Well here is the second and last prequel to 'Ethics'. Now I want to challenge you the reader with this question. Who are Numbuh's 1/2 & 2/4 related to?
Nolan walked down the stairs of the Sector Q tree house and peered out one of the windows. Outside his new teammates are playing a game of tag…well almost all of them. Numbuh 35.2, Numbuh 49.5, and Numbuh 56.8, are running around in Nolan's backyard playing, while Numbuh's 1/4 and 2/4 sat up against Nolan's fence. Nolan frowned at seeing their expressions.
Nolan shook his head. It wasn't their fault after all. They were Siamese twins, connected at their shoulder. Nolan had read their medical file on his H.E.A.D.S.E.T., they can't be separated without killing Numbuh 1/4. They shared a heart...Numbuh 2/4's heart. No one talked to the duo, not even their three rookie teammates.
Nolan walked down another flight of stairs to the bottom of the tree house. He put on a false smile and exited the tree house. He whistled quickly catching the rookies' attention. They all saluted their sector leader. "At ease" he said calmly "Linda, Dustin, Brett you're dismissed, I'd like to talk to Rack and Ruin in private."
"But Numbuh 2030 sir, you can say whatever you want in front of us" Dustin said crossing his arms "we're a team…and we should trust each other with everything." The rest of the rookies nodded.
"This isn't open to discussion Numbuh 56.8" Nolan said turning away from the operatives. The three rookies glared at their leader and stomped off towards the tree house.
As soon as they were gone, the Siamese operatives turned to Nolan with feared looks on their faces. "You wanted to talk to us sir?" Rack asked.
"Yes" Nolan said reverting to his frown "how are people treating you guys?"
"Well, nothing that hasn't happened before sir" Ruin said before his brother.
"No one is troubling you two?"
"Well…during arctic training…we were called names" Rack and Ruin said at the same time.
"How are you two enjoying it being in Sector Q?"
"Well" Rack began "it's good to have some common ground with some people."
Nolan raised a brow to Rack's statement. "What do you think of your teammates?"
"Well" Ruin began "Linda's…nice, Dustin and Brett do act mean every once in awhile."
"That's all I needed to know" Nolan gave them a small smile. The Siamese operatives smiled back and headed back inside the tree house. Nolan's frown soon returned. The twins just answered his unsaid question.
Nolan tapped a button on his H.E.A.D.S.E.T. and said, "H.E.A.D.S.E.T. call Numbuh 832." Nolan waited patiently for Numbuh 832 to pick up. "Hey Josh it's me…no I don't want to rejoin…no I have a couple of guys here who might feel more at home with you and the rest of the Prospectors…can you come by later…thanks, see you later man." Nolan pushed a button on the side of his H.E.A.D.S.E.T. and ended the call.
An S.K.A.T.H.A.C. landed next to the M.A.T.O.R.O. in Sector Q's landing bay. The door to the 2x4 ship slid open revealing a kid with a can with a sharpened spork sticking out where his right hand should be. Nolan walked up to the kid and extended his left hand. The kid shook it and smiled.
"It's good to see you again Josh, how long has it been?" Nolan said to his friend.
"Three months since you left" Josh's smile slightly faltered.
"Well I see you took the grappling hook out and replaced it with a spork" Nolan pointed at the spork.
"What can I say" Josh said gesturing to the can "it's twice more effective than the thing you made for me." Nolan's eyes narrowed at Josh's remark. "You are ok with me recruiting them right?"
"Their skills are often over looked by our superiors…and they'll both feel more comfortable with people who understand them" Nolan looked down at the floor and then brought his eyes back up to meet Josh's. "But either way it's their choice not mine."
Nolan walked off fallowed by Josh to the conference room where the Sector Q rookies were waiting for their sector leader to return.
"So what do you think our fair leader wants to talk to us about?" Dustin asked his teammates.
"Probably some mission report or something" Brett said while checking his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R.
Rack and Ruin sat silently at the edge of the sofa, none of them saying a word.
"Hey Siamese freaks, you got an idea why we're here?" Brett snorted.
"No we" Rack started "haven't a clue" Ruin finished.
The doors to the conference room opened and Nolan and Josh walked in. "Great another freak" Dustin whispered to Brett when he saw Josh's arm.
"Would you like to say that to my face?" Josh said coldly as he pointed his spork arm at Dustin.
"No sir" he hastily said.
"Huh" Josh scoffed as he circled around the sofa. "You three leave!"
"That's becoming more and more frequent" Linda said as she and her two teammates left the room.
As soon as they left Nolan spoke, "Rack, Ruin, any idea why you both are still in this room?"
"No sir" they said simultaneously.
"You're here because I've noticed how you two have been treated by your peers" Nolan said the last part with distain.
Rack and Ruin remained silent on the outside but internally a flood of memories swept through their minds.
"You two deserve better…a place where people understand you both with your…condition" Josh said bringing the twins out from their thoughts. "I'm here today to ask you if you want to be a part of my team, but unlike Nolan here I am giving you a choice here, do you two want to join the Prospectors or do you want to remain here in Quahog with only Nolan here to be your friend?"
The twins lowered their heads at Josh's sentence. It was true…very few people treated them with respect. But now…but now they have a chance to be with people just like them…just like them.
Rack and Ruin brought their heads up and smiled. "We're in."
The S.K.A.T.H.A.C. came to a halt as it landed in the moon bases landing bay. Josh and his new recruits disembarked and headed down a hall.
"Now remember if you guys get hurt don't tell Nolan…he'd kill me if his friend's brothers got hurt under my watch" Josh said causing the twins to smile.
The three operatives came to a door with the word "Prospectors" written in bold black. Josh typed in his personal key code and unlocked the door. "Welcome to the Prospectors." Josh opened the door and the three operatives entered the room.
Inside the room were three other operatives. "I'd like you all to meet our new recruits, Rack and Ruin, Numbuh's 1/2 and 2/4."
The three operatives' expressions lit up. They walked over to the twins and introduced themselves.
Well spoiler...don't get to attached to Josh...he won't be around to long.
