Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Okay, okay, stop pelting me with tomatoes. I know I've barely been updating lately, but I've got some good excuses! Let's see...I used the new job and family stuff way too many times. That's out. I've got summer reading to do, and I've been working a lot on requests and tributes on the site where I post all my artwork. Oh yeah, the link to my stuff is in my profile. Check it out if you've got the patience. (makes panic gestures again)

Chapter 4

As Number 5's face grew into an evil smirk, Number 1 saw her life with him flash in front of her eyes. Considering the fact that the two of them had only lived for fourteen years and because they had only known each other for ten out of those fourteen, it didn't take long for the slide show to be over. The first thing she saw was the two of them meeting on the first day of kindergarten. She saw him in his little karate outfit running around his living room in his yellow belt (That happened in the afternoon after the two of them came home.). He started showing off his moves and accidentally clonked her in the head. She went home crying. After that, she fast-forwarded to their Kids Next Door Commissioning Day. She remembered meeting all the head operatives at Moon Base and accepting her position as Numbuh 859. Later, she saw their first day at junior high. She remembered how she went home crying because the principal made an announcement to her class saying how he'd call the police if they were late to school more than five times. He had comforted her over the phone, talking about how they were all going to hate middle school (and they did). When that was over, she snapped into reality, seeing the look on Number 5's face turn into an older teenager's.

"Why do you want your contract?" she managed to mumble just above her breath.

"I want to rip it up," Number 5 snapped back. "I'm through with the Teens Next Door. Just look at me! Going to the Point has turned me into a man. I've got the build of a sixteen-year-old, and I'm still going!"

"If you're going to do anything, Number 1," Numbuh 5 began, "do it now! If Number 5 reaches beyond the age of eighteen, Number 86 will come! Trust me, he'll call her himself!"

"Oh, crap," Number 1 whispered, trying to stand up straight. "This isn't good. I don't want to have to fight my fellow operative. It's just not right."

"He's not an operative!" Number 6 shouted. "Think about it. If he were our Number 5, would he be asking to rip up his contract? No. Would he be Stickybeard's first mate? No way!"

"Don't you see?" Number 4 insisted. "That Number 5 is being possessed by the power of the Point welling up within him. The real Number 5 is still inside his soul."

"If we could just give him some of Numbuh 5's Secret Stash," Number 2 began.

"Then we could get him back to normal!" Number 3 finished. "But just where is the stash right now? That would really help."

"It must be on Stickybeard's ship. That's the only logical explanation."

"Then how did it get THERE??"

"I don't know! Don't blame me!!"

"I don't have time for games," Number 5 interrupted. "I just want my contract. Hurry up. I'm at sixteen-and-a-half."

"We'll never give it to you," his counterpart announced. "You're our fellow agent, our friend! There's no way Numbuh 5 is letting her best friend ever turn into some crazy adult! Can't you remember anything?"

"I remember that my name is Michael Nickel," he said back, "and if you won't give me the contract, I'll just have to get it by myself."

"Duh, we couldn't get it," Number 4 said matter-of-factly. "All the files are up at Moon Base."

"Moon Base?"

"Number 4, you IDIOT!!!" Number 1 shouted. "You just gave away the secret!!"

"Oops..."

Michael crossed his arms and looked up at his captain. "Prepare to go orbital," he commanded. "We're going up to the Moon Base." He turned away and started walking back onto the ship. The TND gritted their teeth and made fists. They were running out of time. He was at sixteen-and-three- quarters. Numbuh 5 was the angriest of them all. She had to get her Secret Stash back. It wasn't even about it being hers anymore. Right now, she just wanted Number 5 back.

Stickybeard looked at the operatives with an angry face. "That there boy thinks he can order me around!" he announced. "Well, I've got some news for him. Don't any of you dare try any funny stuff! In fact, we'll make sure of it. GET THEM!!!"

The pirates hopped off the ship with their candy cane swords and new weapons. They were gum bombs. One of them aimed and threw it at Number 3, pelting him up against a wall. Number 1 looked at her fellow operative with extreme disgust. The gum had been chewed.

"That's just sick," she muttered, turning back to Stickybeard. She growled and lunged at the enemy. He grabbed a candy cane sword and stabbed it right into her stomach just when she was about get a hold of him.

Number 1 fell to the floor gagging and sputtering for breath. Her agents ran over to her to assist her in getting some air. Number 3 pulled his way out of the gum wad and kneeled down next to her. Her eyes started to poke out at the way she was gagging. She felt like she was going to vomit.

"That should be enough of a warning for ye," Stickybeard said, completely satisfied. "If anyone has the nerve to follow us to Moon Base, you'll suffer the same fate as your precious leader." He turned and boarded his ship, feeling confident that no one would follow.

The ship transformed into a space traveler and flew up into the sky, leaving nothing but a small trail of smoke behind. Number 1 tried to look up to see how fast it was going, but the sputtering kept coming. It was long before she was hacking up blood. They were very small amounts, but they were enough to freak the team out.

"Number 1," Number 2 began, standing her up, "lean on my shoulder. I'm going to get you to the medical lab."

"I'll help," Number 3 offered, taking the other side of his leader. The two of them walked her out of the room. By the time Number 1 was walking normally, the blood started drooling from her mouth in larger amounts.

"It looks like it's just you, me, and Numbuh 5," Number 6 said to Number 4. "We need to get to Moon Base as fast as possible. Number 1's and Number 5's lives are depending on us!"

"You sure know how to pack on the pressure," Number 4 replied. "Besides, I don't want to have anything to do with Number 5 and his problems."

"It's your damn fault that he's on his way to Moon Base!"

"It's not my fault he's all evil!"

"Shut up!"

"Go to hell!"

"Both of you, just shut up already!" Numbuh 5 interrupted. "The three of us are going to the Teens Next Door Moon Base. The three of us are going to find Numbuh 5's Secret Stash, return Number 5 to his original state, and save Number 1's life!"

"How do we get to Moon Base, Smart Girl?" Number 6 snapped. "None of us know how to fly that kind of 2X4 Technology."

"Numbuh 5 has someone on her team that can help."

It was only a matter of time before the rest of the KND came rushing over to the Teens Next Door Tree House Base. They watched Number 1 lie in a medical bed. She had an oxygen mask over her mouth that was stained with blood in spots. The floor was splattered with red liquid leading up to the bed where the sheets even had tiny pools sinking deep into the mattress. Number 2 and Numbuh 3 had their nurse outfits on while Numbuh 1 sat next to his counterpart, resting his head on the clean parts of the sheets and holding her hand.

"She's getting worse," Number 2 announced wistfully. "The blood has stopped coming out of her mouth, but it's building up in her throat. It won't be long before she vomits it all up at once."

"That is the one thing making me happy I'm going on the mission," Number 4 replied, crossing her arms and looking down at her leader. Number 1 gave a few pathetic coughs, leaving more blood on the mask.

"Poor Number 1!" Numbuh 3 cried. She looked up at the rest of the team. "Do you think a Rainbow Monkey will help her feel better?"

"I'm sure it would make her feel better to know that you were thinking of her," Numbuh 1 reassured.

"I'll go get it," Numbuh 4 offered. "You stay here in case she comes to her senses." He ran out of the medical room just as Number 1 coughed again. Number 2 changed her oxygen mask and started washing out the blood.

"We might as well get going," Number 6 announced. "The sooner we go, the sooner we can save her, the sooner we can get Number 5 back."

"I agree," Number 4 said. She turned to Numbuh 5. "Are we ready or what? Let's get going to Moon Base! Numbuh 2, power up that ship you brought!! We're going orbital!" Wow! Look at that. Number 4's taking charge!

Stickybeard and Mike stood out on the edge of their ship with helmets on. Mike looked out beyond the ship to see the Moon Base coming at him. He smiled and placed his hands on his hips. He pointed one arm out and shouted, "It's the Moon Base! Prepare to drop anchor!"

"Hey!" Stickybeard cried. "I'm the captain of this ship. You can't go bossing my crew around like they were a bunch of chewed up pieces of taffy!"

"I'm first mate. That gives me the right to give orders to the crew."

"Arg. What are you up to?"

"Age seventeen. I'm almost there. Finally, I'll be out of the TN Dorks."

"That's my first mate."

The ship sped towards the base with everything it had. Number 274 was working at her desk when she heard the alarms go off. The crazy buzzing and flashing made her stand up straight. Number 86 came into the room in shock.

"Something's not right," she muttered.

"You're telling me! Number 5's on that ship!"

"My name is Michael Nickel!!"

Stickybeard's ship crashed through the wall, trashing the entire area. Numbers 274 and 86 stepped back and watched as their former friend walked towards them. "My contract," he mumbled. "I want my contract. It's time I leave the Teens Next Door."

"If you're leaving," Number 86 began, "then I have to schedule you for decommissioning. Now, um, if you'll just follow me to Decommissioning Room 3 on the next level, we can get it over with."

"Forget the ceremony," he snapped back. "I'm here to rip up my contract. Now do it before I blow up the Moon Base!"

"I think he's serious," Number 274 announced. "I don't know what's gotten into that teen, but I think I should get him his contract. Still, I can't help but think about what he'll use to destroy the base."

Suddenly, another ship crashed into Stickybeard's. The world turned silent. Everybody stared at the ship with the Kids Next Door symbol on it. Mike cocked an eyebrow at that one. First, he had to deal with a bunch of immature teenagers, and now there were a bunch of ten-year-olds after him! Could the day be anymore stressful? He had already had three birthdays in one day.

"Numbuh 2, please tell me you're going to work on your landing," Number 4 muttered, crawling her way out of the ship and flopping onto the Moon Base floor.

"It's not my fault my stupid brother designed the braking system for this ship!" Numbuh 2 replied, falling flat on his face as he tripped over the edge of some rubble. "But you have to admit, he's really good at crashing things."

"Shut up and get Number 5!" Number 6 shouted, flailing his arms as he rose from the ship's entrance. "I mean, get Mike! Send him off to Montgomery! I mean Mercury! Send him SOMEWHERE!!!"

All the pirates took out their candy cane swords and poised themselves for battle. The operatives perked up and grabbed their weapons: two carrot shooters and a bubblegum gun. The army of pirates snickered and growled as it watched the three agents bunch together in fear. They were outnumbered by too much. They couldn't do it by themselves.

"Need some help?"

Number 274 and Number 86 grabbed onto a rope hanging in a corner of the room. They pulled it down together and sent the entire crew down to another floor of the base.

"What was that??" Number 4 questioned, feeling very silly that she was getting scared.

Number 274 shrugged and said, "Oh, just a little prototype that Number 30C did the other day."

"Number 30C?"

"Idiot!" Number 86 shouted, clonking Number 274 on the head. She turned back to Numbers 6, 4, and Numbuh 2. "Sorry about that. Please forget all that you've heard. Now then," She turned to Stickybeard and Mike. "we'll be battling just the two of you. Don't worry about your crew. They're down with Operatives Numbers 537 to 734! I'm sure they'll have fun playing with them. As for the two of you, you'll have to fight all five of us. You're outnumbered."

"Don't be so sure, Lassie," Stickybeard teased, hinting towards Mike. "Tell 'em."

"I'm at age seventeen and three quarters," Mike announced. "You five literally have two minutes before I turn eighteen."

"Dammit," Numbuh 5 muttered. "I've got to get that Secret Stash within the next two minutes, or we'll lose Number 5 forever!"

"Then go!" Number 6 ordered. "Get your stash. Don't worry about us. We can handle this. Just go!"

Numbuh 5 gave one last look of concern and ran off for Stickybeard's ship. He was getting ready to jab her in the stomach just as he had done to Number 1. Number 6 caught site of this and ran over to him, sinking a fist into his abdomen.

"That's for Number 1," he whispered, taking his fist out and punching the enemy with everything he had. Stickybeard started to walk backwards, falling victim to the tough guy's stream of attacks. Mike looked over to him and went charge only to come falling down to the ground. Number 4 had rolled herself in front of him at the last moment, sending him crashing to the floor.

"Feeling a little clumsy since you're growing too fast?" she asked, standing up and dusting herself off. "That's what happens when you rush Father Time."

Numbuh 5 started raiding the ship, exploring every nook and cranny to find her candy. She only had one minute left. She pushed a barrel out of the way and saw something shine against the light of the sun facing towards the Moon Base. She opened up the treasure chest. "Numbuh 5's Secret Stash!!" she cried, picking it up. "Oh, she missed you alright, yes, she did!"

Numbuh 5 ran off the ship and desperately checked her watch. She had forty-five seconds. Once she was back inside Moon Base, she took a gumdrop from the pile and placed it in a rubber band she had fished out of her pocket. She stood on the edge of the hole and aimed.

"Yo, College Student!" she shouted. "Numbuh 5's giving you your life back!!" She let the gumdrop go. With perfect timing, it forced itself into Mike's mouth. He fell back and choked hard before finally swallowing it. He coughed for another minute and closed his eyes tightly.

Space was quiet. No sound was heard. Everybody focused his or her energy and time on Mike. He rocked his head from side to side and let his eyelids flutter before finally waking up completely.

"Was that strawberry flavored?" he asked, getting back on his feet.

"You know it," Numbuh 5 replied. "So, you Number 5 or Michael Nickel?"

That question didn't need a response. Number 5 took the carrot shooter from Numbuh 2 and forced the bullets down Stickybeard's throat, throwing him out into space.

End of Chapter Four