Haven't written in a while and I come back with a fic filled with oh so strong teenage angst.
Partly based on Numbuh Vine's video, 'Stop the g:KND' that was released on YouTube last 2015.
Also, since I'm a lazy piece of trash the title is based on the song that inspired this story. It is entitled Reinventing your Exit by Underoath.
His weary and battered form was slumped haphazardly unto the unforgiving floor. He was in a place that was all too familiar, but put in such a state that made him, former revered Supreme Leader Numbuh 274, completely and utterly powerless.
"No! My family is in there—your family. Our friends!" The coarse texture of his anxious shouting seemed to mock his own ears as he frantically pulled at the shackles secured around his wrists.
The boy clothed in red before him merely indulged him with a half-hearted turn of his head. "It's ruled by adults; infested. Too far gone."
Nevertheless, anything other than passive acceptance seemed like a better option at such a crucial moment. "What about Sector V? Hoagie, Kuki, Wallabee, and Abigail?" The blues in the depths of Chad's eyes ignited and the following words that left his lips rendered Numbuh 1's resolute form to visibly falter in front of him.
"Abby would never let you do this." Almost automatically, Nigel withdrew his finger from the activation device, effectively momentarily halting the destruction of the Earth. And for a while, Chad wondered if mentioning her name instead would garner a different reaction from him or possibly even, drive the British boy to drop all forms of affiliation to the g:KND.
Without warning, the barely lit room was interrupted as an inactive monitor sprung to life, followed by multiple others. Among the multitude of voices coming from alien operatives, a pressing question is sought to be verified—Nigel Uno's loyalty to the g:KND.
The succeeding events spun like little incompatible and unrelated pictures forced into a single frame in Chad's head. Whether it's due to the dire nature of Earth's survival or missing the opportunity to fathom Nigel's response upon mentioning the girl, he did not know. Even then, the latter would deem him as trivial and truly, unfit to even fulfill the position of a leader. But a large portion of his entirety is hinting to him that it's both matters that's pushing his mental stability over the edge.
Just as sudden as it had occurred, the sea of chatters hushed and was replaced by an authoritative voice echoing from above. The glaring, sunlike light that accompanied the utterance shot through his vision and its nature caused nothing but mind-numbing desperation to overtake his system.
"Don't do it Nigel! This isn't what the Kids Next Door is about." The timbre of his own bellow resounded hauntingly all throughout his very being. For once in his 15 years of existence, Chad Dickson is terrified.
"Silence!" The roar of the higher, foreign entity forced him into quietness and a small prison made out of some form of sturdy material akin to steel on Earth unfolded from the ground, entrapping him into place. Within the cramped space, was pitch black darkness and a heavy limit on outgoing and incoming noise. But being confined against his will and thriving within a cage is nothing new to him and it was easy to adapt.
Faint but apparent, Nigel's holler rumbled within the vicinity and travelled to his ears. "Galactic Kids Next Door Rules!" What followed was the sound of the activation device being positively set off and his mind entered a period of still detachment. Each and every memory entwined and rewound in his head; his mother, father, triumphs, failures, the euphoria of perseverance and most of all, the different faces of operatives all around the globe conveying nothing but devotion to the Kids Next Door.
Hazel green eyes greeting him during the darling hours of dawn.
His next conscious recollection was the activation chamber vivid and flashing with warning signals right before his eyes. Scraps and sheets of remnants of what was once his cage were strewn all over the floor. From the destruction, clouds and clouds of arctic air hovered all over something akin to dry ice that clung all over the ruins surrounding him. From a few meters before to where he was standing, Numbuh 1's shocked expression explained to him what exactly had transpired. His head of messy blonde locks pivoted to a turned off monitor and the fading, eerie magenta accent of his gleaming blue eyes stared right back at him from his reflection.
'You can take away the boy from the villain, but can never take away the villain from the boy.' His thoughts mused in bitter appreciation towards his own parents.
Instinctively, Numbuh 1's form lowered to a defensive stance, something which was definitely not a mistake. In a blink of an eye, he was evading punch after punch from Numbuh 274, who was fighting in a surprisingly controlled frenzy. For a while, it almost escaped his mind just how formidable Chad was as a combatant, slipping through his barrage of attacks through the eye of a needle. His alert evasion however, proved to be a challenge for the older boy. Once an opening was clear for the taking, his grip found themselves locked around Chad's arm and consequently, threw the latter fluidly over and unto the ground.
Silence followed the blaring impact of the body hurled down ruthlessly. Nigel's back was turned, refusing to gaze at the immobilized teen that was once one of his most precious friends and comrade.
"It has to end this way, Chad. Abby and the others will eventually under—" An acute, shooting pain walloped directly to his right calf. His upright form was forced to descend in a kneeling position before being subsequently hit on the back by what he assumed was a straight kick.
'That's right, ' Nigel thought in resignation as he fell face first on the cold ground. ', Chad had always been well adept at kicks...something which he must've picked up from—' His prone position had been coercively flipped over, granting him a first class seat to view the perfect picture of broken dreams from a hollow adolescence. His torso was burdened by the weight of Chad's lower body as the resentful blonde kept him in place.
Chad's fingers fastened and curled around Numbuh 1's collar. "Everyone put their faith in you and stood by your selfish whims! Every operative, cadet or teen looked up and drew inspiration from the son of the honorable Numbuh 0. You were the perfect role model in their eyes!" The silver tint of Numbuh 1's eyes flashed with nothing but conflicted anguish. His voice could not manage to reverberate a sound from his chest and sheer guilt manifested itself in the tightness of his jaw.
"I trusted you to look after my children—she trusted you!" The fury in his tone had diminished to strained disheartenment. 'She?' His mind attempted to look for answers. And as he searched his agonized blue eyes for any clue, he swiftly took note of something that was quite out of place. The suffering mirrored within Chad's stare wasn't his. "Numbuh 362's faith in me is the same as any other loyal member of the Kids Next Door." His response was plain and stated almost as-a-matter-of-factly. It wasn't a riddle to him as to why Numbuh 274 sported a look of undeniable confusion.
For a moment, the memory of Rachel's beaming face captivated Nigel's thoughts. Her indomitable fiery eyes ensnared and fascinated him the first time he's laid his eyes on them and it's nearly ironically painful to recall. Rachel's smiles were never, and would never be his.
"She had always been looking straight ahead; looking up at something so great that it was far beyond me."
'Eyes passing through me; looking at someone that isn't me.'
The cryptic nature of his words and the veiled emotion of his eyes from beneath the visor made it difficult for Numbuh 274 to decipher what he had meant. "Are you blind, Uno? Rachel of all people, believed in you the most!" How laughable it was that the sound of her name rolling from Chad's tongue sent a bitter aftertaste in Nigel's mouth. His lips curved into an amused smirk. "Are you actually telling that to me, or restating that to yourself?" However, before their vague discourse could continue, a precise surge of pain impacted the back of Chad's neck. In an instant, his eyes dimmed along with the visible dropping of his shoulders. It wasn't long before his entire upper body fell and his back almost looked to be agreeable with resting on the ground. In the distance, an operative donning a crisp black suit manifested from an open door. In his outstretched hand, rested a highly advanced weapon carrying sedation projectiles.
Numbuh 1 hurriedly rose to properly acknowledge the presence.
"My apologies for arriving quite late. Are you hurt?"
The boy in question softly shook his head. "Negative, Numbuh Infinity."
Numbuh Infinity paced forward and ended a few feet away from the disabled teen. From underneath his sunglasses, his dark eyes rested on his form with intrigued amusement. "It seems like I got here just in time. Who knew he would be able to escape that confinement facility even with the ability restraining device locked around his wrists?"
Nigel merely angled his head in such a way that the shadows splayed across his features would hide his expressions.
"Matter aside, congratulations on fulfilling your duty Numbuh 1. The mission is underway. Oh, and I'll have you know that members of your former sector have astonishingly been able to locate headquarters and infiltrate."
Numbuh Infinity's interest piqued with the seemingly lack of hesitation the boy before him displayed. "I see. They are members that are soon to become 13. We must deal with them at all costs." The stony reply coming from Numbuh 1's mouth seemed to satisfy Numbuh Infinity and his heels whirled to take himself back from where he had emerged, urging the former to follow him.
"They're also accompanied by a rather promising young girl. Codename: 362, the current Supreme Leader is it?"
A short span of ear-splitting quietness had passed. "She must be eliminated at once. Her loyalty towards the Earth originating Kids Next Door is much too troublesome."
Numbuh Infinity couldn't help but let a smile spread on his face. "Is that so? What a shame I suppose. She could've been the next...perfect candidate."
With that the gigantic metal-like doors closed with a booming snap. From another entrance on the other end of the chamber, 2 alien operatives emerged and proceeded to retrieve the fallen teen among the ruins. Higher grade, ability restriction shackles were cuffed around Chad's wrists and he was dragged away from the room without any protest. In what little image he could make out from his hazy vision, he was able to obscurely recognize his sneaker clad feet sweeping aside debris as he was being lugged away.
"Nigel Uno...what have you done?"
While I may not be correct, it might serve to be a huge confusion as to why Numbuh 274 suddenly became an ice bender. His 'ability', as it's referred to in this fic, is my take on the power of Chad's biological parents to 'stupefy' opponents. For those curious about what I'm talking about, I do strongly advice for you guys to watch Operation C.H.A.D. where it features Mega Mom and Destructo Dad, Chad's parents as the main antagonists.