Fears
Numbuh 362 sat at her desk, staring at the blank screen before her.
She really had no time to stare. The only reason she had been left long enough to do this was because everyone else was down at the artic base, dealing with the aftermath there. She should really be down too, but 86 had insisted that she be moved to a safer place. So she had been sent up to contact the different sectors and send for help.
Sectors C-U had already been alerted. Sector Ph.D had been reached and sent to the area. Now she needed to call in the experts on this problem.
But she could not press the button.
For the three hundredth time her mind ran over the speech she had prepared. She wanted to be certain exactly of what she would say. She could not afford to stumble in front of Numbuh 1.
Foolish, really. She was the Soopreme Leader of KND. Kids everywhere listened when she spoke. Sectors moved and rose in embattled fury by the power of her word. Even the brazen 86, Global Tactical Officer, shook when 362 grew angry.
But Numbuh 1 was different. He alone stood unimpressed. She could scream at him, threaten him with decommissioning, wave her finger in his very face, and he would stand there, secure behind his cold, implacable sunglasses. No fear, no hate, just simple concentration and devotion
Only once had she ever seen anything move behind those glasses, and that was back during the IT incident, with the broccoli and Father. Then she had caught a glimpse of caring, of total and complete concern. Still no fear, no hate, no hesitation; still very concentrated and devoted, but now softened.
Since that time, she had never seen it again(save momentarily at the end of the whole thing with Numbuh 0). She had tried to make those eyes move, tried to see the boy she had peeked through the cracks that day. Nothing. Nothing but concentration and devotion.
She had finally taken to avoiding him, staying up in the moon base and communicating from afar. Something frightened her about those glasses and the boy who wore them. She feared the greatness they concealed. Numbuh 1 was twice the operative she would ever be, and well she knew it. How then could he miss it? Nigel—Numbuh 1—had to see her incompetence every time he spoke to her. The glasses hid it, but behind them… Rachel shivered and hid her head in her hands.
"Numbuh 362?" The harsh rasp of the communicator startled her out of her thoughts.
Rachel glanced up quickly.
Sunglasses.
"Numbuh 1." 362 straightened up and brushed the hair back from her face. "Excellent timing. I was about to contact you."
"Soopreme leader, sir." Numbuh 1 saluted. "I'm calling because Sector C just sent us an alert about a crisis at the Artic."
"Oh." Inwardly Rachel berated herself. He must wonder why she hadn't signaled them.
"We're in the SCAMPER now, sir, and we'll be there shortly, but I wanted to make sure Moon Base knew about the situation."
Relief flooded through Rachel. So he had assumed she hadn't known. Now for it. "Thank you. Moon Base is aware of the situation and we have it under control." Sort of. She added silently. "However, two members of your sector are urgently needed up here for battle analysis."
"Battle analysis?" 362 felt a momentary leap of joy as confusion registered on the British boy's face. It was only momentary, for the sunglasses reasserted themselves. "Yes sir. Of course, sir. Which ones do you want me to send up?"
"Numbuhs Two and Five." 362 heard murmuring in the background. "Our intel department needs them immediately."
"Yes ma'am." Numbuh 1 turned his head. "Numbuh 2! Turn us around!" He returned to the screen. "I'll accompany the two to the moon base, sir."
A sudden idea came to Rachel. Maybe she could…
"No." She said decidedly. "Drop off the two agents at the nearest treehouse and continue to the artic. The rest of your sector is needed there."
She enjoyed another look of confusion. "Yes, sir."
"Transmission ended." Numbuh 362 pressed the button and cut the feed.
She leaned forward, bracing herself against the desk, taking deep breaths. All done. She felt strangely light, happy. True, part of that was that she had finished the transmission without even having to call Sector V, and another part was that she had managed to confuse Numbuh 1, but there was something else…
When the communicator had crackled into life and she had heard Numbuh 1's voice, her head had snapped up immediately. And for a second, just a second, she had seen Nigel's expression at seeing her lying on her desk, and she had seen his eyes.
They had been worried.
They had that concern that she had been looking for.
Numbuh 362 sat back at her desk and pressed her fingers together. Maybe she would have some extra questions for Numbuh 5 on the other members of her sector. It was time she got some inside info
A/N: Continuation to my "Loyalties" story, somewhat based off "Lonely at the Top". I was going to wait a while longer before posting this, but it appears I haven't earned enough popularity to afford that. Besides, I hate waiting.
Again, this is not done, there is another story in the works, I think it will be called: Operation: SEAFOOD, or something like that. It will explain who attacked the artic base and also address why Numbuhs 2 and 5 are being asked for. Its not the most epic, but it works.
Cover credit goes to KicsterAsh on DevART. It's half of his picture "If We were a Movie." (The other half is Isabella from Phineas and Ferb).