking to do." With a swift gesture, Numbuh 274 plucked the boxes containing her belongings from her hold and hauled them effortlessly with one arm. With his free one, he revealed a purple lilac bud hiding from his back and placed it innocently in her hands. Utter disbelief and confusion overtook her features. "Come to the dinner party later put together for all the newly elected officers. It'll be fun." From his words, Numbuh 362 concluded that the odd gift was in accordance
to her welcome. She'd always known that Chad Dickson was charming especially to her female comrades, but this has never really affected her in any way.
Even then...
Rachel stared fondly at the vivid color of the freshly picked blossom in her fingers. His blue eyes, caught off guard, watched her from his position. Her head of blonde locks heaved and a small smile graced her features. "Alright, I will. Thank you for notifying me, sir."
Even then, she'd always seen him as a good-natured operative.
"That's great!" An elated, vibrant grin made its way to the boy's face and he resumed helping her transfer her belongings to the designated office of the Global Tactical Officer.
That was when she began continuously receiving anonymous flowers.
The last thing you could ever use as an adjective for Numbuh 274 would be 'vulnerable'. This was something that everyone was well aware of, ally or enemy and most especially, himself. Or at least, something that he's desperately attempting to reassure himself with at the moment.
Everything manifested as a vague, faux reality. The lights all around Moonbase appeared to blink and flash over and over, in a seemingly futile attempt to remain stable. A scorching heat engulfed his entire body and his head was incessantly pounding. His boot cladded feet stumbled and it took what's left of his strength to even halt his descent and lean his form on the nearest wall for balance.
Perhaps, it was he that needed to be stable. He hadn't even noticed, how ragged his breathing had been until now, where he was pouring all ounce of his will power to even maintain being conscious.
Numbuh 274 had left his post in tip-top condition to tend to a pressing yet trivial mission on Earth, only to come back withered and barely able to recognize left from right. Although, what baffled him the most was the fact that the decline of his body had been too sudden. From what little his bleary vision could make out of,
the time on his wrist watch was 2 am—an hour where the only operatives awake would be the ones in charge of security. This is something, however, that he's quite thankful of. Despite his current state, it would definitely be an insult to his pride to be seen by anybody, weakened to the point of immobilization simply from aiding in the distribution of Rainbow Monkey dolls in an orphanage.
It hadn't take any longer for his body to finally give in and weightlessly drop on the ground. The last thing his weary blue eyes recognized before ultimately shutting, was a figure clothed in black from top to bottom rushing to his direction.
The scent of a foreign, yet enticing brew had awoken him from his slumber. His eyes softly opened, and what greeted him was the unfamiliar hue of a teal ceiling. Vigilant cautiousness had immediately coursed through his senses and his body shot upwards from its resting position, only to be forcibly laid back down by the merciless throbbing of his head and ache of his limbs. "You're finally awake." His attention shifted to the reserved, feminine voice and Chad instantly relaxed. Numbuh 362 soundlessly approached the bed while carefully balancing a cup and a steaming pot in a tray.
Gently this time, Chad lifted himself from beneath the sheets to rise to a sitting position. As the blanket rode off of his skin, his eyes quickly noted the change in wardrobe, from his red sweater to a plain white shirt that was obviously not his. "Don't move around too much now. The fever has gone down but it's not completely out of your system yet." Rachel sternly reminded while transferring the tray on the bedside table.
From the carpeted floor on the edge of the bed, Chad subsequently noted a damp towel that must've fallen from his forehead during his panic. "I see. Didn't notice I was sick. Must've been all the cruddy paperwork and missions."
"Indeed, it must have been. There seems to be nothing wrong with you aside from tense muscles and acute fatigue." Her eyes bore into his, not appearing to comprehend his mild surprise and wariness. His brows knitted together in the slightest.
"And you know this because?" It was evident she hadn't taken him to the Medical Department for treatment. If she did, the Head Doctor would never have allowed her to move him elsewhere to where he assumed was her room and would have strictly ordered to have him recuperate in a ward.
"Well," Her voice started and trailed off, motioning to the pot and pouring in a cup the fragrant brew he had smelled earlier. ", due to the nature of my duty as a spy I tend to work alone. As you can already tell, I have no one to depend on but myself when injured and eventually learned to recognize what's out of place with my body from observation." Rachel reached over and offered the cup to him. "Here, drink this. It's an herbal tea designed to relieve fevers."
His hand drew out and accepted the kind gesture. "And I suppose this is also something you've learned to treat yourself with from being alone?"
"That and it's a common remedy I'd use to cure my little brother with when he gets sick." A look of jolted interest had crept on his face. It was the first time Chad has ever heard her talk so casually and dearly ever since they've started working together.
"Well, aren't you a darling older sister." His lips curved into a smirk before taking a sip of the tea, all the while enjoying the mild furrowing of her brows and hint
of embarrassment on her features. "It's part of my job after all!" The usual calmness in her tone was replaced by suppressed agitation and he couldn't help but release a chuckle.
Rachel then straightened and mentioned to reach for her in case he needed her assistance before turning her back and excusing herself.
"Were you the one who changed me out of my shirt?" The sudden question had visibly startled her, evident from the slight stiffening of her shoulders and the abrupt pivot of her head to face him. "Well, yes I was." The level of overt uncertainty in her tone and the unfaltering hold of his eyes on her only caused discomfort to whirl within her stomach. "But, it was only the top that I changed since a sweaty shirt would do nothing good for a fever. I do apologize if it's a little awkward. That was honestly the biggest shirt I had." Her words concluded in a hush, composure manifesting once more on her expression. He hadn't known if it was merely the degree of his temperature playing tricks on his mind, but he could've sworn he witnessed a light blush igniting on her cheeks.
The faint scent of oranges and burnt ash firewood, emanating from the article of clothing wafted to his nose and a lopsided smile broke freely on his face. "There's nothing wrong with it. A bit tight but not exactly uncomfortable. And 'sides, I'd rather have this than be tended by those hormonal-crazed nurses. That'd be the death of me."
The following morning, a single sunflower stem had found its way on her office desk, all prepped up with a velvety, blue ribbon.
The animated light of her eyes was reduced to a mild flicker. Striding next to her, was the head of the entire Kids Next Door, dragging his body with as much struggle as she had. From underneath the cloth of her damp turquoise sweater, her muscles ached with a soreness she wasn't exactly quite sure if she loathed or enjoyed.
"I had no idea you could fight like that." Chad's throaty voice broke the silence, notably thrilled yet spent at the same time. "Likewise." Came her lesser enthusiastic yet commending reply. Rachel was well aware that Numbuh 274 is renowned for his strength and fighting abilities, but never in her years as a KND operative would she have imagined, that a 12 years old boy such as Chad Dickson would have the mastery of takedown-based martial arts that could rival a veteran Teen Ninja.
"Don't tell me you've already had enough. That was just warm up you know." Somehow, the thought of kicking his face to wipe off clean his smug expression seemed so enticing for her. It wasn't as if she was even compliant with engaging him to begin with. As much as she'd always wanted to battle against Numbuh 274 even once, Rachel wasn't very inclined to entertain a training partner on that particular day and would rather have the dōjō all to herself. But her superior, out of nowhere, stepped up to her face and suddenly hurled his attacks, to which she began defending herself from. Such according to him, was practice to never let her guard down. But another part of her couldn't help but wonder if he somewhat disliked her. After all, it was a habit of his to dump almost all his paperwork and other urgent agendas on her already brimming plate. Nevertheless, she decided to dismiss that idea. He was quite skilled with on-the-field missions in the first place, and more than anyone, she understood how Chad missed battling adultyranny firsthand ever since becoming the ever busy Supreme Leader. "Well sir, do inform me next time if you'd like a sparring partner."
"Rachel T. Mckenzie, renowned agent from the Intelligence Department of the Kids Next Door and the best in espionage. Seems like a worthy opponent am I not correct?" His retort was smooth and even seemed to ooze with pride.
"You're forgetting Intel gathering is my forte, sir." But they both knew that detail was completely out of the equation. "And this is coming from someone who's obviously more than knowledgeable regarding kicking-based hand to hand combat used in the military, huh?" Surely, he was keen enough to deduce the extent of her abilities simply from observation.
Rachel could fight, more than what is expected for someone under her specialization.
"That doesn't exactly change the fact that you mercilessly threw me on the mat over and over." As much as it's embarrassing on her end, it was rather tricky to land any precise damage on Chad even with her speed. His ability to intercept every move she'd use on him was rather vexing. Even then, Rachel is watchful of her opponents and most of all, easy to adapt with their techniques. With a formulated strategy, the battle had turned to be evenly matched.
"Like what I said, it was a lesson." Somehow, there was a nonnative tone in his voice. As she discreetly turned her gaze to scan his face, her train of thought couldn't be more confirmed. The darkened glitter in his blue eyes and the laid back smile that accented his mouth spoke volumes of an emotion that was all too foreign, yet recognizable for her. And it was the same look that painted his features right before he had her, reeled in and pulled flush to his body, before having to be pitilessly writhing from the affliction of his attacks.
"Was it...possessiveness?"
The sudden halt of his steps had brought her back to reality, dawning over her that the door to her quarters was within an arm's reach. She turned a curious eye to him. "As much as it'd be convenient for me to go on ahead, you know it's my duty as second-in-command to see you off first." He merely gave a small shrug of his shoulders and pressed his thumb on the biometric detector, opening the doors for her.
Like the gentleman that he is.
"Hey, it 'aint so bad to do this once in a while. Lighten up, Rach." She had no idea what she'd be exasperated about; the fact that she forgot the Supreme Leader had access to every cruddy door on Moonbase or the fact that he'd so graciously chosen to pick out a nickname for her.
"Well then, my utmost thanks...Princey." It wasn't so bad to play his games once in a while she figured. The flustered look that shook his features expressed the intensity of his disapproval with how the young operatives that bore a crush on him would refer to him.
He motioned inside the unlit room, ushering her in. "I'm counting that as harassment." The blonde girl simply flashed a smirk of her own and followed.
Not even a minute had gone by and there she was, pivoting in a deadly dance to fend off the unexpected assault that awaited them in her room. From within the darkness, it amazed her how the two of them were able to instinctively locate one another. His back, all broad and heaving with breathes collided and pieced together with her own as they positioned to protect the other.
"Stay close to me 362, we have to find the light switch and know who the trespassers are."
"Roger that!" They peeled and lunged forward for a counterattack, with her barreling towards where the switch was. It wasn't that far away and she was adept with fighting at close range in the dark. The final opponent that stood in her way however, was unmistakably much more skilled and stronger than all the others present in the room but she had a few more tricks up her sleeve. With a 540 degrees kick she'd almost reached her goal, until his booming voice rang in her ears.
"Let go of me!" The struggle was apparent in Chad's tone and she was frantic. "362, go run and leave me. Alert the entire Moonbase of the situation!"
Anxiety bubbled and pooled in her gut in a such a way she'd never expected. At that instance, the only clear thing to her was the rapid beating of her own heart. "No way, I'm not going without you!" Her small fist slammed hard on the switch and the flooding brightness almost blinded her, but she'd strained to make out the situation before her.
Her mouth hung slightly agape from shock upon uncovering the truth.
Valued operatives and primary members of Global Command were present and donning joyous smiles in front of her. Behind them was a huge banner, with the reason for the gathering apparent on the text. Bordering the entire presentation, was a lush collection of dark pink roses. The deep greens in her hazel eyes vibrantly reflected the display and pure happiness overwhelmed her chest.
"Surprise, Happy Birthday Numbuh 362!" For once in her 12 years of living, Rachel hadn't regretted aging and reaching closer to her day of decommissioning.
Confetti was showered and party horns were blown but the celebrant was still at a complete loss of words. It took Numbuhs 58 and 59's teasing laughter to break her out of her stupor as they outwardly ridiculed Numbuh 60, who was currently slumped on the floor at her feet and weakly attempting to regain coherence.
'Oh, so that explains why the last one was hard to take down.' Before she could utter her apologies, Numbuh 86's reprimanding screaming towards 59 thundered and the 2 operatives rushed to the Drill Sergeant's aid.
From the small group that arranged to greet her, a familiar blonde superior emerged and walked forward with a casual curve of his lips. "Every operative despises their last year of being a tween. Hope this one turns out differently for you." A smile graced her own, now able to properly express her gratitude. "Wouldn't hate it even if I wanted to. Thank you for doing this along with everyone else."
"Glad you like it, now loosen up and lets party!" Chad reached for her hand and took it in his, in a way an excited child would to his most precious person.
Later that evening, when almost every kid was bouncing and tripping on their feet from the sugar rush of cola, Rachel was off in the kitchen having hot cocoa with Fanny. "Eeck! These dumb boys are way off their sugar limit and wrecking the place. Do something Numbuh 362!" The former lightheartedly chuckled. "It's alright. I'll cut them some slack since they helped put all of this together. Plus, it's a good 'ol Friday."
"I swear ye are ever compassionate. If anyone else heard this, they'd think ye've grown two heads from yer cold persona." The redhead sipped from her mug, attempting to calm her nerves. Rachel smiled and tenderly shifted her attention to the eye-catching display of roses. "By the way, thanks for the flowers. Didn't know you were actually into that stuff."
"Flowers? Numbuh 274 put me in charge of the guest list and giving them their assignments."
The sheer confusion in Fanny's tone and the context of her words caused Numbuh 362's gaze to flit to the Irish girl and raise a brow. "Put you in charge?"
"Aye, affirmative. He was the one who planned all of this in the first place. Come to think of it..." Fanny held her chin between her fingers in a contemplative pose. "...A've never seen anyone who was supposed to handle the flowers in the list."
From across the room, Rachel held Chad in her stare, watching him fulfill his duties as Supreme Leader even while at a social event. As he conversed away with members of Global Command, he couldn't help but notice her striking eyes, attempting to entrap and ultimately unravel him. All it took was a hint of a smile from him and she caught on.
So close. So infuriatingly close.
Rachel Mckenzie was inarguably seeing red. As if the humiliation wasn't enough, the entire purpose of the vital mission assigned to her on that day had instantly gone down the drain. Needless to say, it was a complete and utter failure.
The rigid and swift tempo of her body was accompanied by heavy steps as she paced Moonbase, with each and every operative in the vicinity scampering away out of raw fear. After all, no one wanted to end up like Numbuh 86 who was still visibly shaking from being mercilessly scolded by her higher-up. While Fanny had good intentions, it was undeniable that Numbuh 206, a supposedly decommissioned teen operative was on the lose and that no Intel regarding the Delightful Children's plans had been acquired.
2 critical missions inadvertently sabatoged, and Numbuh 86 was absolutely mortified. If anyone, Numbuh 274 should be the most displeased regarding the turn out of events. But Numbuh 362's straight-up rage and chastise was more than enough to express both the Decommissioning and Intelligence Sectors' dissatisfaction.
It wasn't as if anyone actually blamed her for the outcome, but everyone trusted her to garner positive results given her status as the best espionage agent. She'd barely get any missions since taking over as Global Tactical Officer, and the one time that she does ends up in a total mess.
Given her current disposition, it was inevitable that the next unknowing operative that would come her way would be kicked all the way back to Earth. With that mind, she'd quickly maneuvered herself to the Greenhouse.
As much as the Observatory was her sanctuary, just having to have a glimpse of her home planet would be enough to further her aggravation. It was quite timely as well that by then, the Scientists maintaining the place would have just finished their daily rounds. In the lower floors of the Treehouse resided the surprisingly expansive structure, where not much operatives treaded due to fear of catching the Scientists' 'weirdness'. She pressed her thumb on the DNA scanner and the closed doors slid open. Being second-in-command sure did have its perks. While Numbuh 274 could access all rooms in Moonbase, the privilege wasn't limited and Numbuh 362 could do the same, albeit it was limited to strictly only the main doors of offices of each Department. By this hour, no regular operative even those belonging in the Science Department should be allowed within the Greenhouse. It was a perfect hideaway at the moment.
The smell of freshly watered plants was calming for her, and she couldn't help but inwardly thank herself for remembering the secluded haven. From above, a large glass dome sits snuggly to roof the entire place and nothing but the twinkling stars were in view. The setting almost seemed romantic.
—Well, if she'd ever considered romance.
Nonetheless, it was breathetakingly beautiful. As she furthered her sight-seeing, the area of the flowering plants eventually came into view and she'd almost skipped like a Kindergartener. It wasn't a secret that she quite liked flowers, but it wasn't an information she was willing to divulge to just anyone. Her pleased eyes hovered over the variety, from conventional chrysanthemums to seasonal marigolds. From one of the corners, the roses stood out in grace despite it's conventional identity. Among the hefty patch, were dark pink colored ones similar to the ones from her last birthday. The memory had both elated and mildly perplexed her.
"Flowers? Numbuh 274 put me in charge of the guest list and giving them their assignments." She could clearly remember Fanny's retort to her misplaced gratitude and inkling had already veered its way to her head since then. But she'd always disregarded the hunch, considering that there are other possibilities. But the adjacent bunch right next to the roses almost made her heart stop.
Sunflowers—all prettily blooming to where the artificial sun was located was right there, before her eyes. At the back of the said variety, were lilacs in the richest pigment. It was truly odd. The said flowers were unusual to Moonbase, more so, to be cultured in the Greenhouse. Unless of course, they were personally requested by someone; someone who was powerful enough to convince the thick-headed Science Department.
"Mind if I join you?" The stroke of the familiar voice had halted her musings and her attention turned to the boy clad in scarlet nearing towards her.
"Numbuh 274, sir." Her temper had sizzled out and she was kind enough to welcome his presence. It wasn't even a surprise to her how Chad had suddenly winded up in the same place where she was. For some reason, he always ended up finding her right when she needed him. And secretly, she was thankful of it.
"I told you, there's no need keep the titles when we're out of duty. Just call me Chad."
"That would be breaking the protocol." It wasn't actually the case and she did recall his little reminder, but it was her subtle way of teasing at the same time.
He simply smirked and sighed almost dramatically. "Oh well, I tried." There was nothing wrong with his efforts at closeness. Perhaps, it just felt more comfortable and suitable for her to retain formalities; it felt safe.
"So, what brings you here at this hour?" While she wasn't perplexed as to why he was there, she was still quite curious of his purpose.
"Can't I admire the beauty of nature just like what you're doing right now?" Her expression slightly crumpled and she transfixed her gaze to a point away from his face. "What about Global Command...how are things with the Decommissioning and Intelligence Department?"
"Don't sweat it, that's already been handled. We've heard, well more like, seen what both sides had to say regarding what happened. As you would've already guessed, Numbuh 86 is taking most of the weight of the consequences in this situation."
"That doesn't exactly make me feel any better." The tone of her voice merely weakened and his contemplative eyes scanned her features before pacing once more, going up and over her direction and further into the Greenhouse.
Numbuh 274 may be an articulate and smooth talker but working side-by-side with him had taught her that there were some things that he'd only want to convey through body language. With such, she followed his lead.
"You know, I never thought the science geeks could maintain a place as nice as this. " The shift in conversation had her mildly questioning him in her head, but she concluded it must have been his way to make light of the situation. "Gotta thank Numbuh 10 for that. She visits once in a while to learn about the botanical practices of Moonbase. While she's at it, also suggests steps for interior design."
"Oh yeah well, " Chad spun around in a such a way that he'd be directly facing her and performed a series of whistles. "Can Numbuh 10 do this? " From up above the obscure trees, a large a bird with multicolored wings swooped down and landed on his awaiting arm.
Needless to say, Rachel was completely shocked and amazed all the same. "That's...I've never seen that around here before."
"It's a project made particularly for the Greenhouse. Supposed to help with the pollination of plants. You know, like how bees and butterflies do? Only this one's eleventy billion times more efficient." Her brows furrowed at his words. 'Made?' Taking a closer look, the bird was actually a form of 2x4 Technology. And it only served to increase her fascination. Rachel's positive reaction paved way for a grin to plaster on his face.
"Come here, I'll show you something more awesome." Chad gestured for her to follow before releasing the bird and scurrying off to a direction she knew she'd never traversed before. "W-wait, sir!" Her body's reaction was undecided yet almost automatic, running off after him in a heartbeat. Several questions she had no idea how to answer flooded her head and chest, but the genuine smile that etched its way on her face was enough of a reassurance for her. Never in her years as a KND operative would she have imagined to experience any of this—to simply feel free and without a care in the world as any kid her age should.
Turn after turn, corner after corner, and when she was already avoiding tripping over woody stems and ducking from overgrown plants, she knew they were already at the far off corners of the place. When his steps halted, Rachel ended up finding herself at the foot of a giant tree resembling that of a replica of a Treehouse. "Well...that certainly is something. Is this an imitation of a new Sector's Treehouse?" Chad simply shook his head and let out a hearty laugh. "No not at all, but you'll figure it out soon enough." He pulled a stray vine from the tree and a small device dropped down in the process, much to her surprise. The blonde boy cleared his throat before speaking. "Chad Dickson, codename: Numbuh 274 here." The contraption, which was then apparent to be a voice recognition system, was silent for a while before answering in the well known voice of the AI all Kids Next Door Technology would utilize. "Supreme Leader, Numbuh 274 identified. Kindly place thumb on scanner for verification."
The level of security the device was built in with caused Numbuh 362's eyes to narrow, and realization had finally loomed over her. "This...this is the Sooper Dooper Top Secret Research Facility of the Science Department! Sir, I don't think this is quite ok."
He turned his head to her just as the concealed doors to what seems to be an elevator unveiled. "Relax, the Supreme Leader wouldn't have any access at all to this area if it wasn't allowed." Chad then hopped on, all the while carrying the most innocent looking and faultless smile she'd ever seen on him. Rachel slightly frowned and blew out a stray hair from her face. "If this doesn't go well expect a long scolding from me, sir." Though it may sound amusing, Chad was quite a handful at times, and it calls for Rachel's attention to keep him and everything else in check; like a mother would to a father to maintain a healthy family.
The platform hauled them up all the way to the top floor where a laboratory was unveiled to her. She followed him, all the while familiarizing herself with the new environment. Judging from the equipment laid about in the vicinity, from the gigantic microscopes to the more peculiar 2x4 Technology, it was evident that botanical experimentations are carried out within the area. Walking further, Chad had led her to another door of a room, where a voice recognition software and a DNA scanner once more was essential for access. Somehow, her lack of skepticism regarding his actions puzzled her. And Rachel figured that perhaps, she had trusted Chad more than what she'd originally thought.
The metal doors slid and inside, tanks containing plants of every species were housed. "Genetic experimentations?"
"Bull's eye my dear. Even I was quite surprised when I saw this. Didn't think they'd be this dedicated to their job. But, this wasn't quite the thing I wanted to show you." Rachel only nodded in response, preoccupied with marveling at the new discovery.
"We're quite close now, Brace yourself Numbuh 362."
"Oh, I am nothing but thrilled." His fun-loving tone prompted endearing sarcasm from her.
On the far end of the room, a wide door without any sort of security precaution was fixed. Its odd quality different from the rest, caused curiosity to peak within her. "We're here!" With a push of a button, all was revealed before her.
Rachel's eyes widened by a fraction and audibly gasped at the display. Inside all the science and work related materials of the research facility, an expansive balcony could be found with an all-seeing view of the entire Greenhouse. Down below, the fountain in the heart of place was in full view. Its waters glistened with the artificial light illuminating the place. In the trees, the same sort of bird she'd seen prior were seemingly resting and huddled in flocks. Up and above everything, was the most stunning view of the constellations she'd ever seen. She almost uncharacteristically ran to the railing, admiring every angle the view had to offer.
"This is really beautiful! I've never seen anything as pretty as this on Earth or in space."
"You're right." His deep blue eyes fondly drank her in as he leisurely strolled to join her. "I've never seen anything as beautiful as this." He stopped right beside her, refusing to tear away his gaze from her face. Slowly, her head pivoted to stare back at him. The inviting smile and emotion in his eyes had caught her off guard, and for some reason, Rachel had no idea how to take him in. His hand then elevated and planted on her head, gently ruffling her hair.
"You know, for a strait-laced gal like you no one would ever guess you're actually this...warm." He withdrew his arm and found her confused eyes questioning him.
"Warm? What do you mean by that?"
"A devoted operative and superior who genuinely cares for the people working alongside and under him is a rare find. You're one of those rare kids, Rachel. So, don't be so hard on yourself. Of all people, Numbuh 86 knows this and so does our fellow comrades. Treat your kind heart better. You're doing great as you are now."
Her heart tightened in the most pleasing way, with nothing but incomprehensible gratitude and solace erupting from inside her. "Thank you. I never thought I needed reassurance from anyone until now. I'm really happy."
That night, a white flower in full bloom awaited her outside the door to her quarters. She'd just gone back from her office, about to retire early that evening as insisted by Numbuh 274 with the excuse that she's had a long day. Rachel quickly picked up the little gift, set on finding a good vase. With such in mind, she made a mental note to invest in buying one for herself. She figured that whoever it was that kept bringing her flowers wouldn't really stop anytime soon.
"Oh, is that a magnolia? I've never seen anything like it real life."
"Shh! Don't just talk to her like that Numbuh 83, she's the Supreme Leader! Oh and by the way, I know her name is Rachel from Numbuh 1." Her attention shifted to the right, wondering for herself why she hadn't noticed Sector W's presence when she'd rounded a corner. Maybe, she was that happy with receiving the flower.
"Numbuhs 83, 84, and 85. I didn't know you'd be visiting Moonbase."
"We sure are! Numbuh 60 said he had to personally talk to the Artillery Department for more supplies in Arctic Base. And since he said we couldn't be left alone in the simulation room, he decided to have us tag along." Tommy gleefully replied.
'Oh, I'm sure he can't.' She inwardly thought, remembering the 3's little stunt with destroying half of Arctic Base from a supposed 'surprise attack' from Father. While their story is quite convincing, Rachel couldn't help but still be slightly dubious regarding their testimonies. Even then, she'd quickly taken a mental note to visit Patton within the day. It wasn't always that she got talk to him and the last time they'd ever interacted was back when she kicked him on the face in her birthday. She still had yet to apologize to him for that.
"If you don't mind me asking, who gave that to you, ma'am? Magnolias usually mean 'to keep the faith and never give up'." Numbuh 362 then eyed the flower in her grasp, taken aback and contemplating. "How did you know its meaning, 83?"
The blonde cadet flushed and brightly smiled. "To be honest, I like flowers a lot and I read up about them. I learned it from a book called 'The Language of Flowers'. I personally really like magnolias. Not only are they pretty, but the meaning makes me glad too."
"Cool." Numbuh 84 chirped his most infamous catchphrase.
From out of the blue, a loud ringing was heard which turned out to be Numbuh 85's communicator. He flipped open the device and Numbuh 60's ever strict and booming voice blared. "Where are you kids! I take my eyes off you one second and you suddenly run up and disappear. Get back to the ship this instant. We're returning to Arctic Base. That's an order!" Shivering with fear, the cadets hurriedly bid their farewell and scampered off, cutting their encounter with her on short notice.
The interruption didn't pose much of a problem for her however as she still had the flower to take care off, but learning of it's significance simply raised suspicions and curiosity within her.
'Could it really be...' And as if fate was toying with her, from a distance the image of a familiar blonde preteen was getting closer in closer in view as he walked closer to her direction.
"Numbuh 362, thought you were heading back to your room." He casually regarded her, all the while donning an evidently pleased smile on his face. "Well yes, I was but I have to find a vase for this flower. I don't really want it to wilt anytime soon." His eyes then darted down to the magnolia she was so carefully carrying, and if it was more possible, his smile transitioned to a grin. "Well, you're quite the popular girl now aren't you? Guess being Global Tactical Officer's got you a bunch of admirers."
And that's where she had him. Chad was well aware of the fact that boys were downright intimidated by Numbuh 362 given her reputation and rank.
Without thinking, her hand shot forward and grabbed his. "Chad I—" Upon realizing her actions, her hazel eyes dilated and immediately elevated to search his, where she was greeted with equally surprised blue ones.
She hadn't known he had such distinct eyes with an usual, but captivating indigo shade.
Rachel couldn't fathom what had come over her but she'd quickly retracted her arm and fixed her gaze on the floor. "Uhm I, that was...I just wanted to know if perhaps, you were the one who gave this flower?" In that instance, she sincerely wished she'd disintegrate upon having question leave her lips.
"What are you saying Numbuh 362, that couldn't have been possibly me with my busy schedule and all. Or maybe, you've actually fallen in love with me?" His reply was cool and slick like a pair of skates sliding on ice. Her head then raised, now being able to see his usual smirk that typically left female operatives sighing and giggling in pure infatuation.
"Well gotta run, 362. Like I said, I'm a busy boy. Catch you later!" He hadn't even given her any time to reply before walking away but she truly did not mind. After all, it was the first time Rachel was at a complete loss and could not find any sort of reason to rebuke Numbuh 274.
On his way to his office, Numbuh 65.3 was patiently waiting outside the door. Once he'd caught a glimpse of Chad, the Communications Officer saluted and waste no time in stating his purpose of visiting him. "Numbuh 65.3 reporting for duty sir. I've come here to discuss about Sector A's lack of communica—" Numbuh 65.3 however, could not finish his statement as his superior came into full view. "Let's cancel the meeting for now. I'll get back to you tomorrow morning. Numbuh 274 quickly ran the scanner and disappeared into the safety of his domain. Numbuh 65.3 was left with his mouth hanging and in a state of bewilderment.
From behind closed doors, Numbuh 274 ambled over to the comfort of his chair where he released a heavy breathe upon sitting down. His arms slumped on the desk and for a few seconds, cushioned and hid his face in them. As he lifted his body, the obvious redness setting his face on fire was still clearly burning. His hand found its way over his mouth, covering it and feeling the warmth.
'It's the first time she's ever initiated contact...and called me by name!'
Over on her end Rachel wasn't doing any better, glued on the same spot with her face inflamed and hand clamped over her chest. Her heart wouldn't listen to her and kept beating wildly in her ribcage.
Maybe, just maybe, Rachel did consider romance.
With Valentine's day right around the corner, every person, old and young were busy making preparations. This of course, does not exclude the Kids Next Door. Even though the little holiday is commonly regarded as a festivity for couples, kids viewed it as an opportunity to shower loved ones with appreciation for being in their lives. Kind of like a form of an annual friend's or comrade's day within the organization. With that in mind, every child is looking forward for a possible present from their friends and families.
Given Numbuh 362's life however, she doesn't expect anything other than another espionage mission on schedule and it's quite something that she looks forward to each year. There always posed a high possibility for teens and adults alike to take advantage of the occasion to scheme or even carry out plans aimed at the Kids Next Door's downfall. But unfalteringly, she'd be hot on their heels and silently take down their operations from the background. So when Numbuh 274 filled her in about the details of the task assigned to her that year, she could do nothing but stare at him with utter disbelief.
"I, what?" But Numbuh 274 merely kept the smile on his face as he waited for her to take the invitation card in his grasp.
"It's an undercover Intel gathering mission. What seems to be the problem with it?"
"I mean, I do understand that it's espionage but what good would going undercover do? I've always been able to accomplish missions like these in hiding. What makes this any different?" Usually, she wasn't the type to argue when given a mission. But then again, none of her spy assignments had ever involved her to be social and attend a cruddy soiree.
"Orders from the Intelligence Department, and I don't see anything quite wrong with it. I've given my full authority to approve of the request." Numbuh 274 coolly replied, withdrawing his eyes from her. As much as they've eventually been able to smoothly perform their daily routines after the hand holding incident, interactions with her had never been the same. If he didn't want his heart to suddenly leap from his chest then surely, he'd rather not stare at her for too long.
"Well then, sir, where do you think I'd even be able to find a party dress at such short notice?"
"That's already been taken cared of." With a snap of his fingers, an operative rushed in and presented to her a box containing a garment. "Sir, I've delivered you the dress that's been requested!"
Rachel absolutely looked more horrified than relieved. "You've got to be kidding me."
And that's how she found herself, currently standing at the full length mirror in her room with an expression that didn't quite match her appearance. The midnight teal hue of the dress that's been picked out for her complemented her skin tone and matched the undertones of her eyes. The babydoll neckline had unexpectedly suited her quite well, along with the knee length skirt and silvery heels. Her hair which usually flowed freely over her shoulders, was fixed in a messy updo that made her look all the more sophisticated.
Not in a million years would she believe that the girl staring right back at her was indeed, Rachel T. Mckenzie.
"Oh my gosh, you look absolutely perfect!" Numbuh 10 was fawning over her as she inspected her own handiwork. The girl had coincidentally been on Moonbase on that day and thankfully, assisted in dolling her up.
"Tell me this isn't happening." Her voice resounded in a deadpan tone, clearly unamused.
"Oh come on, it isn't everyday that you get to dress up like this you know. Take pride 'cause you are smoking!" Numbuh 10 confidently insisted and fetched her purse for her.
"Now get going, the soiree awaits." She then walked over to her door with Numbuh 362 reluctantly following in tow. "Can't wait." The same impassive voice left her lips as they both exited her room.
Outside, Numbuh 60 dutifully awaited her emerge, ever loyally performing his duties as her personal guard. Upon laying his eyes on her, his mind went in a temporary stupor as he struggled to be comprehensible. "I, well, that dress, and the hair, I mean, It's just—you...you look...nice, sir." Patton concluded his ramblings and scratched the back of his neck out of embarrassment.
Rachel chuckled at his reaction and couldn't help but feel slightly better about her predicament. "Thanks, but it really wouldn't look this well-put-together if it wasn't for Numbuh 10." The said girl however, narrowed her cat-like eyes at him. "Just nice? Numbuh 362 looks gorgeous!"
"Yes, absolutely gorgeous!" Patton's almost instant reply caused his cheeks to flare scarlet and the 2 girls simply laughed at such. With everything in check, Numbuh 362 along with 60 were off to the venue of the gathering.
The mansion was brimming, with the girls all prettied up and the guys socializing in the most obnoxious way. Then again, most of the male population had always been annoying for her, save a few of her closest friends of course. From the 2nd floor of the structure, Numbuh 60 was stationed, keeping a close eye at every movement of each attendee. Stealthily, he waved his fingers over to her from above as a signal that the mission was in motion. Rachel simply nodded her head to him and pulled out the masquerade mask from her purse. Turns out the host of the party was quite a fan of Venetian festivities, much to her relief. At least the hint of anonymity would also decrease the possibility of human interaction that night.
She was currently at the far off corner off the 1st floor, trained eyes focused and away from the crowd huddled up in the middle. Really, she wondered how those teenagers could be comfortable with such a setting. It hadn't taken too long for the lights to eventually dim and the emcee of the evening to finally, formally open the gathering. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending the Queen Bee's supah coolio sooooiiireeee!" The crowd cheered and looked on to the spacious stage in front. "So without further ado, let's hear a few words from the snazzy Queen huh'self!" From behind the curtains, a platinum blonde haired teen wearing a hot pink gown stepped up and sashayed her way to the microphone. Rachel couldn't care less regarding what the girl who was so obviously stuck up had to say but listened in anyway. Unfortunately for her, none of anything the host chirped about offered any importance for her with regards to her mission.
A soft sigh escaped her lips. Truthfully, she was beginning to feel a degree of disappointment. With nothing to do, she made her way towards the catering area, hoping to find a good drink to lift her spirits at the very least. To her liking, raspberry punch was on the menu. With a cold cup of the drink in hand, she mused that perhaps the day wouldn't end in a total pity.
"So, come here often?" Her little haven was unluckily interrupted however by an annoying voice of a boy who was so obviously trying hard and failing at appearing 'cool'. Rachel turned her head to the direction of the voice, where a wiry teen stood all proud and conceited with his flirting. "Well I don't think a lot of people would really frequent this place, but it 'aint so bad." She entertained him with a kind smile of her own.
"Huh, why's that?"
'Maybe 'cause this is actually someone's house and this event is a seasonal thing.' Her actual retort however, was archived in the far depths of her head and she'd resisted the urge to spill the drink on his head.
"You know you're no fun but, I bet under that mask you're pretty cute." The boy giggled to himself and it took every ounce of her willpower not to grimace.
"C'mon, uptight lady, lets dance the night away!" He leaned his body over to her and licked his lips as he offered his hand, unsuccessful at looking seductive. It was official. Rachel was beyond uncomfortable. "Uhh, no thanks I'm quite ok with staying here a little while longer."
"Don't be such a party pooper now, I know you want to." His arm snaked around her shoulders in an attempt to coax her. The action immediately caused her body to stiffen and instinctively, threatened to bend into a fighting stance. Nevertheless, keeping her identity hidden was the main priority of her assignment and she fought with the urge to punch him on the gut. "No, you cruddy teen. I said I 'aint going."
The boy's eyes changed from smitten to indubitably suspecting. "Hey what gives? You sound just like one of those snot-nosed Kids Next Door—"
She was more than ready to deliver a blow that would render him unconscious, when the spotlight suddenly locked in on her and Rachel couldn't decipher if she was more dumbfounded or confused or the other way around.
"...And our lucky guest for tonight is this little lady!" Quickly, she shoved the boy away from her personal space and recomposed herself. "Uhm, what's going on?"
"Didn't you hear? The Evening Paramour chose you to dance with for tonight! Honestly, I don't even know what that prince saw in you. I'm sure you're not even nearly as pretty as me." If the brunette teen hadn't answered her question, Rachel was quite certain that she'd be off flying in space at the moment from a kick to the face.
From the other end of the venue where the spiral stairs could be found, another spotlight was lit to a tall boy with slicked back blonde hair. The mask settled on his face obscured much of his features, but the smirk curving his lips could only give a clue that underneath, he was truly good-looking. The pitch black suit that he wore clung nicely on his form, hinting toned muscles hidden beneath.
The rest of the female population squealed and swooned at the revelation of the mysterious guest.
"Well what are you waiting for, come on over and meet the Evening Paramour!" All of a sudden, the emcee's microphone enhanced voice was right next to her ear and she'd nearly jumped in surprise. Rachel was absolutely unsure of what to do. "Uhm no, wait, this must be a mistake, I mean..."
"No no, it's no mistake. Don't be shy now, the Evening Paramour is wuh-aitin'!" With a playful yet powerful shove, he prompted her on her feet and she found herself stumbling a little before awkwardly walking over to the boy every girl in event seemed to be head-over-heels over.
"I am so jealous! I wish I get picked out by the Evening Paramour next year. He's never picked me in all Valentine's soirees..."
"He's got like, the most beautiful and rare silver eyes! It's so unfair, why does she get to dance with him?"
All around her, the dismayed voices of those that weren't chosen bombarded her ears and her face scrunched up in irritation. As a matter of fact, Numbuh 362 could go her entire life without ever meeting this Evening Paramour that everyone's talking about. But even then, simply this boy's alias was suspicious to her and maybe, she'd found her target for that night. The mysterious boy neared her as she did to him and when they've both ceased walking, she realized that he'd led her to the middle of the dancefloor. Up close, the unknown blonde only appeared much more puzzling yet attractive that it almost seemed otherworldly. He stood a good height taller than she did and somehow, the difference was quite...familiar. Looking up closer and studying his face proved to be useless as the mask hid too much for recognition.
He said nothing and reached out to her, presenting his palm to initiate a dance. Hesitantly, she accepted his invitation.
"I've never actually danced and I don't believe I'm good at it, but thank you for selecting me." A smile had visibly stretched on his features and with his other hand, posed a finger to his lips conveying for her to hush. The same hand then pointed to his ear before moving downwards and gesturing to his chest.
To anybody else, the lack of speech would seem unsettling. To Rachel however, it was quite calming. She softly nodded in response and the music began to play in background.
Bend your chest open so I can reach your heart
I need to get inside, or I'll start a war
The boy then placed his other hand on her waist in a notably careful manner and he swayed with her to the tempo of the music. Clumsily, she fastened her own free hand on his arm. As the song carried on with its soothing melody, an odd emotion began to progressively overwhelm her chest. Even with half of his face concealed it was evident, how this boy that she'd never met before, poured and focused all his attention on her at that very moment. His touch was gentle and conveyed feelings that seemingly manifested as affection on her skin.
Wanna look at the pieces that make you who you are
I wanna build you up and pick you apart
As the last word of the verse played out, he expertly coached her for a spin and at that instance, could not deny that she was quite reveling in the experience.
Let me see the dark sides as well as the bright
I'm gonna love you inside out
I'm gonna love you inside out
Let me see the dark sides as well as the bright
I'm gonna love you inside out
I'm gonna love you inside out
At that point, a sincere smile had accentuated her features as the steps had gradually become more dynamic, yet still simplistic enough for her to follow. Her partner on the hand, only visibly reciprocated her emotions as he more than willingly guided her on the dancefloor.
I'm gonna love you
Again, he'd led her to a twirl where she'd expected to end in such a way that she'd be directly facing him once more, only to be pulled close to his chest.
I'm gonna love you
"Uhm, hey..." For some reason, she found herself unable to complete her sentence and even unable to resist the sudden intimate action. The scent of the ocean on an early summer invaded her senses the moment he drew her in. The way his arms wrapped around and secured her spoke depths of feelings that she was certain, would be difficult to translate into words. His grip on her shoulders was nearly scorching yet tender, bordering to endearing possessiveness. And as she elevated her gaze to stare at this person that had seemingly put her in a trance, complete shock became visible on her face upon the unexpected realization.
At such a close proximity, it was undeniable and apparent.
His eyes weren't one-of-a-kind silver ones as everyone gushed about. They were blue in the undertone of indigo.
Without warning, all sources of light had shut off and only the panicked voices of the participants was notable in the vicinity. In such a commotion, the boy released her from his hold and from what she could already tell, used the opportunity to escape. Rachel on the other hand, fiddled with her communicator disguised as an earring and poised herself in a defensive position.
"Numbuh 60, come in Numbuh 60! Do you know what's going on?" The staticky noise from the receiving end fizzled out and Patton's voice reverberated loud and clear.
"Numbuh 60 here, sir! Currently here at the house's main source of power. Someone timed the blackout to happen. I 'aint so sure myself but the device used for activation seems to be command controlled. But from what I could tell, the effects are temporary. It should go back anytime soon right about..."
The next thing she knew, light began flooding in the mansion once more.
"...now."
Her eyes spanned each and every corner of the vicinity, maneuvering swiftly yet keenly through the sea of anxious partygoers by sight. But nothing, not even the most ridiculous looking villain had sauntered into the room nor did any bizarre contraption appear out of the blue. The emcee's distraught voice of reassurance then echoed all throughout and the night ended without any sort of alert of an adultyranny attack from all sectors of the Kids Next Door.
The so called 'Evening Paramour' had of course, left without a trace. Rachel could only shake her head and smirk to herself. He always knew how to execute a plan all clean and with little to no slip-ups.
Amongst the pile of generic greeting cards and sweets, what greeted her on her office desk the day after, was a bouquet of red tulips wrapped up in the most exquisite lavender mulberry paper. Gently, she picked up and cradled the well-thought-out present and admired it's elegance. She hadn't even noticed, how she'd been idly smiling from the time she'd discovered the flowers and the mild reddening of her cheeks.
"That's a lovely gift you got there." A cordial boyish voice had fished her back to the real world and she swiveled her heels to be greeted by her Supreme Leader who'd just welcomed himself in her office.
"Goodmorning, Numbuh 274 sir." Even with the unwavering smile on her face, Numbuh 362 hadn't forgotten formalities.
He treated her to an sweeping grin of his own. "Mornin' to you too Numbuh 362. Just came over to remind you to send in your report about the mission yesterday. We're running a little late on schedule but I expect nothing less but good feedback from you."
Even though it would absolutely please her to reply with a knowing remark, she'd thankfully still held herself back. "I'll be right on it."
"Seems like you're in a pretty good mood. I take it you enjoyed the party last night?"
"I suppose I did. Got a chance to dance with a classy gentleman. Was a real lifesaver from the creep at the punch bowl who just wouldn't leave me alone." In all honesty, Rachel quite enjoyed how the buoyant smile on his face was in danger of evolving into a full blown scowl.
But Chad Dickson had always been a convincing actor and he simply shrugged his shoulders."All's well that ends well." His outright appearance was flawless in any way, but Rachel was a master at deception herself and knew better than to trust his façade. But then again, she didn't really mind. It was something that over time she'd realize, is quite lovable. Given such, she figured it wouldn't hurt if she pushed it a little farther.
"Say, you didn't happen to leave Moonbase at all yesterday now did you?"
"Nope not at all." The question seemed to significantly brighten his mood.
"And you weren't the one who gave me these flowers either?"
His blue eyes looked on to her sweetly as he beamed. "Definitely not me."
But the faint scent of the tranquil ocean on the wrapper of the bouquet had already answered her question.
She supposed that day would be what a typical afternoon on Moonbase would look like. What with almost every operative running around to get things done, Global Command wasn't doing any better themselves. It wasn't as if there was really any pressing matter at the moment, but with summer vacation getting closer and closer everyone must be eager to just get away from all the responsibilities and just simply rest.
While the position of Global Tactical Officer had always been revered, happenings like these always seemed to change her position from essential-second-in-command to plain secretary/errand girl of the Supreme Leader. Rachel wasn't enjoying any of it one bit. But she'd always be dedicated to her work and so she was there, aiming for his office with hurried steps to carry out news from the Engineering Department. Just when she was a step away from the door, they mechanically opened, revealing a clearly stressed Numbuh 274.
"362, you've got the report I asked for?" His breathing was almost ragged, hinting that he must've ran from place to place before returning to his office and again, leaving for another crucial matter.
"Positive. But I suppose, I should return at a better time?"
"No, no it's quite alright. You can stay in my office for a while. Take a seat and a breather while you wait for me." With those words, he jogged off to the opposite direction and Rachel did as she was told.
The cool air blowing from the air-conditioning system was truly refreshing. She'd released a heavy sigh and just leaned further into the sofa. A part of her insists that it would be no trouble for Numbuh 274 to take his time, but the more logical side of her just couldn't be kept still and would want to just get everything done and over with. But, that would also mean more running around to do for her boss. Her displeasure couldn't possibly hike any higher. Remembering the brown envelop in her grasp, she got up from her seat and approached his desk where piles of paperwork stacked one after the other lay.
Her face twisted a little, now slightly guilty for feeling any sort of annoyance regarding her duties with all that's been shoved to Chad's plate. Carefully, she placed the envelope over the heap that wasn't as towering as the others. But alas, even with her heedful actions the papers fell on the floor in a complete mess and she'd almost screamed in pure, irritation and frustration. Such however, would only further dampen her mood and so she'd simply leaned over to retrieve the fallen documents, when a certain book caught her eye.
The impact had caused the book to flap open to one of the pages, where a small fold was creased on the upper right corner. Within its contents, was a picture of the flower she'd received last Valentine's day. Rachel's eyes widened by a fraction. Quickly, she picked up the book and read the marked page.
Inside a brief history regarding its origin was printed; from the country it was first discovered to its first uses in terms of gift giving. And as she progressed her reading, she'd eventually stumbled upon its meaning depending on the color.
Her free hand rose and landed on her lips, as a pink tinge colored her cheeks. Warm hazel eyes read the meaning over and over, validating for herself if what she'd just gone over was real. Just to confirm her thoughts, Rachel quickly scanned the cover page of the book and was convinced.
"Language of Flowers" While it might have not been the same issue that Numbuh 83 has read, the information it had to offer was enough for her.
Returning to inspecting the material, Rachel flipped through other pages and uncovered that several others had been marked prior. Such pages held accounts and meanings of all the flowers she'd received so far. And from them on, all that's happened began to make sense to her.
The last page seemed to just have been tucked, with a fold that looked as if it was rushed she'd nearly missed it. Her eyes hovered over the appearance of the flower before reading its name out loud.
"Sweet pea" How its called was darling enough for her ears. Rachel ventured further, patiently going over its history before stumbling on its meaning. Although, upon reading the last line of the article, nothing but an incomprehensible void filled her. Not an implication of emotion could be traced from her features except for the sudden tightening of her lips. Turning her head from side to side, she'd quickly inspected if there were any seeing eyes spying on her at that moment before taking the book for herself and finishing rearranging the papers that fell.
The following day was a Sunday, and on such days she'd leisurely have the opportunity to retire within her quarters in Moonbase the night before. These were but of the few opportunities that she'd be a able to sleep in a little longer in the day and at the very least, wake up by daybreak. Yet, there she was, tired eyes almost beginning to puncture holes on the ceiling of her room from the staring she had no idea how long she'd been doing. Her bed side clock clearly indicated to her that it was barely 5 am but she wasn't currently interested in any form of relaxation.
From then on out Rachel understood that things would indeed be rough. With much difficulty, she pulled herself off of her bed and began her daily morning routine, starting with a good stretch and a hot cup of tea before heading off to the shower.
As expected, the same traffic of operatives filling Moonbase the day before was absent when she'd exited her room given the day and the current hour. But she'd always valued her solitude, especially in times like these.
Given the direction of her room, his office would always be the first thing she passes by before accessing her own. Somehow, she just couldn't bear to even have so much as a glimpse of anything related to him at the moment. Unfortunately for her, there was no other route that could possibly serve as a detour that would prevent such. Then again she remembered that like her, Numbuh 274 had the habit of sleeping in during Sunday mornings.
But she'd suppose it was always too good to be true for everything to work in her favor, because when she'd crossed that hallway leading to his office to hers, it was more than obvious that the metal doors were wide open with light flooding in from the inside. Just to make sure that it was indeed Numbuh 274 within the office, Rachel let herself in. The peculiarity only increased. Not a soul was in sight and she'd quickly raised her defenses. Cautiously, Numbuh 362 paced around the room in focused inspection. It hadn't taken too long for her to discover what had been out of place and it was there, sprawled out on his desk. The moment she'd laid her eyes on the unknown object however, realization and pain washed over her. There on his desk, was the most eye-catching bouquet of sweet pea blossoms she'd ever seen. Judging from it's current state, whoever it was that brought the flowers was in the middle of preparing it as a present with all the unfinished wrapping and ribbons scattered all over the desk. Beside the bunch, was a small card where a simple message was scribbled.
"Goodbye." The word fell so despairingly in her ears.
For once, Chad actually bothered to fill her in regarding the meaning of his flowers.
"Rachel" The blonde girl promptly turned her head towards the direction of the collected yet compelling voice.
There he was, the boy that was her Supreme Leader, watching her from across the room wearing an ensemble she'd never seen before. As she took note of the plain blue shirt, jeans and simple sneakers, the unfamiliarity only caused her stomach to churn even worse.
"I...didn't know you'd be awake so early." Chad started, appearing to find it to difficult to form words.
"I'm sorry for intruding. It's just that, you've never really been up either at this hour and I suspected someone must've broke in your office."
"No, it's ok. I just have something to attend to for today." For some reason, the way his words exited his lips seemed more cryptic to her than it should but Rachel did nothing but listen to him speak.
"Anyway, I have to go leave early. I see you found the flowers. Was supposed to bring that with me as props for the mission, but I'm guessing that you like them. You can keep them for yourself." Just like before, he'd been selfish to turn his back in an attempt to leave without giving her a chance to talk but today of all days, she'd have none of it.
"Chad, thank you. I appreciated everything. I don't exactly understand what's going on right now but for you, I'll try my best to. All the flowers, all the arrangements; I'll never forget any of it." It was a miracle how she'd pacified the surging clamor in her voice as she spoke fluidly, even able to put on an unrestrained smile.
"Goodbye. I'll never forget you." 'When had he began walking towards her?' Her thoughts absentmindedly mused with the realization that his body was currently enveloping hers in a heartfelt embrace. Her slender arms in return, held him as close as he did to her.
"Thank you." Her lids fell shut, relishing the moment and she'd never come to know that his face, resting on her shoulder, actually bore the same vibrant grin he'd first showcased her with the first time she'd entered Global Command.
The moon was indeed luminous and absolutely immaculate that evening. All the lights were closed, and only its vibrance filtered through the darkness of within. In its comfort, Rachel sat quietly on her study table and opened an album she hadn't touched in a while. Inside, several flowers had been immortalized, fastidiously pressed and preserved as beautifully as they had been when they were freshly plucked. On the first page was the remnants of a once boldly colored lilac, with the date it was received and meaning written on the page.
"First Love" The nostalgia had brought a tender smile on her lips, and she pondered for a while if its meaning was purely a coincidence at that time.
The following page contained a sunflower, which was evidently a headache to flatten and keep nestled within the album.
"Adoration"
The third housed one of the most she's quite fond of, where plenty of deep pink roses were preserved.
"Gratitude and Appreciation"
Flipping through the next would reveal a magnolia still impressively in its purest form.
"Keep the faith and never give up". While everything started on a sour note for her on that day, it had turned out to be one of the moments she's quite sure would be hard to entombed. After all, it was also the day she'd come to terms with her own feelings.
The second to the last section boasted a beautiful collection of tulips. With only a thin sheet of plastic separating her fingers from the dried flowers, Rachel dearly traced its outline.
"Declaration of Love" Even as a preteen, Rachel could only describe that evening as nothing but complete bliss and magic.
Though it might have brought her anguish once upon a time in her life, she could not seem to harbor any sort of resentment towards the last pressed flower on the album. It was even the one she'd most meticulously handled in all her flower preservation sessions.
The buds of sweet pea flowers charmingly littered the page and even with its nature, contentment filled her being.
"Goodbye."
Rachel then closed the album shut and lifted herself from her position, grown out blonde hair swinging over her shoulders in the process.
Plentiful of months had gone by since she discovered those flowers on his desk. On that afternoon of that same fateful day, chaos erupted from all over the world regarding the rise of new villains— Mega Mom and Destructo Dad. Several Sectors from all over the globe perished in their hands, all in accordance to protect a lone young boy; the then Kids Next Door Supreme Leader, Numbuh 274. It was then by the conclusion of the whole havoc that the truth reared its ugly head into the scene.
Chad Dickson Codename: 274 was then, a 13 years old operative on his way to becoming a traitor. Or perhaps the better term, was pseudo traitor.
While it was difficult to take in all the information at first, taking over as Supreme Leader had finally granted her the explanation she had no idea she'd most desperately yearned for. And it took her a while to finally admit it to herself, but months' worth of seeing him when he'd report to Global Command as a double agent had truly put her at ease.
But then, Rachel wasn't blind and the changes were beginning manifest gradually but surely. His blue eyes were appearing more hollow by each passing month and so was the lack of vigor and increased agitation in his behavior. And when news of confirmation regarding the actual existence of the Kids Next Splinter Cell came to light, she knew the inevitable was to come. Without so much as another word to her, Chad Dickson ultimately vanished into space. That occurred approximately 1 year ago and since then, she'd found herself lost.
The next thing she knew, a leaked transmission revealed that the Galactic Kids Next Door were after the destruction of the Earth with Numbuh 1 as their puppet. There in background, was Chad, who fell prisoner to his extraterrestrial captors and desperately wanted nothing but the salvation of his home planet.
Current Supreme Leader Rachel Mckenzie, now at the age of 13, motioned over to the satchel left forgotten on her bed and slipped the album inside. Over on the window sill, was a freshly delivered aster flower with a pink lace secured on its stem. It's always been a topic of wonder for her how she'd progressively kept on receiving flowers even after his eventual disappearance into g:KND. But however he's managed to pull it off, she'd most definitely be eternally grateful.
She hadn't really needed to look up the meaning of the blossom anymore, as she'd religiously read the book she'd acquired from his office over and over to the point of almost memorizing all the flowers.
"Patient Love" She fondly and softly murmured to herself before packing in the flower along with her other belongings. From the other end of the room, Patton silently watched her as he waited.
"Sir, it's time to go."
Rachel briefly nodded her head to him and slid on her mask, revealing nothing but just her eyes.
Tomorrow was the supposed day of her decommissioning, but clearly, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Patton's own decommissioning was scheduled a few months after her own, but he'd strongly refused to let her go by herself. His loyalty for her exceeds his own regard for his self image, and insisted to accompany her all throughout her journey.
After all, she was on her way to stop the g:KND from the inside and make damn sure that Chad Dickson would return to her alive and well.
Song used in soiree scene: Inside Out by the Chainsmokers