A/N: Hey! Back again for chapter 3! This may be the last update for a while, 'cause homework and school are really picking up pace now! (Damn the teachers. Sometimes, I swear they're evil. You know what I mean?) I have up to the start of chapter 6 written, but it's just a matter of when I have time to edit and upload. Ok, so I'll try (emphasis on try) to update every week, maybe saturday/sunday. But I'm not garaunteeing anything. Moving on... enjoy chapter 3!
CHAPTER 3 – Problems
Joey POV
I sat in my room, laying back on my bed, trying to relax. But there was too much going on right now, and relaxation seemed a world away. School, mission, homework, sleep. That's how my life seemed to be, though not always in that order. I knew I was better off than some other operatives, but still, that didn't mean I wasn't being worked at all. I sighed, in the hope that the tense, tight feeling in my chest would be persuaded to move. It didn't. I wondered about the 12-year-old operatives, up in junior high. Were they more over worked than me? Would I feel worse than this once I reached 7th grade? My communicator rang. I picked it up, shooting a quick 'Talk to me' down the other end of the line.
"Hey numnuh 404, it's Jake." My teammate was Jake Ronalds, the 2x4 tech officer for our sector. He was always thinking of new ideas, and the one I'd suggested to him about the forcefeild that blocked anyone over the age of thirteen from entering sent him into a designing frenzy. I asked him why he was calling, since we'd only seen each other a little over 2 hours ago.
"It's about the sheild."
After a legnthy conversation about the anti-teen
barrier he was working on, I summed up the words he'd been avoiding.
"So what ya sayin' is that the barrier won't work?" I asked through the speaker, in slight dismay.
"'Fraid so, numbuh 404. We were just thinking too big." Came the saddened reply of my teammate.
"Unpossible numbuh 202. If we can think it, we can build it. We're the kids next door, for cryin' out loud! We built a treehouse on the moon before the adults could even think it up!"
"...I guesss you're right. I-I'll see what I can do, maybe pull a few strings on moonbase, see if I can get some more resources. I'll get back to you on that." He sounded as though he was only saying that to get me off his back, but I took the bait anyway. Him and me both were just too tired to keep on the subject.
"Thanks, numbuh 202, that'd be awesome." There was a short silence from the other end. I could hear Jake's younger brother into backround yelling excitedly, as three-year-olds do. I wondered if I should wrap up the call.
"Now, my turn to ask some questions." Looked like he was starting things up again. I knew what this was about, and it could take a while to explain.
It was hard for or sector to keep up a good reputation in the Kids Next Door, given those who had come before us. Jake cut in on my thoughts before I could drift any further into dreamland.
"How's the research on the first sector V going? Got any leads on its members yet?"
I'd been reading up on the members of the original sector V, who most agree were 5 of the best operatives in KND history, trying to find the identities of some of its members, but so far they remained shrouded in mystery.
"Not so hot, numbuh 202. Ah've bin lookin' in all tha right places, accordin' to numbuh 950. Ya know, the archivist guy up in sector H, but Ah can't foind anythin' on them!" My annoyance was giving a harsh edge to my voice. I wasn't having any luck, no matter how hard I tried, and it was starting to get to me. What was I doing wrong? Usually, to find the names of past operatives, all you had to do was their codename and sector into any KND soopa computer and you'd have a detailed analysis right in front of you! But I'd been to the archives, the filing system for our region (which was all the way across the state, by the way) and to even to moonbase to look through the Motherboard's listing of every KND operative ever recorded! They even had numbuh 19th century on that thing! And he was actually from the 19th century! But numbuhs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are only given rundowns on their missions and active years. The computer wouldn't even give me a first name to go on. So, I'd booked an appointment with numbuh 263, the soopreme leader, to talk to him about it. I just hoped he could tell me something. I relayed all this back to numbuh 202, and he wished me good luck.
"Thanks. I'm gonna need it." I replied.
We were just beginning to discuss the latest episode of the yipper cartoons when my brother appeared at my door... literally.
"Ay, Joe. How's it goin'?"
I was startled, and almost yelled out as he made his presence known. I scrambled to hide the communicator under the covers, all the while trying to send a message to Jake on the keyboard, straining my mind to remember where the buttons were. I gave up after a while, and Wally started talking. From the way he acted, and the nervous and unprepared tone to his voice, I could tell he was nervous about the subject. That got me interested; my older brother never let nerves get to him.
When he told me we were going back to Australia for the winter break, I was really excited, which I think relieved him a lot. I couldn't remember being there, because I was literally days old when we moved, but I thought somehow it might stregnthen the bond between me, Wally, and maybe even my dad. Wally and my father were always watching Rugby Legue on TV. We'd even gotten sattelite just so they could get the channel that plays it. I stayed up and watched with them one time, but I could tell they were a little annoyed by me asking about the rules all the time. So, that night, I went and used the L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S. I keep under my bed, and hid under the covers reading up on the game. I read the rules over and over until I knew them off by heart. Now I just had to wait for a time to show them that I was proud of my roots. And it would be pretty awesome to actually see a game in Aus.
After Wally had left, I immediately threw off the covers and picked up the communicator again.
"Sorry 'bout that, Jake. My brotha turned up at my door."
"No probs. What'd he say?"
"We're goin' back to Australia for winta break." There was a pause.
"That's cool, Joey, but... won't you be out of touch?" He seemed a little disappointed.
I knew what he meant. What if my team needed me while I was away? Sometimes, and only in extremly rare situations like these, I wished KND wasn't such a huge part of my life. 99.999999% of the time I loved it, and never wanted it to end, but there came moments when you thought about what it would be like to be one of the kids the KND fought for, and not the one fighting. To be carefree and not have to worry about when the next team meeting was, or when your S.C.A.M.P.E.R. was due for a service.
"Ah'm sure Ah'll be able ta contact ya," I lied. I had no idea whether our technology ranged that far, or if I'd even be able to get to a transmitter. "Ah'll find a way to keep ya up ta date, and for you ta do tha same. And besides, It's a holiday; Ah'm meant ta be gettin' away from work." I had hung up the walkie-talkie-like communicator and layed back on my bed, thinking about how fun it would be, meeting family that I never knew I had, bodyboarding at the beach, enoying the heat. I'd heard things were different in Australia, but my brother would never let me believe the way that Aussies were played out on TV was the way we actually were back home. That was when the sooper-importanic-alarm-amajig went off, making me jump and shocking me out of my pleasant thoughts. I cursed, though the words I used had no real impact (I was just a kid, no matter how far KND allowed me to go) and picked up the receiver.
"Whot's happening?" I asked dutifully. I was informed by a frazzled numbuh 556 that there was a triple important, super urgent meeting on moonbase, and that me, and my sector, had to leave ASAP. I had to think quikly.
"Uh mum? I'm not feeling so great. Ah think Ah'll just have somethin' ta eat later," I called, hoping desperatly it would be enough of an excuse.
"Oh, okay, Joey. Do ya want me to come up and check on ya, honey?"
"No! I mean, no mum, that's alright. Ah'm just gonna... get some rest," I replied far too quickly. Luckily, she bought it, and told me to feel better. I jumped out the window into the backyard, and hit the ground running. It was a short but nice trip to our treehouse, and the journey there was often the best part of my day. I breathed in the fresh evening air, before pulling up outside the neglected backyard that our base stood in.
Before long I was inside, in the aircraft hanger, my friends already starting to arrive.
"Hey, numbuh 404. You got the message?" asked Fern, numbuh 303.
"Yup. Whot do ya think is goin' on at moonbase?" I responded, concerned about the wellbeing of the organisation. Before long, the whole sector had arrived, managing to sneak off in one way or another. We loaded onto the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and took off, efficient as always.
About halfway to moonbase, the 'incoming transmission' alert went off.
"Numbuh 505, get that up on screen for me," directed numbuh 121.
"Roger that," came the reply. In a few seconds a full-screen shot of numbuh 263 appeared on the moniter.
We all saluted to him.
"At ease, sector V," he said. "I want a full report on your movements for the day." Numbuh 505 took the reigns.
"Well, we were out trying to set a perimiter for a protective barrier for the treehouse. Joey ran into a teen who claimed she was lost. We kept out guard up, but Jake scanned her with a L.I.A.R. and it turns ot she was telling the truth. So, overall a pretty slow day," she explained. "What's happening up on moonbase?"
"It's too complicated and important to explain now. I'll tell everyone at the meeting, when we can have the sooper-stregnth sheild on us," was the ominous response.
"Okay then, sir. We'll see you there," I replied, trying to mask the concern in my voice with a dutiful overlay.
"Yeah. Okay, numbuh 263 out." And with a fizzle of static, the screen flashed to black, leaving us to focus on the field of stars outside the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s windsheild again.
Abby POV
I sighed heavily and let my head drop back on my bedhead to look at the ceiling. It wasn't interesting in the least, but when you're this bored, anything, and I mean anything else seems like a better idea.
I was in my room, on my laptop, trying to sift slowly through the mountain of homework I had been assigned. After working solidly for a good hour, I finally snapped. Minimising the science essay I was almost done with, I eagerly let go of my clouded and already full mind and brought up the Instant Messaging page on my browser. I signed in and assesed the conversation, scrolling through the posts and the people and topics that had appeared this time. As usual, the exchanges had covered most topics; school, friends, homework, parents, and the occasional burst of media and news, usually leading into the inevitable and consuming gossip.
Kuki was on, as well as Rachel, Fanny, Wally and Hoagie. I recognised all of their usernames in a second; Rainbowz_rock for Kuki, SooperGirl for Rachel, GirlzRuleDaWorld was (predictably) Fanny's, and Wally's was DontMessWivMe. but it was Hoagie's screen name was the one that made me laugh. FlyBoy. It so fitted him, and on so many levels as well.
Redhat16: Hey guys! what's going on?
Rainbowz_rock: Hi abby, we were talkin about winter break. wally's going away!
I smirked. Of course that was the first thing she would say to me. It may not have been apparent to her, but she wasn't exactly discreet about her crush on the captain of the football team.
DontMessWivMe: Yea. just for winter break tho. I'll be back after christmas. I'm goin bak to Oz!
Redhat16: Awesum! Ur excited, I can tell! : )
DontMessWivMe: Ha, yea. gotta go now. Seeya at skool. 3 months and counting! :D
I could practically see the anticipation in his message. He must have been really happy about this, because Wally doesn't usually express that much emotion, and he never uses emoticons.
SooperGirl: So, Abby. U free this weekend?
Redhat16: Yea, I think. Y?
Soopergirl: There's a lazer tag tournament down the arcade. With U three on our team, we could beat anyone with our hands behind out backs and our eyes closed! ; ) so, u in?
Redhat16: Yea, but who do u mean three?
SooperGirl: U, Kuki and Hoagie! You guys practically OWN the game!
GirlzRuleDaWorld: What? You said it'd be a GIRLS ONLY team!
SooperGirl: You wouldn't have agreed if I hadn't, right?
GirlzRuleDaWorld: Touche... but I don't think I can work with a stoopid boy. U better not team us up!
FlyBoy: ...I'm still here U know
Rainbowz_rock: don't take it personally. It's just Fanny. She has a ...thing about boys.
FlyBoy: Riiiight. Because that makes total and utter sense. Really.
The sarcasm made me smile, a little fond smile like you would give to an old friend, which was strange since I'd only started hanging out with Hoagie a little over a year ago.
SooperGirl: So, U in or not? Signups R due in 2 days!
I thought about it, confused at how I'd suddenly felt when Hoagie's name was mentioned. It was an inwardly happy feeling, like a small glowing light in my chest.
Redhat16: I'll be there.
I logged off, and went back to my homework, sighing at the still large pile I had to go. If I was going to get good marks at the end of the year, I should probably finish this. But what about right now?
Why should I let the present go in the hope of a better future?
Is a high-paying job, a good reputation or a higher grade really worth wasting away my youth trapped in a bedroom drowning in due dates and deadlines? Sometimes I thought it was; a good job or a college scholarship after high school meant a secure and positive future. But most of the time, my thoughts were based around one question;
What about the future we thought about as kids?
What about the future that is now?
A/N: well, whadaya think? A little more on Joey and the present sector V in this chapter, and they will become a reasonably big part later in the Fic (I say reasonably because I haven't really figure out the details of the later parts of this story) Well, anyways, tell me if you like the end bit of Abby's bit. It just came to me while I was sitting here on my laptop, so I typed it as it came! ; ) I dunno if it was worth it, so you tell me! Kay, bay now!
-Numbuh 25
