Chapter Two: Sometimes All We Need Is a Little Push
It was the next morning, and in the KND treehouse, Abby was in the process of making a very important decision as the others enjoyed their Rainbow Munchies. Once they finished their breakfast, Abby called them into the briefing room for a meeting.
"As you all know, we've been without an official second in command operative since Numbuh 1 left, but we can't keep going without. Numbuh 5 needs to know that if something happens to her, there's someone who can take charge and keep this team in line."
Wally started getting excited and fidgeting in his seat.
"Oh boy oh boy! Finally! The chance I've been waiting for!" He thought to himself.
"Numbuh 5's been thinking about it all morning, and has made a decision. Our new second in command is..."
Wally was so excited he felt like he was going to explode.
"Numbuh 2!"
"WHAT??!! Now why in the name of living crud would you pick him?! Have you forgotten about the time Numbuh 1 went away and we had to build that cruddy clam cannon? I did all the work while you lazybutts did nothing but sleep! I didn't see Numbuh 2 or anyone else taking the job very seriously!"
"That was because you hadn't let us sleep for days, smart-aleck! But it doesn't matter, Numbuh 5's mind is made up. So quit your whining!"
Wally just pouted with his arms crossed, grumbling to himself. Then finally, Hoagie spoke up.
"Uh, Numbuh 5, I'm not so sure about this. I've never been in any kind of command before. I don't know how to be a leader. I just don't think I'm right for this."
"Let me tell you something Numbuh 2. Yes, it's tough at times, and there is a lot of strategic planning involved, but I know from experience, that the most important part of being a leader is looking out for your friends. I learned that from Numbuh 1. Do you think you can do that?"
"I... I'll do the best I can captain." Hoagie replied, still not sure of himself.
"You'll do just fine baby." Abby said as she smiled reassuringly at Hoagie. He smiled back, feeling just a tiny bit more confident about his new position.
"Alright, now that that's out of the way, Numbuh 5 was also thinking we ought to do something fun tonight. It's been quite a while since we've done anything fun as a group, and I heard that the newly rebuilt Point is having a kids' skating night tonight. Who wants to go?"
Numbuhs 2, 3, and 4 all cheered happily.
"Alright then, we leave at 7:00. I just hope they'll let us in the place after that mustard incident."
And so, that evening, the four youngsters headed up to the skating rink they had once destroyed, feeling nostalgic and even joking about that disastrous mission. Thankfully, they were able to get in without being recognized since there were new employees working that night. But inside, there was a very unpleasant surprise waiting for them.
"Well well well, it's been a while since I've seen you old farts around!" Said the arrogant voice of Harvey McKenzie, A.K.A Numbuh 363. "Don't you guys think you're a bit OLD to be at a kids' event?"
"Now listen here you little brat! I suggest you stop with the insults, before I punch your cruddy lights out!!" Wally shouted as he drew up his right sleeve.
"Just ignore him and let's go." Hoagie said as he nudged Wally away. Hoagie then looked back at Harvey, who was staring at him with an unpleasantly devilish grin. Hoagie just flashed him a death glare and walked away to catch up with the others.
"Oooooh, this looks like so much fun! Doesn't it Waaaaaalllyy?!" Said an overexcited Kuki.
"Yeah, sure." Wally replied, still angry about everything.
"Well come on silly! Let's go get our skates!" Shouted Kuki as she dragged Wally away by the hand. That left just Hoagie and Abby.
"Wow, this place looks so different now!" Hoagie said in amazement as he looked around. "I'm actually kinda glad we destroyed the old one!"
The new Point was indeed very different from the old. It was bigger, and had a lot more light projections on the floor and walls, and even some space themed black light designs on the carpets. The skating room was dark inside, lit only by a black light, which allowed the bright and colorful projections to stand out even more.
"So, uh, should we go get our skates and head in there?" Hoagie asked.
"You go on ahead. Numbuh 5's gonna go get a soda first."
"Oh, ok then."
Once Abby left, Hoagie just sat at a table debating whether to go get fitted for skates, or get a snack first. As he thought about it, he started watching all the skaters and noticed that they were all paired up. Even Wally had warmed up to the idea and was happily skating alongside Kuki. Just then, the KND News anchor known as Numbuh 10 entered the room, not to do a news interview, but simply to enjoy her night off. And Hoagie, being the flirt that he was, just had to ask her to skate with him.
"Hey gorgeous, wanna skate with me?" Hoagie said while trying to act cool. He leaned on to the backrest of a chair, only for it to fall over, taking him with it. Numbuh 10 laughed hysterically.
"Me? Skate with a fat clumsy dork like you?! Puh-leez! In your dreams loser!"
Numbuh 10's harsh words felt like a knife going through Hoagie's heart. This was far from the first time he had been rejected by a girl, and normally he would just brush it off as no big deal. But now it was finally starting to get to him considering the fragile state he had been in lately. He was always trying to act cool around girls, but it always backfired, causing him to look like an idiot. He went back to his seat and rested his head on the tabletop. Then Abby finally returned.
"Oooo wee, the line to the snack bar sure was long and... what's the matter with you? Ain't you gonna skate?"
"Nah, I don't think so."
"And why not?"
"Cuz, I don't have a partner."
"You do now."
Hoagie looked up and saw Abby holding her hand out to him. He awkwardly hesitated for a moment before taking her hand and going with her to get skates. Then they went to join the other kids. On the carpeted floor leading to the rink, Hoagie was a little wobbly on his skates, but managed to stay on his feet. But as soon as he made it to the hardwood floor, he immediately lost all control and fell flat on his belly for the second time that night. He noticed a few kids laughing at him.
"Oh, don't worry about them." Said Abby as she helped him up. "Just live in the moment and enjoy yourself." A moment later, the DJ started a fast paced pop song.
As the music played, Hoagie struggled to keep up with Abby. He kept losing his balance, getting back up, and then falling again. At one point, he got out of breath and decided to rest on the floor for a moment. He spotted Abby in the distance.
"Wow... so graceful..." he thought to himself as he blushed slightly. He got up and decided to just skate the perimeter of the rink with his hands against the wall for balance. Abby noticed him in the corner and went to check on him.
"Hey Numbuh 2, whatchu doin' over here?"
"Just trying not to whoa whuh AAAAHH!! ...ow."
"Here, let Numbuh 5 help ya."
"No, I got this!"
Hoagie managed to stand up, but he immediately lost his balance yet again, fell forward towards Abby, and grabbed her arms just before he hit the floor. As he looked up, the two ended up nose-to-nose, both of them blushing.
"OH! I-I-I'm sorry!" He said as he awkwardly let go and fell backwards. He could hear the giggles coming from the other nearby kids.
"Ugh, I give up. I can't do it. Just go on without me. There's no reason for you to drag me along." Hoagie said in a frustrated tone.
"No, I'm not gonna just leave you here."
Abby helped Hoagie up, then put her arm around him to help him keep his balance. He then put an arm around her and carefully started to skate next to her. He couldn't believe she was willing to drag him along instead of just going off and doing her own thing like she usually did.
After a minute or two, Abby let go of Hoagie and gently nudged him forward. He panicked for a moment and almost fell. But once he regained his composure, he quickly realized he was starting to get the hang of it. He was finally skating on his own, and he couldn't have been happier.
"Hey clutz!" Teased Harvey as he came up beside Hoagie.
"How does it feel to be a total embarrassment in front of your girlfriend?"
"W-what?! She's not my girlfriend!"
"Oh by the way, I bet she didn't tell ya how to stop!"
Hoagie's face went white.
"Just lean forward on those bumper things on the front of your skates!"
Seeing that he was about to hit a wall, Hoagie did as Harvey said, and leaned forward onto the bumpers. However, he did it too quickly and came to such a hard and sudden stop, that he fell forward and face planted into the wall. Harvey and many other kids laughed hysterically.
"Knock it off!" Abby yelled. "It's not like you people never fell on YOUR faces when you were first learning!"
The laughter stopped. Abby put her arm around Hoagie again, and they skated away. Harvey then turned to his teammates Lee and Sonia.
"Come on guys, we're leaving this joint!"
"But-"
"No buts! I'm in charge here! So move it!"
As Sector W left, a more relaxed song began to play. Surprisingly, Abby seemed perfectly content with staying beside Hoagie. As they glided side-by-side, Hoagie felt as though they were almost dancing. Although deep down, he still felt like he was a burden. But she was enjoying the moment far more than he was aware of.
"Attention! The Point will be closing in 10 minutes." Everyone heard over the loudspeaker as soon as the song ended.
"Aww! Closing time already?!"
"Looks like it. And no offense, but Numbuh 5 thinks you've suffered enough for one night, Numbuh 2."
"Eh, I've been through worse. Thanks for the help, you really didn't have to..."
"It's cool."
As Sector V was heading to the C.O.O.L.B.U.S, Abby, Kuki and Wally were all chatting about the night, but Hoagie had something else on his mind.
"Did Numbuh 5 skate with me because she wanted to, or just because she felt sorry for me?"
Hoagie got so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice that the others had gotten way ahead of him. Suddenly, he got the eerie feeling that he was being watched. He cautiously looked around and then noticed a strange shadow figure staring at him from up in a tree. Feeling very nervous and not knowing where his friends were, he turned and ran until he was out of breath. He thought he had escaped, that is, until he looked up and saw that same shadow figure standing only about ten feet away from him. Going from nervous to terrified, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his M.U.S.K.E.T., aiming it at the figure. The figure then started to slowly walk closer to him.
"Wh-wh-what do y-you want?"
The figure didn't respond.
"Seriously, tell me what you want or go away!"
"Numbuh 2! Where are you?" He suddenly heard Kuki's voice say from a distance. He turned and ran toward where her voice was coming from, and found his teammates, who were looking for him.
"Well where the crud have you been? We've been lookin' all over the flippin' place for ya!" Said a rather annoyed Wally.
"Heh heh, sorry guys, I got a little lost. And there was this weird shadow person thing that was following me around! And it looked like it was gonna attack me or something! You guys found me just in time! I thought I was a goner!"
"Ah relax Numbuh 2! It was probably just some cruddy teenager tryin' to scare ya!"
"Yeah, you're probably right... I hope. Let's get out of here."
As Sector V returned to the C.O.O.L.B.U.S, the shadow figure, who was still there, watched as they left. The figure then pulled out a communicator device and called someone, speaking in a rather distorted voice.
"Sorry boss, but I haven't got any information yet. I tried to capture one of them while he was alone so I could interrogate him, but he got away."
"Don't worry about capturing any of them. Just stay up close and out of sight. Sooner or later, you're bound to hear what we need to know." Said the voice on the other side of the line.
TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED...