Fail or Prevail?
The New Beginning
Chapter One: A Plan Failed Twice
"Uh…guys?" Numbuh One said, his voice trailing as he slumped his head downward. The team was gathered in the main room of the tree house. It had been one week since everything had calmed after the chaos of the Delightful Children's attack. Numbuh One had received urgent news from Numbuh Eighty-Six.
"Yeah," Numbuh Two replied.
"Numbuh One…is everything okay? …You seem kind of…distant…" Numbuh Five added gazing longingly at him.
"I just want you all to know…I am going to the moon base for a while…" his voice trailed again.
"What for?" Numbuh Four queried, now interested in the subject.
"That I cannot tell you… But I might not be back…" he choked, trying to hold back tears.
"Bu-but you can't leave us!" Numbuh Three protested.
"Yeah! Who's going to lead the team?" Numbuh Four added.
Numbuh One turned as his eyes filled with tears. "Lets just hope I still can," he said. He ambled wearily out of the tree house.
Outside the wind blew harshly, whipping at his skin. The bitter cold rain lashed his face ruthlessly. Ice fell endlessly from the blackened skies from above. And in the distance, he saw the evil machine approaching. He turned and ran towards the door.
"Team!" he panted, trying to gasp breath.
"Numbuh One?" the team chorused together.
"Numbuh One, what is going on?" Numbuh Five asked, going to his side.
"Delightful…Children…machine…coming to…destroy…tree house…battle…stations…" he answered between gasps.
Numbuh One collapsed still panting. Banging clatters from outside echoed as they inched closer. Numbuh Five knew what was about to happen.
"Take cover!" she yelled as everyone scrambled about to various places. "Hold on, Numbuh One…hold on…"
The roof was peeled off and loose boards and pipes fell. The Delightful Children From Down the Lane appeared above them, grinning insidiously. Numbuh Five ran, dragging Numbuh One behind her.
"Where do you think you're going, Abigail?" they questioned with pleasure of what would soon be a victory. The vicious claws of the machine grabbed at the fallen leader. "We only want Number One…and just to play!"
They tore him from the girl's grip. Breathing hard she ran for a higher reach to retrieve their beloved leader. Running briskly up the stairs, she slipped, scraping her knees. Numbuh Four was running for the ground's cover and passed the desperate girl.
"What are you doing?" he shouted.
"Our leader is in trouble! We have to save Numbuh One!" she yelled tired from running.
"Oh, so he walks out on us, leaving us alone, leaderless and defenseless, and you want to save him?" he responded angrily, "you've got to be joking!"
"Yeah! Well think of all of the things he has done for us!" she shouted back over the roar of the wind and machine that shrieked outside. Numbuh Five continued running as Numbuh Four turned and muttered insults.
The building raged with the blazing glow of flames. Smoke slashed through her like an assassin's dagger. She saw him fall from the grasp of the Machine, falling towards his death. She felt the building tumble beneath her. She ran for the bottom, praying he would be okay. Her feet pounded the grass as the icy rain clawed at her face. The unstable tree house fell before her eyes. They left. The blaze still lightly glew. Numbuh Five fell to her knees.
"Numbuh One!" she cried. "…No…"
Numbuh Four came to her side along side the others. All of them had cuts and bruises, but none were as worse as hers.
Father laughed insanely chorusing along with the raging of the fire. He had seen it. They were all dead-destroyed!
"So…none of them are alive…right?" he said, glaring into their eyes.
"Well-uh…we know Number one is…but the rest we couldn't find and we collapsed their home so-uh we…think they're all-" John (the little blond kid in the front) replied.
"You THINK they're all dead? You were supposed to destroy all of them and make sure the job was done!" Father roared.
"Well, they all-uh ran before we could be sure-but we-" A raging hand of fire whipped John across the face. He fell dazed onto the floor after hitting the wall.
"Father! That isn't fair! They scattered before we could destroy them! And even so, it isn't just John's fault! It is all of ours! But their the ones who ran, right?" Ginny (tall blond girl behind John) yelled back at Father. The rest backed away.
"So, you wan to rebel, eh? Well you know what I told you I'd do to rebellions, didn't I?" he said.
John leapt in defense. "Father, please, she is young. She doesn't know what she is saying," he said. Father turned, deciding that he was right…she was young and didn't deserve death. But a shoe flew through the air, hitting Father's head.
"I know exactly what I am talking about!" Ginny shouted. A blazing fist threw her across the room in one punch. Dazed, she picked herself up. She saw the raging figure inching towards her angrily. Ginny did the only thing that she could. She ran into the bitter night, away from her life…away from her death…
Author's Note: WAHOO! Fail or Prevail is finally restarted! And I haven't watched KND in God knows how long! I decided to keep the old one up for the heck of it, but this is the newly refurnished version! I have the same summary for it as the other one, but the titles are different-the old one is Fail or Prevail? The new one is Fail or Prevail: The New Beginning. Hope you enjoy it and hope you like it better that version one! Peace! Niobe D. Roosevelt
