You're running.
The higher ups have put out an alert that a rebel group from Earth have arrived on base and are blasting any and all operatives in their way; looking for one operative in particular.
You.
Your heart's pounding. It can't be, it can't be them. They should be on earth, decommissioned. But, you want it to be them. Still fighting, still remembering each other, their adventures, you.
But you push that hope down. They can't be here. They can't remember. They can't get in the way. They wouldn't understand…
You make it past the doors and manage to duck a blast of mustard. You pull out your own weapon and fire back without thinking.
The lack of sound indicating a body has hit the ground tells you you missed. You focus your thoughts and take aim again but freeze.
It's Wally and Kuki. They're here, and he's holding her up and glaring at you while she frowns in confusion and that can't possibly be Numbuh Four, he's too tall and they can't be here they can't they can't they can't…
"What the crud Numbuh One?! Ya been fightin space kids in Canada too long to recognize your own team?"
"How many times does Numbuh Five half to tell ya? Canada and Space are not the same thing!"
Belatedly, you do what you're supposed to do when you enter a room full of hostiles and scan it. Your heart sinks. Everyone….everyone from Sector V is here. A little taller, leaner. Tired.
Curiously, the only one who looks the same is Lizzie, whose presence throws you for a loop. What is your crazy ex-girlfriend from Earth doing here? Holding a S.P.A.N.K.E.R. of all things?
She should be on Earth.
All of them should be.
Your eyes narrow behind your sunglasses as you grip your blaster a little tighter as you steel yourself for what you have to do.
"Under the power of the Galactic Kids Next Door, I am going to have to bring you in for immediate decommissioning."
"Numbuh One are you crazy?! The galactic kids next door are the bad guys. I don' know if you noticed but they're gonna blow up the Earth."
"Only because there are too many adults and not enough children to fight them Numbuh Five; decommissioning the entire planet is the only option."
A stunned silence follows your declaration. For a moment it seems like they see that the Galactic Kids Next Door really do have the best intentions and will come quietly but then Abby turns to Lizzie and roars "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US HE WAS BRAINWASHED?!"
Lizzie shrugs and says something in return, but you don't hear her.
Brainwashed.
The word echos in your mind. They think you're under the Galactic Kids Next Door's thumb. That you don't know what you're doing.
You can feel that familiar pressure by your temple, that pressure you get whenever you get angry that only yelling seems to relieve. But now is not the time to yell.
You raise your blaster and point it at Abby. Their leader. If you take her down first, the rest will follow.
"I will give you one more chance. Come quietly or I will be forced to take more drastic measures."
Abby glares right back as she pulls her own weapon up. "Go ahead and try it Numbuh One, I dare you."
You're about to pull back on the trigger when a heavy weight slams into you from the back, knocking you down and making you lose your grip on your weapon, sending it flying across the room.
"Sorry about that man, but you almost shot Abby…"
You can feel the pressure building by your temple, but you don't care. Your former tea-Sector V is refusing to listen to reason. To you.
You're scowling as you jab your elbow into Hoagie's stomach, causing him to recoil backwards and get off while you reach for his dropped weapon.
But it's been a long time since you've fought side by side with Sector V and you've forgotten how good they are.
Hoagie's hand is tightly gripping your wrist, stopping you.
"C'mon Numbuh One...you know these space kids are nuts. They got you fighting us for pete's sake. Us! Your team."
He's not scolding you. Or even angry. The only emotion in his voice, on his face is concern. And that just makes you angrier. Hoagie's supposed to be the smartest kid in the team and he's talking to you like you're five.
With more force than you'd have ever thought you possessed, you rip your wrist away from him and take a step back, eyes darting for anything to help your situation. But there's nothing. Just your former team and Lizzie slowly surrounding you.
Trapping you.
"You don't understand! The Galactic Kids Next Door is a good thing! Adults are a disease and they're working on a way to cure it!"
"Oi, I understand it perfectly. The Space Nerds are nuts and have made my friend nuttier than a fruitbat!"
"Wally" Abby shoots him a glare before turning to you again, an uneasy smile plastered on her face. "Now Numbuh One...why don't we just go home. Get the guys down on Moonbase to undo whatever nonsense they did to you. OKay?"
Again. The implication that you don't know what's going on. That you're just a pawn to the Galactic Kids Next Door. That you need to be saved. Fixed.
You're shaking and that pressure in your head is pounding against your skull. You can't remember a time that you've ever been this angry.
Abby's hand is outstretched and her smile is more genuine. Confident.
"We're your friends Nigel. Trust us."
"ENOUGH!" You yell back at her, swatting her hand away from you. The building pressure is gone, gone with that one word, that one shout and you've never felt better. But still angry. It's a weird feeling to be sure but it feels right.
But you can't really enjoy it because everyone else is staring at you in stunned horror. You frown, and look around at them. "What? I'm fine. The Galactic Kids Next Door..." you trail off as you notice Hoagie flinch at your words, Lizzie opening and closing her month in disbelief, Abby staring at you, an array of emotions struggling to find their place on her face. Shock...fear...and worry?
And in the corner of your eye, you see Wally moving in front of Kuki, weapon raised and glaring at you with pure hate.
"I don't know how you got up here, or what you did with Numbuh One, but I'm gonna make you regret it."
"Numbuh Four-" and then the sound of your voice hits you. It's a little deeper than it wasa couple of minutes ago...kind of like...
You freeze. It can't...it's not possible...shaking, you look down at your hands, at your body, hoping, praying that you'll see the pale flesh of your hands, at the rumpled white of your hoodie but to your horror all you see is an all too familiar black.
You look back up at Sector V and once again take in their expressions. Their fear. Their hate.
And you run.
Away from them, from the room, from anyone who could possibly recognize you or him. And you hide. And try not to break down and cry. You can't help but hope this is just a nightmare. That you'll wake up tomorrow and find that your friends haven't made it all the way up here. That you didn't turn into the spitting image of your uncle.
But deep down, you know. This isn't a nightmare. It's been years since you've had that particular one and it was never, never as bad as what had just happened.
A/N: This drabble was written mostly in response to a really great text post and discussion on Tumblr regarding the mess that is the Uno family and what might occur if Sector V were to run into Nigel after the events of Operation Interviews and he got angry enough to *ahem* trigger certain powers.