ZERO: The Year After
Chapter 1: Rude Awakening
August 11th, 2006
A day of great promise and malice for Earth's inhabitants,
The day a young boy discovered a dark yet hopeful secret,
Both about his family, and himself,
Though fortunately, most casual people have forgotten such a day,
And yet others could only wish for such luck
A faint pant encapsulated the dark room, panting which could only describe the current state for the sleeping Drill Sergeant known only as Patton, or Numbuh 60. His legs twitched, his body shifted as it dripped of sweat, even his face looked as though it were in pain as he remained trapped within his nightmares. Though slowly did his hand begin to shake as it rose, clenching as if it were reaching out for something. Yet the sound of an evil cackle seemed to sync perfectly with his clawed looking hand before he felt himself scream. Shortly after did Patton find himself awake, though his abnormal black eyes could only indicate fear as he checked his surrounding area, his heavy panting continuing briefly before breathing a deep sigh of relief.
"Rise and shine", said the cheerful voice of Patton's mother Lilian as she opened the door to her son's room, causing him to cringe at the bright hallway light before allowing his eyes to adjust to his mom's gentle smile.
"Mom, seriously, it's 7:30 in the morning; save the pep for dad why don't you", said Patton, his tone rather grouchy sounding as he tore his covers off his legs.
"Well okay Mr. Grumpy pants", she replied in a mocking pouty tone. "I just wanted to let you know that breakfast is ready."
"That is if Jeffery is ready", she said as she pointed towards his friend and second -in-command known only as Jeffery, or Numbuh 600. He tossed in his sleep as he shouted out random things, bringing a smile to the young boy's face as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Well, that depends; Jeff, you ready to go", he asked his friend, nudging him with his foot before seeing him flinch.
"Wake me up in September", Jeffery said in a sleepy tone, unaware of the large smirk that encompassed his raven haired friend.
"Alright fine, I guess I'm going to have to eat all that food by myself", the young boy replied with undeniable pride as he watched his friend spring up from his futon.
"I'm up! I'm up", the blue eyed boy screamed.
"Oh goodie! Well, I'll leave you two to get dressed. Tootles", she sweetly chirped before closing the door, leaving the blue eyed boy to stare in annoyance at his smirking friend.
"Sheesh, talk about a low blow", he replied, irritation clear in his voice as his friend's smirk never faded.
"Eh, what can I say; your spazouts are the highlight of my morning", Patton replied in a cocky manner, much to his friends dismay.
"Fine, sure, just don't expect me to save any Chocolate Chip pancakes, okay", he asked as he watched his friend's face turn pale with shock.
"What", the young Drill Sergeant screamed as he watched his friend's face flare up with a smirk all his own.
"Ha! See, don't like it when people do it to you, huh", Jeffery asked, his prideful yet cocky smile enough to irritate the young boy as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Just go get changed", he yelled towards his friend as he watched his face turn pale with fear momentarily.
"Aye, aie, Captain", the blue eyed boy replied, hesitation ever so clear in his tone as he left the room with his bag in hand.
Yet what eyes could not catch, was the melancholy look upon the face of his raven haired friend as he stared at the date depicted on his calender; August 11th, 2007.
"I can't believe it's already been a year...", he whispered, that melancholy glaze ever so present in his black eyes even as he went to change for the day.
Somewhere not far off from the Drilovsky's residence, circumstances certainly seemed much less troubling for a certain Supreme Leader as she lay curled up in her soft bed, dead to the world as the radiant sun began to reflect against her dishevelled golden locks. She seemed so peaceful, so at ease with the world as she lay wrapped in her soft sheets. Unfortunate for her though that a small figure had plans to interrupt such tranquillity as he slowly creeped towards his sister's bed, mischievous intent clear in his brown eyes and on his freckled face as his lips slowly reached her ear.
"You know, I hear they're cancelling Dr. Time Space", he whispered into her ear, knowing that only seconds after did her chocolate brown eyes open in wide-eyed shock.
"But they can't, it's mid-season", screamed Supreme Leader Rachel, or Numbuh 362 as she sat herself up in her bed, her eye filed with the type of shock one could only emote when things had gone horribly wrong.
Though a quick notion of logic overcame her the instant she got her bearings, turning ever so slowly to face her little brother Harvey McKenzie, or Numbuh 363, a mischievous grin clear upon his face as he began to speak.
"Morning Sis", replied the buck toothed boy, a look of annoyance clear upon her face as she spoke up.
"Harvey...Must you always resort to this method", she asked, her tone clear with annoyance as she rubbed her temples between her soft fingers.
"Well it's not my fault you could sleep through a volcano erupting. Besides, sissy girls are a lot easier to scare when they're sleeping", he replied, his tone of arrogance enough to irritate her even further before breaking out a small smile.
"Awe, how sweet of you. In fact, I think you should be rewarded for such kindness", the young girl calmly said with a smile, a smile which turned to a devious look as she watched her brother turn pale at the sight of her hand reaching for his head.
"Ah, right! Well, maybe I should get going. Bye", the little boy replied in nervousness as he ran directly for the door, unable to hear the little chuckle which escaped his sister's mouth.
Yet that small giggle could not withstand the sheer shock which formed upon her face as she turned her head to face her calender, the mere sight of the date enough to make her sigh in mild grief.
"So...it's already been a whole year it seems...", the young leader said to herself, her chocolate eyes revealed a sign of uncertainty even as she left her to change out of her nightwear.
Yet even the fiercest lions could have their moments of tranquil peace, and someone such as Global Tactical Officer Fanny, or Numbuh 86 certainly proved such a case as she lay quietly in her Rainbow Monkey shaped bed. Her covers lay atop her body as she wore her signature yellow nightgown, her frizzy red hair in layers and pieces as her head rest beside a purple Rainbow Monkey. She seemed so peaceful, so at ease, much more so than one would initially believe so.
Unfortunate though that all changed at the sound of a familiar Rainbow Monkey theme coming from a colourful alarm clock, stirring the Irish redhead ever so slightly. Irritation could be seen upon her twitching freckled face, so much so that she threw the covers over her head to distract from the song. Yet, it never ceased to ring even minutes after, irritating her even further. The song continued in an endless loop for what seemed like seconds, even minutes, only to end as the irritated looking girl unveiled herself from under the bed covers.
"Alright! Sheesh", Fanny screeched through her thick Irish accent, staring at the clock in full blown irritation before grabbing it to turn it off.
Yet such irritation could only be ceased upon a quick glance at today's date, not that it did much for the Irish redhead as the surprise in her emerald green eyes could only be replaced with a scowl.
"Great. Today's national whiners day, give me a break...", the Irish girl said, irritation clear in both her eyes and on her face as she stood herself up from the bed before she went to change.
Not far off within the quarters of Sector V, circumstances appeared to much more tranquil for its mutant resident Alex, or Numbuh 273. Though how could she not feel secure and tranquil as she lay in her dimly lit, otaku infested room? She lay face up on her bed as her curly hair lay atop her head, clothed in a pink nightgown as her head lay off to the side with her Crona plushie. She too seemed just as peaceful, or at least she would feel so if not for the presence of her cumbersome alarm clock as it did its job to slowly bring her back into reality.
Here eyelids may have opened to reveal her brown eyes, but her reflexes seemed much slower than usual. Regardless, her irritation remained ever so president upon her face as she sat up to stare at the device. And yet, satisfaction became ever so clear upon her face as her eyes glowed a light pink, telekinetically resetting the alarm. Satisfaction which only lasted until she noticed the date in stunned silence.
"It's been a whole year today...hasn't it...", she asked herself, staring at the clock in stunned silence momentarily before letting out a big sigh.
"Arieu...", she said with disappointment, all the while muttering the Japanese word for "unbelievable" before hitting her bed once more to stare at the ceiling.
Merely minutes had gone by as she stared at the ceiling, a disappointed yet irritable look present upon her face before finally letting out a sigh once more.
"Well, might as well try and make the best of it", the mutant girl said, annoyance clear in her tone even as she energetically jumped out of bed to get ready for the day.
A loud yet delicate snore; it seemed to be the only sound emitting from Sector V's second-in-command Abigail, or Numbuh 5. Yet even she appeared as tranquil as ever, sleeping comfortably on her side, her usually braided hair dishevelled as it lay off to the side of her tiger-stripped pillow. Unfortunate then that such tranquillity seemed to vanish as her hazel eyes opened to the sound of an off-going alarm.
Though for what it was worth, the braided beauty didn't seem to mind one bit; she stretch her arms momentarily, even let out a big yawn as she stretched to turn the alarm off. If were ever present, then a small smile seemed present upon he r face as the spunky girl got up from her bed, stretching a little more before she took a walk over to her pad's window to watch the rising sun momentarily.
"Looks like it's gonna' be a nice day today", said Abigail, her calm and spunky tone a sign of suggestive resolve in the day, that is until she let out a small sigh.
"Just too bad about the date though", she replied to her own sentence as she gazed at the calendar, a touch of melancholy to wash over such spunky hazel eyes as she began to tie her long black hair in a braid once more.
A loud snore; typical yet cliche of a boy such as Sector V's hand-to-hand combatant Wally Beatles, or Numbuh 4. Though one could say that such snoring did not seem to faze him as he lay atop his room-sized boxing ring, a big grin plastered upon his sleeping face as he threw speratic punches in his sleep, delighted by the notion of such blissful dreaming.
Yet all that seemed to disappear in an instant at the sound of a familiar alarm, a sound which seemed to irritate the blonde Aussie as he felt himself stir from his sleep. Though to be fair, it didn't take long for him to slowly sit himself up, unleashing a rather loud yawn before feeling his hand smash a familiar shaped object. One glance revealed surprise and curiosity as he turned his head, only for that expression to mold into annoyance upon seeing his smashed alarm clock.
"Ah crud, not again! That's the fourth time this week", Wally said aloud, his voice filled with irritation as he lifted his unscathed fist from smashed object, only to find himself curious as he stared at the flickering date.
"August eleventh...", he said to himself, feeling his curiosity become deja vu as his emerald eyes stayed concentrated on the date in front of him, at least momentarily.
"Oh well", he said, brushing such curiosity off as he went to change.
Some find tranquillity all too hard to obtain or earn, yet for others, it is but a natural gift. Such was the case for Sector V's ditzy yet loveable nurse Kuki, or Numbuh 3. Even in such early morning hours did she display such a gift as she lay quietly in her fluffy bed, a bright, happy smile clear upon her face as she lay off to the side. Her long, ebony hair dishevelled as it clung to her slender body, even her face seem comfortable as it lay snuggled up to her special friend Mr. Tinklebottom.
"Oh, why thank you Mr. TinkleBottom! It's so nice of you to invite me to dinner", Kuki sweetly chirped in her sleep, her enthusiasm equal to match her waking hours she she remain living in dreams.
Yet only temporarily, for no sooner had she uttered that sentence did the little Asian girl find herself awakening to the sound of a Rainbow Monkey alarm clock. Her violet eyes slowly fluttered open as she rubbed them, even yawned as she sat up from her warm bed.
"Morning already", she asked herself, still sleepy even as her sleeve hidden hand turned the device off, not that it stopped her from recognizing a familiar looking date.
"It's been a whole year, huh...", the little girl asked herself quietly, feeling a temporary silence overcome her living quarters as she stared at such a date in mild surprise.
"Oh well, we should get ready for our big day today, right Mr. TinkleBottom", she happily chirped, seeming ever so her happy, enthusiastic self as she went to change.
Even if tranquillity is hard to earn or accept, it also seemed to have a way with free-spirited thinkers such as Sector V's resident scientist and pilot Hoagie, or Numbuh 2. In all truth, it seemed to represent itself far too well as he lay peacefully in his unusual cockpit bed. His goggle hidden eyes remained softly shut as he lat beneath his cover cozily, a bright smile upon his usually cheerful face as he unleashed soft but still evident snores. Truthfully, the morning seemed kind to him.
Though such kindness could only reward a person for so long, for nearly seconds later did he hear the chimes of a familiar bell-like sound. It was enough to disturb his peaceful slumber as he murmured quietly, though not enough to diminish his happy mood as he choose to ignore such chimes. That is until he felt his being pinched by a mysterious, not that it mattered as he yelped in pain continuously, allowing this to continue for at least a minute before feeling himself become full of mild irritation.
"Okay! Okay! I'm up", Hoagie finally screamed as he opened his blue eyes, allowing for himself to glare at the now visible mechanical Mickey Mouse hand waving towards him before watching it return to his alarm clock.
Yet it was only upon such an instant did he feel his eyes widen, even his body fill with mild panic as he stared at the time his clock had chosen to awaken him upon.
"Oh no, I sure hope Numbuh 5 hasn't finished making breakfast yet", he said with panic clear in his eyes and in his tone, his hand reaching for his signature aviation cap before taking a walk down the stairs.
Yet for some, tranquil sleep seemed only a desperate dream crushed by suppressed grouchiness. That certainly proved to be the current situation for Sector V's valiant leader Nigel, or Numbuh 1. A good sleep indeed seemed to allude him as he lay back-up in his bed, appearing as though he had already been awake for nearly two hours as he stared at the ceiling, his eyes fraught with intense frustration as he continued to do so.
Quick he was to turn over to his left side, yet even then did comfort allude his tense body as he felt himself overcome by another bout of frustration. Though no sooner had he turned over did he feel his annoyance increase at the sound of his own alarm clock. Annoyance, even tensity he felt pounding in his head and even shaping itself in his expression as he sat himself up, staring with almost a vial hatred towards the device before turning it off. Though not long after did he feel himself unleash a small sigh as he buried his face in his hand, staying in such a state for merely a few seconds before breathing yet another small sigh.
"How am I going to get through this day", Nigel asked himself as he dawned his trademark sunglasses, a grouchy yet irritated look still clear upon his face even as he went to change.
End chap.1