A story I've been wanting to draw for a year now but just can't make anything out of. Until I suddenly thought of just, getting right on it and writing it out this morning. Turned out a little darker than I expected, thus the M rating since it doesn't seem too appropriate to classify it under T.

Post g:KND Timeline

His eyes looked on ahead—straight and unperturbed in the hazy sunlight filtering through the many branches of the tree hanging above his head. He'd blink in several consecutive moments of idleness, trying to shake off the heavy pull of the grass covered ground blanketing the surface in which he'd seemed to be sleeping on for quite a stretch of time, beguiling his muscles to remain relaxed and inactive for another moment of slumber.

Chad had sat up straight in an abrupt heave of his weight, shaking off the number of fallen leaves and canary colored blossoms which had fallen on his head.

"So, you're awake now. Good morning." The voice resounding with grounded calmness had come from above to his right, urging him to angle his head high to find a small girl perched atop of a lowly yet sturdy branch of the tree, as if the very limb of the woody structure had purposefully sunk its arm for a seat exclusive to no one but her.

He'd smiled sheepishly and scratched the non-existent itch at the back of his head before replying in an uncertain tone. "Yeah…I guess I kinda conked out for too long huh?"

She'd studied him with the imperceptible dullness of her tawny eyes, contradicting with the sparkle of emeralds reflecting on its outer rings as the light of what he could recognize, was the mid-morning sun bounced from their surface.

"You always do. And 'conked' out is certainly an understatement."

"Well, the complexity of your vocabulary is an understatement."

The hints of contained annoyance had blazed rather quickly and unexpectedly in her once lackluster gaze. "What you said makes no sense and has no relation whatsoever in this conversation."

Chad had shrugged languidly, smiling in the usual mischievous way that he does whenever he'd so luckily push her buttons. "For what, a 6-year-old talking like an adult? What I said totally makes sense."

"How long do you plan on staying here?" She'd dismissed his provoking retort without so much as a minor indignant reaction, staring at him inflexibly with the question daring to pierce through him like a spear.

His blue eyes had blinked once in startlement, reducing all the hilarity on his features to a canvass of indecision. "Well, you're always here, now aren't you? So, I don't really see any reason for me to count how long I'll be here exactly."

The wind had blown a balmy breeze, sending her choppy locks of baked golden hair flying about and obscuring the expression that had taken over her face. "You still don't get it, now do you?" She'd hopped down from the branch in a single fluid spring of her body, before walking away on the bricked path ahead.

You see, Chad…

He'd jumped on his feet upon seeing her leave. "Hey wait, where are you going? What don't I understand?"

The image of her retreating back had seemed to move farther and farther away faster than what he believed was logically possible, as he raced to her in rushed jogging steps. What had felt to be sunlight had grown stronger and stronger, afflicting his vision and reducing the lucidity of the girl in his eyes as nothing more than a burst of pretty little sunbeams.

Yet, he was certain that he'd seen someone else when he'd shielded his eyes from the burning rays with a palm just before she'd entirely disappeared from his line of sight, with a taller figure in orange and a waterfall of lengthy caramel blonde hair.

…you need to let me go.

He'd breathed in a deep intake of air as his eyes flapped open, slowly and in tranquility as his vision adjusted to the environment after a brief sleep.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." Maurice was smiling at him in sarcastic affability, with his arms crossed and lounging adjacent to his seat.

"Give me a break Mau, I've got a splitting headache."

"Whose fault is it for leaning on the craft like that?" He'd glared at the inky-haired teen in irate silence, choosing to hold back his tongue and nurse with repetitive strokes of his hand, what felt to be a dent that had embedded on the side of his skull.

"Anyway, now that you're awake, we'll be approaching the wormhole soon. Better strap your seat belt on."

"Really? Pretty fast ride considering we came all the way from Andromeda." His voice had finished in a hush, drifting off his gaze along with his cluttered thoughts on the window to his right, absentmindedly examining the darkened plane of space lighted up in inconsistent patterns of light from the many scintillating astronomical bodies scattered on its surface.

"I need to let you go, huh?" He'd whispered under his breath in full collection of those words, whose voice so honeyed yet somber had haunted him in his consciousness.

Maurice had kept his eyes on him from their corners, before exhaling a breath and cutting short Chad's listless musings.

"Did you dream about her again?"

It was as if the question had come as something he'd expected, with the despondent turn of his head of blonde and face so void and vacant of anything other than loss.

"Yeah. Big-ass tree, warm sun. And her in all her stoic cadet-days glory." He'd laughed a tune so coarse and bitter, even the ring had sounded so harsh in his ears.

"So, it was the same old dream?"

"You could say that." Part of it was a lie, that was certain. This time, along with her leaving him to laze around alone under that tree, he'd seen someone else in place of her silhouette, whose form had looked to be familiar but whose clothes he'd never seen before.

Maurice had let the atmosphere hang quieted for a moment, collecting the flow of his thoughts in an organized bit by bit fashion. "Listen Chad, about this mission we got called for in Earth, you know its implications, right?"

"What implications? Other than formalities and shit, it's just attending this thing where we thank the allied org for backing up our asses on that mission on PA-99-N2 b, right? We're nothing more than political accessories to pretty up picture taking results."

He could feel the knots in his dreadlocks beginning to loosen from the hiking annoyance, struggling to keep his bearings in place with the blue-eyed teen's ever cynical thought process. "Good news for you I doubt we'll become picture accessories since we're obviously running late, but a mission's a mission so we have to be there. What I'm talking about, is the allies themselves. You know they didn't come from our world, don't you?"

"Yeah, so what of it? We're basically travelling back and forth from gigantic light-swallowing portals, Mau. You're also forgetting I practically shoot ice off my hands. I don't think anything out of the ordinary could faze me anymore."

Onyx eyes were trained on the hand Chad had lifted up in emphasis of his stupefaction abilities, before shutting and reverting back to stare straight ahead. Maurice had sighed another time, choosing to shorten the discourse. "I don't think I can really get to you when you're acting like this. But just remember," He'd turned his head to face him, catching the other teen's confused sea-deep eyes with the solemnity of his features. ", whatever you see and hear, just keep it together, ok?"

Chad could only respond with the fixed look of disorientation on his face and an unsure 'What?', whilst Maurice had said nothing more.

The other end of the wormhole had transported their spacecraft straight to Seattle, home to one of the largest open-area event venues built with the collaboration of the Kids Next Door and its partnered teen and adult organizations. The enormous mass of metal had loomed intimidatingly over an expansive field, casting an encompassing shadow as it landed with the sound of the engine and exhaust gradually coming to a calm and eventually, halting altogether.

"Arrived at mission point. Disengaging the hatch in 5 seconds." Ace's voice had echoed throughout the ship, resounding through the central announcement system.

Chad had stepped down first with his features scrunched up in bewilderment, having the expectation of a formal gathering crashed into what looked like a small bunch conducting an impromptu meeting in the middle of the venue laid out on a grassy field. "What the—I thought this was some sort of awarding ceremony."

"It is. But we don't really have much time left, so this'd have to do." A wave of soft red hair had come bouncing down as a girl had slipped passed him and skipped a step to land one level below to where he was currently standing. She'd placed a hand, gentle and reassuring on his shoulder, with the beauty mark sitting underneath her eye pushed closer to her lower lashes as her eyes crinkled with the kind smile adorning her lips.

"Have strength, Numbuh 274." Numbuh 10 had bid him with cryptic encouragement as she walked on ahead, causing the flaxen-haired teen to conclude that the odd speaking pattern must run in the family.

"It's just as she said. We don't really have much time left." Maurice had spoken in a leveled tone, easily locating Abby who'd headed the ceremony in the sea of attendees and gave a curt nod of acknowledgement the moment they've locked eyes. "Seems like they don't have tech as advanced as ours yet, so leaping through blackholes is considered suicide. Their space-time travel device is unstable. They can be called back to their world at any minute." Chad could only hum in disinterest, finding their so-called mission more unnecessary than it already was with the race against time not quite sitting well with his idea of a well-thought of assignment.

They've squeezed through the crowd in a manner less blatant and calling for attention than their spacecraft parking, having to have been honed as double agents for years. A group of two was splayed out on the tiled floors of the venue, appearing so ridiculously sparse for a place that he'd accurately estimated, could accommodate hundreds of people. To his left and right, were his comrades—those of the extra-terrestrial kind, honorary and veteran members of the Teens Next Door, and even the notable adult operatives that up until this point, still fails to fully register in his mind to be the very allies he's fought along side with in the previous war. To his front, were no one but strangers; human in appearance and lacking the extra limbs and green coloring he'd expected visitors from another world like the unforseen reinforcements they've once had to have. However, the seemingly similar physicalities were still insufficient to mask the evident difference which sets the two groups apart.

Donning clothes so crisp and without a single tear, smiles so enlivened from within and had obviously never seen the horrors which they've endured.

And as for them, remnants of what could be called as their humanity housed in hollow husks, with an ugly mash of scars just lying beneath the surface of their hardened faces.

Ah, it's happening again.

He'd whirled on his heels to leave in a second's decision.

"Hey, where are you going?" It was Maurice's voice calling out to him yet without the sounds of shuffling clothes to indicate strides coming after him.

"Just gonna clear my head. Maybe a smoke or two."

Hurry, before it could get you.

Everything was yet to brew into chaos, but it was there, gradually building up from faint clamors to deafening loudness. He'd stopped in his tracks in a rigid movement, angling his head low whilst clamping his eyes shut from the sudden throb on his temples, bringing both hands upwards to soothe the hammering in his cranium. And suddenly, when he'd finally jerked his head upwards despite the pain, the world was smeared with a bloody shade of red—buildings split in two, children crying and suffocating underneath the debris, every human irregardless of status stilled with the frightening truth of the inevitable.

'…ad'

He'd forced his lids down and kept them from flapping open, chanting over and over to himself and willing the images to dissipate.

"It's not real…it's not real…it's all over—none of it is true."

'…ad!'

Yet he could still hear the various voices of grief, spilling out as hoarse cries and screams of people and the sound of spacecrafts firing what he could just imagine, were atomizing rays.

'…Chad!'

The blonde teen had veered his hands back to his head, clasping so tight that his fingernails were beginning to dig angry crescent marks on his scalp in a desperate attempt to calm his mind into quietness.

"I'm sorry, Chad, I did everything I could but she just…"

It was then that his arms had fallen limp by his sides, standing up straight and staring with his eyes filled with regretful anguish. He could see him right in front of him, all broken and struggling to speak in the middle of uncontained sobs. His hair as dark as the night sky was in disarray, unkempt just like the state of his fatigue clothing, which he'd looked to be wrapped in for days now. And in his hands, was her slight form, so peaceful without any hint of torment on her face, yet so cold…so very cold.

Patton could only keep weeping—the face of trained apathy having to have entirely crumbled. And as for him, could only feel as if he was butchered by the chest and left inside out, with an emotion far too consuming and close to insanity.

"…Chad?" He'd blinked abruptly at the sound of the voice, uncertain yet filled with that serenity so close to his heart for him to possibly mistake.

No...it can't still be a hallucination...now can't it?

Yet the portraits of violence had disappeared and the greenery overtaking his vision was as crystal clear as the chirping of the birds singing their own distinct song from the nearby trees.

"...Hey, Chad, are you listening to me?"

There it was once more, complete with that tone dripping with exasperation characteristic of her short-tempered personality, and bouncing off so hauntingly in his ears.

If this was reality, then it better be what he'd always hoped it to be. With all the courage he'd thought he'd never find again, Chad had pivoted around to the direction of the voice.

It seems he'd walked a considerable distance yet still within earshot from the venue, with Maurice lagging behind a few steps and looking spent and out of breath from what he could infer, was an unfruitful attempt at getting him back to sound consciousness. Yet the image behind him had kept him planted firmly on the marble flooring underneath his feet, bringing back to the surface emotions he'd sworn to long forget, entombing every ounce of what's left of his love, hate, yearning, and torment for as long as his life could possibly permit him. This girl before him, wearing that citrine colored jacket he'd seen in his dream and with her long fair-toned hair spilling out in tresses down to her waist, had looked so much like Rachel. She'd gazed at him with a befuddled expression, yet with eyes as luminous as newly polished gems, contrasting starkly from the constant look of jaded seriousness her face slightly younger than this person in his memories would usually sport. What looked to be a speech she was giving with her situated within the center of attention of the crowd was left interrupted, with the focus having to have shifted to them.

And it was then that it all had finally clicked, bringing all the puzzle pieces together to form a complete picture.

That's right...it's not the same person but...it's still Rachel

"Chad, that is you, right? When'd you suddenly change clothes? You were with me just a minute ago." His mind could process nothing but her presence in front of him, irrevocably transfixed as he'd felt a painful tightening in his chest, coiling and coiling so unbearably that he'd had to swallow down the growing lump forming in his throat.

Her expression had filled with confused worry, unable to comprehend what seemed to be repressed misery etched on her TND partner's face, so bizarre after just seeing his usual laid-back haughty self a few minutes ago.

...As if, it was another person she was looking at at the moment.

"…Hey, what's wrong? Are you o—"

"Damn noisy pot plant thing, keeps yapping too much—sorry I kept you waiting, you would not believe this alien lady who sounds too much like Uno's—" He'd strode to her side dressed in the same unfamiliar clothing from one corner of the throng of attendees, of which shade of blue Chad had unconsciously thought, he'd definitely wear if given the chance. A face identical to his yet lacking the weary purplish circles darkening his eyes had gawked at him like a deer caught in the headlights, switching his gaze back and forth from his mellowed-out counterpart to Rachel, whose eyes were just as bewildered as his.

And when the realization had dawned on the boy in blue, his eyebrows had scrunched up, looking so scandalized as he addressed him in a complete shocked rage. "Oh, hell no! Yeah sure, I may have gone through war there but there is no way, for Zero's sake, am I ever gonna end up dressing like Star Lo—" A brilliant light had suddenly enveloped half of the crowd gathered in the vicinity, with the people appearing to be composed of nothing but wispy conglomerates of air as they were being summoned back to their world. For a while, he'd closed his eyes, finally resigned to the acceptance. Chad had looked on to her, with the rigid contours of his face softened by the first genuine smile to ever grace his features since that day all those years ago.

"Rachel, "He'd called out her name for one last time, memorizing every detail of the curves and angles of her face as she is now, carving out her very image in his memory, for him to remember once more and never let go in the confines of his subconsciousness.

A raucous screech had then briefly followed, almost completely dampening the sound of his consequent words, yet he was sure she'd heard him or had at least, read his lips at the pink flush that had colored her cheeks and her features expressing utter wonderment. As the noise had blared louder and louder, the dazzling glow had subsequently transitioned to a blinding wall of light, and what was left in the aftermath were what seemed to be tiny sunbeams scattered about in place of the space-time travelers.

Perhaps, it was his own mind playing tricks on him, but at the last flicker of light dancing about in the air prior to entirely vanishing, he'd seen that same little girl atop of that old acacia tree, finally bidding him farewell with the vivid brilliance of her eyes mirroring that of her in an orange jacket from the world that was not his.

Thank you, and I'll never forget you.

"I guess I don't have to explain anything after you've seen all that, huh?" Maurice had paced his way to him with a sentimental upturn of his lips.

The murky depths of the waters in his eyes had glinted a vibrant blue in what seemed to be forever, reflecting once more the same stroke of endearment they'd once used to carry once upon a time. "Of course. Another timeline, huh? Hey, I'm just glad that things worked out, even if it had to be in a different universe from this one."

"You know, for a second there, I was scared things would go completely caput. Numbuh 274 still hasn't fully recovered, and to think something like that could trigger his condition, Numbuh 5 should've thought better."

"Hey, you've done the best you could for both parties, you know. And we ought to thank their little soap opera reunion scene for saving the situation. Thought it would make things worse, now didn't you?" Abby had kept her gaze trained and unswerving on the scenery in front her, boring into the now empty conference hall with a look screaming so far away, as if she'd gone and left him to a place that he was certain, he'd never be able to reach.

"Well, I didn't do so well, now didn't I? It's been years, but it never hurts any less. The things I could've done, for her—for all of them. So, having to see a 'what if' version of our world where everything never went bananas, I thought I would've gone bonkers, you know?"

There in the very corners of his mind, were images coated in black and white, still fresh and searing him slowly from the edges until he'd become nothing more than a pile of ashes burnt by his own guilt; comrades held captive to never see the light of day again, civilians reduced to what was worse than soot—her sister's blood seeping and staining his clothing in the midst of the deafening explosions—

Maurice had then exhaled a calloused sigh, shaking his head vigorously and finding her eyes as dark as his own, staring at him with a look of knowing worry. He'd cracked a weakened smile as a small effort at reassurance, to which he was thankful she'd given back to him.

"I understand. Some things are just too painful they're bound to leave a mark whether we like it or not. But as for Chad, I don't think you really need to blame yourself for what happened. Believe it or not though, he's probably holding out better than all of us now. Seeing her again might've instigated some form of closure."

The contemplative expression on her face had fallen to that of realized wonder, finding that something seems to be amiss.

"By the way, where is he now? I haven't seen him in a while."

Maurice simply smiled and let his head hang by the joints of his neck, drinking in in his gaze, the various tones of pinks and blues erupting and scattering the setting sky in a vivid array of colors. "Left for another ship a couple of minutes ago. Said something about finally settling things with Drilvosky and personally coming to Kepler-62f for that."

Tbh, there's actually a prequel to this. But for some reason, I have this weird mood where I just can't write in Rachel's perspective (of which that prior story is written in the perspective of). So due to that, I've written this to be a stand alone piece that could be understood (I hope it was) without having the first part to be read. I do hope I'd have my thoughts collected enough to write that first story tho. My bursts of energy in writing nowadays are also weird and leaves just as abruptly as it comes. ( థ ▽ థ )

(Also, yes that was an Avengers reference please spare me uhuhuhhuhuhu. (༎ຶ⌑༎ຶ) I̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶i̶o̶u̶s̶l̶y̶ ̶i̶m̶a̶g̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶w̶e̶a̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶j̶a̶c̶k̶e̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶l̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶ ̶i̶d̶k̶ ̶w̶h̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶c̶l̶i̶c̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ )