Operation: F.E.A.R.
Fear
Erases
All
Response
Abigail Lincoln tossed in bed, the soft blankets wrapping around her body like a small cocoon from the ferocity of her turning. She growled and moaned in her sleep, gripping the sheets hard enough to turn her knuckles white. She bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut until suddenly she shot up with a start, panting into the dark night around her. She rubbed her head and looked around, but saw nothing there.
"Stupid nightmares..." She sighed and climbed out of bed, grabbing her robe and pulling it on both to cover her exposed skin and protect it from the nighttime chill. She walked down the hallway of her house toward the kitchen, making her way over to the fridge. Life had been pretty boring since she'd left the Kids Next Door, but other than that she felt no different. She'd thought she would become more mature or more responsible or something... but she hadn't changed a whole lot.
Maybe something was wrong with her? She shook her head and grabbed a Pepsi from the fridge, popping it open as she closed the door. She lifted the can to her lips, but stopped when she heard a creaking noise behind her. She knew if it were her father he would have greeted her by now...
She turned around slowly to see a dark skinned figure clad in black leaning against the wall watching her. "Well looks like you finally escaped, eh Cree?" Abigail commented, swishing her drink around in the can. "It only took you three years."
"And hello to you too, sis." Cree smirked. "You haven't changed a bit. Oh wait... yes you have. Happy thirteenth birthday." Her smile seemed genuine, but Abigail wasn't about to take it at face value.
"Just tell me what you want so I can go to bed." Abigail said pointedly, not in the mood for a late night confrontation with her sister. "I'm not one of the Kids Next Door anymore, so if you're here to attack me you're a little late."
"Actually I'm here to make you an offer." Cree smiled. "You're way too good at what you do to let you waste your life here, doing schoolwork, playing kiddy kissing games with the boys." She pushed herself off the wall and approached Abigail, putting one hand on her shoulder. "We normally don't do this, but because you're my sister I'm gonna. I want you to come with me, to work for the Delightful Children from Down the Lane."
"What are you, crazy? I'm a teenager, not a traitor like some people I know." Abigail brushed her sister's arm off of her shoulder like an annoying fly. "You're gonna have to find your inside informant somewhere else."
"Oh we already have one." Cree winked. "We don't need you... I just thought I should give you another chance. But suit yourself, I thought it would be nice to work WITH you for a change... but the fight is almost over anyway." She walked toward the window. Abigail quirked one eyebrow, watching her with a curious gaze. When Cree reached the window and pulled it open she turned back. "Just a warning, stay away from the Kids Next Door if you don't want to suffer any... negative effects." With that she vanished into the night outside.
Abigail walked up to the window and stared into the night, disturbed beyond reasoning by what had just happened. They had an informant from the Kids Next Door? Could it be a trick? But what if it wasn't...?
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The blanket of darkness that covered the Earth was pierced only by the stars that twinkled from the heavens, bathing the large mansion in pale light. The night was completely still, except for a swarm of small soldiers who made their way toward the building like an army of ants. They closed in around the building, all armed to the teeth and ready to rumble.
Nigel Uno crept right up to the front door, clutching his balloon launcher close to his chest. He was followed by Kuki, and strangely enough, Fanny. She'd volunteered to temporarily join this squad since they were seriously understaffed with Cleopatra still recovering from her injuries. Besides, she had to be here anyway to find Hoagie, being the head of decommissioning.
Nigel waited several minutes to make sure all of the assembled Kids Next Door were in their positions before speaking into the small communicator pinned to his sweater. "GO!" Fanny and Kuki kicked in the door and the three of them sped through it. All around the building they could hear shattering glass and breaking walls as other Kids Next Door teams made their own entrances.
Several turrets in the ceiling roared to life and took aim, but a barrage of water balloons fried their circuits and shut them down. They made their way through the winding hallways and up the stairs, frying turrets and searching for any sign of the building's occupants.
They stopped outside a small door, behind which they could see the pale light from a television set. Nigel Gestured for Kuki and Fanny to cover him while he grabbed the doorknob. He thrust the door open and lurched inside, looking for any sign of an ambush.
He moved further in when he didn't see any, ignoring the TV still on behind him. Kuki and Fanny moved in behind him. Nigel stopped when he heard what sounded like a muffled yell from the TV. Slowly all three operatives turned around at the same time.
On the television screen was an image of Cleopatra, bound and gagged in the middle of the main area of the Kids Next Door's tree house and shaking with fear. Tex walked on screen with a small rod clutched in his one fist, hitting it against the open palm of his other hand. He approached the shivering girl and raised the rod over his head, not stopping for anything.
"What kind of monster would leave something like this running... would even record something like this?" Fanny gaped. Nigel quirked one eyebrow, realizing she was right. The Delightful Children got nothing out of keeping this around, they wouldn't tape it, unless...
"They want to keep us distracted..." Nigel looked around the room quickly, for the first time noticing a small bundle strapped to the ceiling. He grabbed the communicator on his sweater. "All operatives! Evacuate!" He whirled and darted out of the room, grabbing the girls' hands and dragging them behind him.
The first explosion rang out in the room they had been in moments before, engulfing the carpet and roof of the hallway in flames as they erupted from the enclosed room. More explosions followed, seeming to move down the corridor towards them.
One bomb erupted right on top of them, engulfing them in searing hot flames. Kuki screamed and lurched forward ahead of the others, turning down the staircase that led to the ground floor. It was already engulfed in flames however, blocking all access to the exits on the bottom floor.
Another explosion right on top of them rained fire down on them, forcing them to cover their faces lest they lose their eyesight at this critical time. "We've got to get out of here!" Fanny shouted.
"There's still one exit." Nigel grabbed Fanny's arm tightly and activated his rocket-boots. They screamed down the hall toward Kuki, who he slammed into and carried with them just as another bomb went off right above her. They streaked up to the window and broke through it just as the bomb above the window detonated.
The three operatives plummeted toward the ground in a shower of glass and fire. They hit with a solid thud, with Nigel landing flat on his back. He grunted in pain and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the glass raining down on them. The heat from the flames had fortunately died down, however.
He tried to lift his head, but his back screamed in pain and he let it fall back on the grass. Fanny and Kuki knelt down beside him, grabbing his arms. "Numbuh 1!" They both shouted just before he blacked out.
His awareness faded into darkness until he awoke again as if in a few moments, surprised to find himself in the bedroom of a normal house. It didn't look like his house, or any of his friends' houses. He could feel bandages covering a large portion of his body, and his head was propped up on a pile of pillows. His shades were sitting on the nightstand beside him, and the just rising sun was shining through the window, blinding him.
He grabbed his shades and slipped them on as the door opened. Kuki walked in with a wet washcloth, but she dropped it when she saw him. "Numbuh 1! You're okay!" She ran to the side of the bed and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Nigel bit his lip as her hand smacked into his sore back, but he wrapped his arms around her as well.
"I'll be fine Numbuh 3." Nigel replied. They released each other and he looked around the room again. "Where are we? This isn't your house...?"
Kuki shook her head. "Nope, this is Numbuh 86's house." Nigel quirked one eyebrow, so she explained. "After the mansion exploded we had to get you somewhere to help you... so we brought you to the closest house we could use to help you get better."
"Where is Numbuh 86?" Nigel asked.
"Outside I think." Kuki pointed to the window, which he now saw doubled as a door to a balcony. Nigel pushed himself out of bed, clad only in his shorts as he approached the window. He slid it aside and stepped out into the golden sunlight. Fanny was leaning against the guardrail, staring out across the sea of houses that were all much smaller than this one.
Nigel walked up to lean against the balcony beside her. "Did everybody make it out?"
"I dunno." Fanny replied without looking at him. She reached up and pulled a toothpick out of her mouth before she spoke again. "I haven't been able to get a signal through, all the frequencies are busy." She gave him a wry smirk. "So I'm guessin' it was pretty bad." Nigel sighed and slammed his head into the rail.
"So stupid... I should have seen it coming. Of course they would set a trap... they must have known we would be coming after them after what they did..." He hung his head in shame, closing his eyes. "I led them all into a death trap..."
"I should have seen it too." Fanny shook her head. "But I wanted to get that little bastard for what he did to Numbuh 4... I ignored the risks." She hung her head beside his. Nigel looked over at her, unaccustomed to hearing her do anything but try to blame others for her mistakes and claim glory. He supposed with something this big even she couldn't try to take advantage of it.
Nigel stood up straight and put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find them and put an end to it. We just have to find a way to locate them." Fanny looked over at him, her eyes unusually gentle. The orange sun glinted off of her fiery red hair, making a halo around her face as she stood up straight and nodded with a slight smile. Nigel smiled back, for once not upset to have to spend a little time with her...
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"What the blazes happened here?" Abigail gaped in surprise when the Kids Next Door tree house hove into view. It was tilted sharply to one side, and half of the branches were blackened and burned. She'd come to warn her friends about Cree's threat... but was she already too late? Were all of her friends... already gone?
She rushed into the tree house, noting that the alarm didn't go off despite a teenager entering the building. "Numbuh 1!" She shouted, struggling to keep her footing on the sharp slant. "Yo, is ANYBODY in here!?" She wandered through the tree house. It was amazing how different it all looked. Covered in ash, moved across the room by the slant, or outright destroyed in some massive blaze.
"Freeze, teenager!" Abigail froze when she heard a voice behind her. She slowly turned around to see two Kids Next Door members training their weapons on her. "What are you doing here? Only Kids Next Door members are allowed to-"
"Yeah yeah yeah." Abigail crossed her arms over her chest. "I know the drill, I'm an ex-Kids Next Door member."
"Then you should know better than to come back here." One of the operatives lowered his weapon, but stayed ready to raise it again.
"It's important. I need to talk to Numbuh 1. Where is he?" Abigail demanded. The two Kids Next Door operatives exchanged silent glances. "What is it? Tell me where he is!"
"We don't know." One of the operatives told her. "He went on a mission last night with Numbuh 3 and 86, but they disappeared after the Delightful Children From Down the Lane sprung a trap. They haven't been seen or heard from since." Abigail hung her head and clenched her fists. It was possible they were... but no. They had to be out there somewhere.
"I need you two to take me up to the main base." She told them.
"You're not a Kids Next Door operative, we can't just ferry you to our most important base like a taxi." One of the operatives complained. Abigail stalked up to them threateningly, forcing them to train their weapons on her again.
"Either take me peacefully or I'll make you take me prisoner, either way I'm going to that moon base!" She shouted in their faces. They exchanged a glance and gulped in unison before looking up at her again.
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Nigel was in bed again, with his bare torso still covered in bandages. Plunging through the window had taken its toll on him more than he'd realized. His little trip to the balcony had exhausted him. Kuki continued to play the helpful maid though, so he never ran out of food or entertainment. Fanny came and went from what was apparently her bedroom to ask how he was.
He looked up when she entered for the fifth time in an hour, looking like she wanted to say something. Before she did however she turned to leave, but Nigel spoke before she reached the door. "Any word from Kids Next Door headquarters?" He asked.
Fanny looked down at him and shook her head slowly. "Nothin'. It's been quiet as a tomb."
"Kind of nice actually." Nigel sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "With the constant missions, it's easy to forget that there's more to life than noise and activity... like relaxing." Fanny nodded and walked up to the side of the bed. "This is a pretty nice place. Very big."
"Yeah well, my mother's an important person in some circles." Fanny replied. Nigel nodded and turned his head to cough into his hand. "Here, you could use a drink." She pulled a flask out of her pocket and held it to his lips, letting him drink a little bit before returning it to its pocket. "Those wounds must be weakening your immune system."
"Let me know when you contact Kids Next Door mission control..." Nigel said. "I want to get back to work as soon as I can, however nice this time here is." Fanny nodded and patted his hand before walking out of the room.
Nigel coughed again as Kuki walked in with a tray of food for dinner. "Here you go. Soup, sandwiches, and a tall glass of milk." She set the tray on his lap on a group of extendable steel legs.
"Thanks a lot Numbuh 3." Nigel grabbed one of the sandwiches and took a bite, enjoying the taste in his somewhat parched throat. "As soon as Numbuh 86 makes contact wit the Kids Next Door home base, we'll get out of here and resume our mission."
Kuki blinked curiously. "Make contact? But didn't she talk to them earlier?"
"What do you mean?" Nigel quirked one eyebrow.
"I heard her talking on her communicator earlier, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. I thought she was talking to someone at the base." Kuki said. Nigel stroked his chin with one hand, letting out a cough a moment later. "Are you okay Numbuh 1? Are you getting sick?" She put one hand on his forehead.
"I don't know what it is..." Nigel leaned back on the pillows, beginning to sweat despite a slight chill in the air. "I think I'll rest for a while..." He closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
"Numbuh 1? Numbuh 1!" Kuki shook his shoulders violently, but he sank into a deep sleep regardless.
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Abigail marched onto the Kids Next Door moon base, ignoring the surprised stares of her former colleagues as Numbuhs 12 and 13 led her down the hall toward one of the main meeting rooms. She hadn't been here in a long time, but she could still recognize most of the faces around her. A few still looked friendly, but most looked suspicious.
The two agents led her into a small office, where Chad, Numbuh 274, turned to meet them. "Former operative Abigail Lincoln..." Numbuh 12 gulped when Chad glared at him balefully. "We had to bring her... she threatened us."
Chad sighed and stood up, approaching Abigail. "Old friend or not, you're not supposed to be here Abigail. We have kind of a lot to deal with right now anyway."
"I noticed." Abigail smirked. "I'm here to ask you to help me find Numbuh 1." She walked into the room, looking around at the various files and pictures scattered on his desk.
"If we could find him, we would have found him long before now." Chad rubbed his head. "To be honest, he's not the highest thing on our list of priorities. We're dealing with Cree and the traitor Hoagie Gilligan, in addition to tending to those wounded in the last raid and preparing for whatever the Delightful Children From Down The Lane decide to throw at us next."
"Traitor Hoagie?" Abigail whirled toward him in surprise. "Hoagie is the one who's working with Cree?"
Chad quirked his eyebrow and walked up to her. "Do you know something, Abigail?"
Abigail stared him down, unblinking. "Cree visited me last night, told me something about the fight coming to an end soon. I wanted to warn Numbuh 1, but I haven't been able to find him." Chad swore softly under his breath and walked behind his desk. Suddenly he stopped and whirled on her.
"You're Cree's sister..." He gaped like he'd just solved the mysteries of the universe.
"Yeah, that comes with having the same parents." Abigail smirked.
"We can use your DNA and our satellite net to find Cree. Maybe we can put a stop to this before any more kids are injured." Chad walked up to her and held out his hand. "If you'll agree to help us out one more time, Abigail." He smiled.
Abigail looked down at his hand. She'd really only wanted to warn Numbuh 1... but it didn't look like that was possible. The next best thing would be to help take out the Delightful children... and Cree would definitely be a part of that. She reached out and gripped his arm in acceptance. "Alright, I still owe her anyway."
Chad smiled and put one hand on her shoulder. "Great, come on, let's get you down to the labs." He turned to lead her out of the office and through the moon base. They soon arrived into a small lab on one of the lower levels, where several operatives in white lab coats were operating a large machine. It would be connected to the entire satellite web right form this very room.
When Chad walked in they all turned toward him, though they gave Abigail distrusting looks. How quickly things changed. "You're all relieved until further notice." Chad said.
"But what's going on Numbuh 274?" One of the operatives asked.
"We'll have time for a full briefing later, right now we have to move fast and quietly. Now everyone out." Chad and Abigail stood aside to let the younger operatives file out so they could approach the machine. "Put your hand against the scanner."
Abigail obediently placed her palm against the glowing screen. Chad sat down at one of the chairs to work the machine. One of the monitors above them showed images of all the satellites turning in place, aiming straight down toward Earth. She watched curiously as the radar began lighting up, showing the surface of the Earth. She waited with bated breath for any sign, but for a few minutes none came.
"Maybe she's underground..." Chad muttered. Suddenly a blip came back, shining brightly against the dull backdrop. "Got her! She's in Australia."
"Let's go pick her up then." Abigail pulled her hand away from the screen. "If she's there, it's a safe bet that the Delightful Children From Down the Lane will be there too." She turned toward the door, but stopped when she saw a little girl with bronze skin, white hair, and narrow eyes staring at them. "Who is this?"
"Do you need something, Numbuh 4?" Chad asked. Abigail looked at him, then gave the girl another appraising look. So this was Wallabee's replacement huh? She didn't look like much. In fact she looked tired and worn, as if she'd gone through a lifetime of service.
"I want to come with you." She replied. Chad sighed and walked up to her.
"This is going to be a dangerous mission. You still need to rest and recuperate." Chad told her.
"If I rest any more, I'll go crazy." The girl replied simply. Abigail had to admire the girl's persistence and calm attitude. Chad looked like he was about to reject her again, but Abigail interrupted him.
"Let her come. I'll take full responsibility for her." Abigail said. Chad and the girl looked over at her. "We could use an extra pair of eyes anyway, if it's going to be just us."
Chad still looked doubtful, but he looked down at the girl and nodded. "Okay, you can come. Just don't overexert yourself." The girl nodded without smiling. Something was odd about her... but Abigail couldn't figure out what it was. Oh well, she had a mission to accomplish.
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The concept of time faded into little more than a memory. He floated in and out of consciousness like a series of waves crashing up onto a beach. Sometimes a figure with fiery red hair would be standing over him, other times it would be nothing but shadows.
Finally he managed to pry his eyes open, looking around the room through a sleep-filled haze. He felt a wet washcloth against his forehead, accompanied by the touch of a hand massaging his temple. He blinked and looked to the side, seeing the red-haired figure sitting beside him. "Numbuh 86..." He spoke as loud as he could, but it was still barely more than a whisper.
"Relax Nigel." Fanny gave him a comforting smile, rubbing her palm against his bare forehead. "You're doin' fine. You'll be better in no time." Her voice was surprisingly gentle, but his hazy mind barely registered anything unusual about it.
"Where's... Numbuh 3..." Nigel tried to sit up, but she put a hand on his bare chest to push him back down.
"She's downstairs fixin' ya lunch." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small silver flask. "Ya sound like ya need a drink." She held it up to his lips and poured the liquid into his mouth.
Nigel watched her face as intently as his hazy mind would let him, letting the liquid flow into his mouth. When she was satisfied she corked the flask again and stuffed it into her pocket. "Don't worry Nigel, we'll be gettin' outta here soon." She patted his shoulder and turned to leave.
Nigel watched her go, then turned his head to the side and spit the liquid on the floor beside the bed. He groaned and leaned back on the pillow, staring at the door. He still wasn't able to think very well, but even he could tell that something was wrong...
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Abigail waited in the back of the small Shuttle with Chad and the girl she now knew as Cleopatra. Only they and the pilot knew the nature of their mission out here. She wasn't sure why, but Chad had insisted that they take care of it themselves. They mansion was passing by below them, as the two children and one teenager rose to their feet.
Chad silently approached the door and pushed it open, looking down at the ground far below. The dark midnight sky gave little light, but the large mansion was lit up by a series of floodlights around the perimeter. He looked back at Abigail and Cleopatra before jumping. "I hope you two are sure about this." Chad told them seriously. "Once we leave this Shuttle there's no going back."
"Just go already." Abigail shoved him out the door, sending him hurtling toward the ground. Abigail leapt after him, followed by Cleopatra. Chad's jetpack flared to life as he aimed toward the mansion, landing on the roof. Cleopatra and Abigail were both forced to open their regular parachutes and float calmly down to the roof.
Chad crept up to one of the many skylights on the roof and took out a small pen, cutting a hole in the glass. He used a suction cup to pry it up and leapt through, using his jetpack to float gently to the ground. Abigail leapt past him, landing in a crouch before standing back up to catch Cleopatra and set her on the ground.
Chad landed beside them. "We'll split up. Signal if you find anything." He handed each girl a small indicator with one button and three small lights. "However many lights blink indicates which one has been activated. One for me, two for Abigail, and three for you Numbuh 4. Now let's move." He moved town one of the hallways away from the circular room, with Cleopatra following until she could find another passage.
Abigail went the other direction, moving as silently as possible. She hadn't brought her weapons; they had all been destroyed after she left the organization. Operatives had to build their own equipment to use, and she hadn't had time to make anything new.
She stopped at a corner and peeked around to make sure it was empty. She slinked down this new hallway until she came to a room with the door open. She could hear a soft mumbling sound coming from inside.
"Three degrees south... no that wasn't right. Bah, why can't I remember?" Abigail peeked around the doorframe. Hoagie was sitting with his back to the door, pouring over what looked like a map on the desk in front of him. He banged his fist into the desk. "Where was it!? Wait... yeah... that was it." He started scribbling furiously on the map.
After reaching into her sweater to press the button on her indicator, Abigail crept into the room silently. She moved on all fours to keep her weight from landing on any one spot. She crept up behind Hoagie, reaching out slowly to grip one leg of his chair. She braced herself and yanked the chair out from under him.
"Yow!" Hoagie slammed into the desk and Abigail jumped on his back, covering his mouth with her hand and pushing his head down on the desk.
"Okay, what do you think you're doing?" Abigail growled.
Hoagie blinked and looked over his shoulder at her. She moved her hand slightly so he could respond. "Abigail? What are you doing here? The Kids Next Door kicked you out."
"I'm helping my friends. How about you?" Abigail scoffed. Hoagie blinked, and gave a soft sigh. Suddenly Abigail was heft off of him and whirled through the air. Her stomach slammed into the corner of the desk, knocking the wind out of her. Someone rolled her off the desk to the floor with a solid kick. She slammed into the floor with a thud, coughing and holding her stomach.
"I warned you to stay away from this Abigail." Cree stepped on her younger sister's stomach, holding her down. "You should have either joined us or kept your nose out of it. Now I'm gonna have to turn you over to Father."
"I'm sure that just chokes you up..." Abigail sneered. Cree grabbed her arms and hauled her off the ground, pushing her arms up behind her back. Abigail looked over at Hoagie, who was watching the exchange with a blank expression on his face. Abigail frowned at him.
"I hope it's all worth it." Abigail said. Cree yanked her arm up painfully and guided her toward the door.
"Get back to work baby, I'll be right back." Cree pushed Abigail through the maze of hallways. Abigail tried to keep track of them, but they all looked completely identical. She gave up trying to keep track and instead wondered about Chad and Cleopatra. Cree might not know she'd come with some Kids Next Door operatives. There was no reason for her to guess...
Abigail was shoved into a huge domed chamber decorated with carpets and wallpaper of gold and silver. The Delightful Children From Down the Lane stood at the base of a set of stairs leading up to a throne, on which sat a dark figure who was leering at her victoriously.
"Abigail Lincoln. Aren't you a little old for kiddy games?" Father asked with an amused smirk.
"Aren't you a little stupid to run an organization?" Abigail shot back. Cree smacked her in the back of her head, knocking her red cap off. "Hey, watch the cap!"
Father laughed and stood up, walking down the steps toward her. "As spirited as ever. It's too bad nothing you do here will make a difference. It'll all be over in ten hours, at noon tomorrow."
"Y'know, you all keep sayin' that it's over, but I just don't see it happening." Abigail commented.
"You can't see the big picture." Father shook his head and looked at Cree. "Lock her in one of the restrainers... I want her to watch the fireworks in the morning."
"I'm on it." Cree dragged her sister out of the throne room and down the hall a short ways. Abigail was shoved into a small chair where her hands and feet were shackled down. There was a monitor in front of her, which was blank at the moment. "I'll come get you after it's over Abby... maybe then you'll see some merit in joining us." Cree stepped outside and closed the door, shutting Abigail in with no way to escape.
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Fanny picked up the tray of food with one hand and the glass with the other, carrying it toward the bedroom. She pushed the bedroom door open with her foot, walking into the room with a gentle smile. "Okay Nigel, it's time for breakfast." She approached the bed, seeing Nigel still unconscious. Setting the tray on the nightstand, she prepared to wake him up when she noticed a stain on the carpet.
"What..." She stared at it, then looked up in time to watch Nigel leap from his unconsciousness and tackle her, slamming her into the wall hard. "Agh!" Fanny struggled with him, but his grip was too tight to break.
"Alright, tell me why you did it! Who are you working for that can make you sell out the Kids Next Door!?" Nigel yelled in her face. Fanny glared down at him angrily.
"Sell out? I'm not workin' for anybody anymore!" She replied.
"So why did you drug me to keep me here?" Nigel demanded.
"To protect you!" Fanny shouted back. Nigel blinked and loosened his grip, but refused to let her go. She sighed and shook her head. "Our spy finally infiltrated the Delightful Children's home base... and what he told us had the Kids Next Door high command shaking in their boots." She looked away from him, as she was one of those high command operatives. "His last transmission detailed a plan to wipe out the Kids Next Door in one night."
"It's not possible." Nigel shook his head. "If they could do it they would have done it long before now."
Fanny looked down at him seriously. "It's true. I saw the plan." She closed her eyes, trying to remember what she'd seen. "Tomorrow at noon there will be a solar eclipse, when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun. It's at that time that the Delightful Children will throw one of their special explosives into the sun itself." Nigel listened with growing interest. "It'll cause a miniature supernova, that will wipe out everything on the surface of the moon, while the moon's presence protects the Earth."
"The Kids Next Door moon base will be annihilated..." Nigel gaped.
"I wish that was the end of it." Fanny shook her head. "They have a ring of satellites floating around Earth, that they can use to deflect the solar energy back down to Earth on any spots they want. All they needed was the locations of all the Kids Next Door bases." She stared down at Nigel blankly. "They have that now, and it's only a matter of time."
"Hoagie..." Nigel let Fanny go, staring at her in shock. "But why didn't Kids Next Door command tell anyone about this? We could evacuate all the operatives and rebuild..."
"It wouldn't matter how many operatives were left. Without our bases and technology we would be powerless to protect ourselves and you know it." Fanny glared at him. "The only option was to sit and wait for it to happen... but I couldn't do it. Me and several other key Kids Next Door members got out..."
"Leaving everyone else to die." Nigel scowled and pushed her against the wall again. "So why drag me along with this against my will? And what did you do with Numbuh 3?"
"Kuki is fine, she'd asleep in one of the guest rooms." Fanny looked away from him. "I knew you wouldn't come willingly... but I thought you were worth saving anyway after seeing you respond to Cleopatra's predicament, and when you risked your life to save me at the mansion..."
"You were right. I want no part of this." Nigel pushed away from her and walked out of the room, searching in the other rooms for any sign of Kuki. Fanny leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling in defeat. She listened to Nigel stomp through the building until he stopped, having found his friend. Fanny shook her head.
"You know it's too late now Nigel. The eclipse is happening in three hours and we have no idea where the Delightful Children are." Fanny replied. "You're only condemning yourself.
"If I can't stop it then I deserve to be condemned." Nigel marched toward the front exit with the unconscious Kuki in his arms. Suddenly they all heard the communicator pin on Kuki's sweater activate.
"*f *ny*** c*n h*** **, ** ***d **lp!" A voice shouted through a pile of static. Nigel looked down at it and pulled it off of Kuki's sweater.
Nigel stared at it curiously. "It's a transmission... but these communicators are supposed to work worldwide. What could be causing the interference...?" Fanny walked out to the living room to find him, knowing what it was. The eclipse was beginning...
"If I can boost the transceiver power..." Nigel set Kuki on the couch and started fiddling with the communicator. Soon a clearly recognizable voice came back. It was Numbuh 274.
"Repeat, if anyone is picking this up, we need backup right away! We're in the middle of Australia... I'm transmitting the coordinates. If anyone picks this up, we need backup right now!" His voice faded into static again as Nigel's adjustments shorted out the power supply.
"I'm going." Nigel dropped the useless communicator and picked up Kuki again.
"There's no point to this Nigel. There's not enough time." Fanny reminded him.
"Then I'm going to fail. But either way, I'm going to try." Nigel walked out with Kuki in his arms, activating his rocket-boots and streaking through the sky away from her. Fanny approached the door and looked up to watch him leave. She wished him the best, but somehow she knew wishes wouldn't be enough...
TO BE CONTINUED...
Fear
Erases
All
Response
Abigail Lincoln tossed in bed, the soft blankets wrapping around her body like a small cocoon from the ferocity of her turning. She growled and moaned in her sleep, gripping the sheets hard enough to turn her knuckles white. She bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut until suddenly she shot up with a start, panting into the dark night around her. She rubbed her head and looked around, but saw nothing there.
"Stupid nightmares..." She sighed and climbed out of bed, grabbing her robe and pulling it on both to cover her exposed skin and protect it from the nighttime chill. She walked down the hallway of her house toward the kitchen, making her way over to the fridge. Life had been pretty boring since she'd left the Kids Next Door, but other than that she felt no different. She'd thought she would become more mature or more responsible or something... but she hadn't changed a whole lot.
Maybe something was wrong with her? She shook her head and grabbed a Pepsi from the fridge, popping it open as she closed the door. She lifted the can to her lips, but stopped when she heard a creaking noise behind her. She knew if it were her father he would have greeted her by now...
She turned around slowly to see a dark skinned figure clad in black leaning against the wall watching her. "Well looks like you finally escaped, eh Cree?" Abigail commented, swishing her drink around in the can. "It only took you three years."
"And hello to you too, sis." Cree smirked. "You haven't changed a bit. Oh wait... yes you have. Happy thirteenth birthday." Her smile seemed genuine, but Abigail wasn't about to take it at face value.
"Just tell me what you want so I can go to bed." Abigail said pointedly, not in the mood for a late night confrontation with her sister. "I'm not one of the Kids Next Door anymore, so if you're here to attack me you're a little late."
"Actually I'm here to make you an offer." Cree smiled. "You're way too good at what you do to let you waste your life here, doing schoolwork, playing kiddy kissing games with the boys." She pushed herself off the wall and approached Abigail, putting one hand on her shoulder. "We normally don't do this, but because you're my sister I'm gonna. I want you to come with me, to work for the Delightful Children from Down the Lane."
"What are you, crazy? I'm a teenager, not a traitor like some people I know." Abigail brushed her sister's arm off of her shoulder like an annoying fly. "You're gonna have to find your inside informant somewhere else."
"Oh we already have one." Cree winked. "We don't need you... I just thought I should give you another chance. But suit yourself, I thought it would be nice to work WITH you for a change... but the fight is almost over anyway." She walked toward the window. Abigail quirked one eyebrow, watching her with a curious gaze. When Cree reached the window and pulled it open she turned back. "Just a warning, stay away from the Kids Next Door if you don't want to suffer any... negative effects." With that she vanished into the night outside.
Abigail walked up to the window and stared into the night, disturbed beyond reasoning by what had just happened. They had an informant from the Kids Next Door? Could it be a trick? But what if it wasn't...?
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The blanket of darkness that covered the Earth was pierced only by the stars that twinkled from the heavens, bathing the large mansion in pale light. The night was completely still, except for a swarm of small soldiers who made their way toward the building like an army of ants. They closed in around the building, all armed to the teeth and ready to rumble.
Nigel Uno crept right up to the front door, clutching his balloon launcher close to his chest. He was followed by Kuki, and strangely enough, Fanny. She'd volunteered to temporarily join this squad since they were seriously understaffed with Cleopatra still recovering from her injuries. Besides, she had to be here anyway to find Hoagie, being the head of decommissioning.
Nigel waited several minutes to make sure all of the assembled Kids Next Door were in their positions before speaking into the small communicator pinned to his sweater. "GO!" Fanny and Kuki kicked in the door and the three of them sped through it. All around the building they could hear shattering glass and breaking walls as other Kids Next Door teams made their own entrances.
Several turrets in the ceiling roared to life and took aim, but a barrage of water balloons fried their circuits and shut them down. They made their way through the winding hallways and up the stairs, frying turrets and searching for any sign of the building's occupants.
They stopped outside a small door, behind which they could see the pale light from a television set. Nigel Gestured for Kuki and Fanny to cover him while he grabbed the doorknob. He thrust the door open and lurched inside, looking for any sign of an ambush.
He moved further in when he didn't see any, ignoring the TV still on behind him. Kuki and Fanny moved in behind him. Nigel stopped when he heard what sounded like a muffled yell from the TV. Slowly all three operatives turned around at the same time.
On the television screen was an image of Cleopatra, bound and gagged in the middle of the main area of the Kids Next Door's tree house and shaking with fear. Tex walked on screen with a small rod clutched in his one fist, hitting it against the open palm of his other hand. He approached the shivering girl and raised the rod over his head, not stopping for anything.
"What kind of monster would leave something like this running... would even record something like this?" Fanny gaped. Nigel quirked one eyebrow, realizing she was right. The Delightful Children got nothing out of keeping this around, they wouldn't tape it, unless...
"They want to keep us distracted..." Nigel looked around the room quickly, for the first time noticing a small bundle strapped to the ceiling. He grabbed the communicator on his sweater. "All operatives! Evacuate!" He whirled and darted out of the room, grabbing the girls' hands and dragging them behind him.
The first explosion rang out in the room they had been in moments before, engulfing the carpet and roof of the hallway in flames as they erupted from the enclosed room. More explosions followed, seeming to move down the corridor towards them.
One bomb erupted right on top of them, engulfing them in searing hot flames. Kuki screamed and lurched forward ahead of the others, turning down the staircase that led to the ground floor. It was already engulfed in flames however, blocking all access to the exits on the bottom floor.
Another explosion right on top of them rained fire down on them, forcing them to cover their faces lest they lose their eyesight at this critical time. "We've got to get out of here!" Fanny shouted.
"There's still one exit." Nigel grabbed Fanny's arm tightly and activated his rocket-boots. They screamed down the hall toward Kuki, who he slammed into and carried with them just as another bomb went off right above her. They streaked up to the window and broke through it just as the bomb above the window detonated.
The three operatives plummeted toward the ground in a shower of glass and fire. They hit with a solid thud, with Nigel landing flat on his back. He grunted in pain and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the glass raining down on them. The heat from the flames had fortunately died down, however.
He tried to lift his head, but his back screamed in pain and he let it fall back on the grass. Fanny and Kuki knelt down beside him, grabbing his arms. "Numbuh 1!" They both shouted just before he blacked out.
His awareness faded into darkness until he awoke again as if in a few moments, surprised to find himself in the bedroom of a normal house. It didn't look like his house, or any of his friends' houses. He could feel bandages covering a large portion of his body, and his head was propped up on a pile of pillows. His shades were sitting on the nightstand beside him, and the just rising sun was shining through the window, blinding him.
He grabbed his shades and slipped them on as the door opened. Kuki walked in with a wet washcloth, but she dropped it when she saw him. "Numbuh 1! You're okay!" She ran to the side of the bed and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Nigel bit his lip as her hand smacked into his sore back, but he wrapped his arms around her as well.
"I'll be fine Numbuh 3." Nigel replied. They released each other and he looked around the room again. "Where are we? This isn't your house...?"
Kuki shook her head. "Nope, this is Numbuh 86's house." Nigel quirked one eyebrow, so she explained. "After the mansion exploded we had to get you somewhere to help you... so we brought you to the closest house we could use to help you get better."
"Where is Numbuh 86?" Nigel asked.
"Outside I think." Kuki pointed to the window, which he now saw doubled as a door to a balcony. Nigel pushed himself out of bed, clad only in his shorts as he approached the window. He slid it aside and stepped out into the golden sunlight. Fanny was leaning against the guardrail, staring out across the sea of houses that were all much smaller than this one.
Nigel walked up to lean against the balcony beside her. "Did everybody make it out?"
"I dunno." Fanny replied without looking at him. She reached up and pulled a toothpick out of her mouth before she spoke again. "I haven't been able to get a signal through, all the frequencies are busy." She gave him a wry smirk. "So I'm guessin' it was pretty bad." Nigel sighed and slammed his head into the rail.
"So stupid... I should have seen it coming. Of course they would set a trap... they must have known we would be coming after them after what they did..." He hung his head in shame, closing his eyes. "I led them all into a death trap..."
"I should have seen it too." Fanny shook her head. "But I wanted to get that little bastard for what he did to Numbuh 4... I ignored the risks." She hung her head beside his. Nigel looked over at her, unaccustomed to hearing her do anything but try to blame others for her mistakes and claim glory. He supposed with something this big even she couldn't try to take advantage of it.
Nigel stood up straight and put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find them and put an end to it. We just have to find a way to locate them." Fanny looked over at him, her eyes unusually gentle. The orange sun glinted off of her fiery red hair, making a halo around her face as she stood up straight and nodded with a slight smile. Nigel smiled back, for once not upset to have to spend a little time with her...
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"What the blazes happened here?" Abigail gaped in surprise when the Kids Next Door tree house hove into view. It was tilted sharply to one side, and half of the branches were blackened and burned. She'd come to warn her friends about Cree's threat... but was she already too late? Were all of her friends... already gone?
She rushed into the tree house, noting that the alarm didn't go off despite a teenager entering the building. "Numbuh 1!" She shouted, struggling to keep her footing on the sharp slant. "Yo, is ANYBODY in here!?" She wandered through the tree house. It was amazing how different it all looked. Covered in ash, moved across the room by the slant, or outright destroyed in some massive blaze.
"Freeze, teenager!" Abigail froze when she heard a voice behind her. She slowly turned around to see two Kids Next Door members training their weapons on her. "What are you doing here? Only Kids Next Door members are allowed to-"
"Yeah yeah yeah." Abigail crossed her arms over her chest. "I know the drill, I'm an ex-Kids Next Door member."
"Then you should know better than to come back here." One of the operatives lowered his weapon, but stayed ready to raise it again.
"It's important. I need to talk to Numbuh 1. Where is he?" Abigail demanded. The two Kids Next Door operatives exchanged silent glances. "What is it? Tell me where he is!"
"We don't know." One of the operatives told her. "He went on a mission last night with Numbuh 3 and 86, but they disappeared after the Delightful Children From Down the Lane sprung a trap. They haven't been seen or heard from since." Abigail hung her head and clenched her fists. It was possible they were... but no. They had to be out there somewhere.
"I need you two to take me up to the main base." She told them.
"You're not a Kids Next Door operative, we can't just ferry you to our most important base like a taxi." One of the operatives complained. Abigail stalked up to them threateningly, forcing them to train their weapons on her again.
"Either take me peacefully or I'll make you take me prisoner, either way I'm going to that moon base!" She shouted in their faces. They exchanged a glance and gulped in unison before looking up at her again.
________________________________________________________________________________
Nigel was in bed again, with his bare torso still covered in bandages. Plunging through the window had taken its toll on him more than he'd realized. His little trip to the balcony had exhausted him. Kuki continued to play the helpful maid though, so he never ran out of food or entertainment. Fanny came and went from what was apparently her bedroom to ask how he was.
He looked up when she entered for the fifth time in an hour, looking like she wanted to say something. Before she did however she turned to leave, but Nigel spoke before she reached the door. "Any word from Kids Next Door headquarters?" He asked.
Fanny looked down at him and shook her head slowly. "Nothin'. It's been quiet as a tomb."
"Kind of nice actually." Nigel sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "With the constant missions, it's easy to forget that there's more to life than noise and activity... like relaxing." Fanny nodded and walked up to the side of the bed. "This is a pretty nice place. Very big."
"Yeah well, my mother's an important person in some circles." Fanny replied. Nigel nodded and turned his head to cough into his hand. "Here, you could use a drink." She pulled a flask out of her pocket and held it to his lips, letting him drink a little bit before returning it to its pocket. "Those wounds must be weakening your immune system."
"Let me know when you contact Kids Next Door mission control..." Nigel said. "I want to get back to work as soon as I can, however nice this time here is." Fanny nodded and patted his hand before walking out of the room.
Nigel coughed again as Kuki walked in with a tray of food for dinner. "Here you go. Soup, sandwiches, and a tall glass of milk." She set the tray on his lap on a group of extendable steel legs.
"Thanks a lot Numbuh 3." Nigel grabbed one of the sandwiches and took a bite, enjoying the taste in his somewhat parched throat. "As soon as Numbuh 86 makes contact wit the Kids Next Door home base, we'll get out of here and resume our mission."
Kuki blinked curiously. "Make contact? But didn't she talk to them earlier?"
"What do you mean?" Nigel quirked one eyebrow.
"I heard her talking on her communicator earlier, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. I thought she was talking to someone at the base." Kuki said. Nigel stroked his chin with one hand, letting out a cough a moment later. "Are you okay Numbuh 1? Are you getting sick?" She put one hand on his forehead.
"I don't know what it is..." Nigel leaned back on the pillows, beginning to sweat despite a slight chill in the air. "I think I'll rest for a while..." He closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
"Numbuh 1? Numbuh 1!" Kuki shook his shoulders violently, but he sank into a deep sleep regardless.
________________________________________________________________________________
Abigail marched onto the Kids Next Door moon base, ignoring the surprised stares of her former colleagues as Numbuhs 12 and 13 led her down the hall toward one of the main meeting rooms. She hadn't been here in a long time, but she could still recognize most of the faces around her. A few still looked friendly, but most looked suspicious.
The two agents led her into a small office, where Chad, Numbuh 274, turned to meet them. "Former operative Abigail Lincoln..." Numbuh 12 gulped when Chad glared at him balefully. "We had to bring her... she threatened us."
Chad sighed and stood up, approaching Abigail. "Old friend or not, you're not supposed to be here Abigail. We have kind of a lot to deal with right now anyway."
"I noticed." Abigail smirked. "I'm here to ask you to help me find Numbuh 1." She walked into the room, looking around at the various files and pictures scattered on his desk.
"If we could find him, we would have found him long before now." Chad rubbed his head. "To be honest, he's not the highest thing on our list of priorities. We're dealing with Cree and the traitor Hoagie Gilligan, in addition to tending to those wounded in the last raid and preparing for whatever the Delightful Children From Down The Lane decide to throw at us next."
"Traitor Hoagie?" Abigail whirled toward him in surprise. "Hoagie is the one who's working with Cree?"
Chad quirked his eyebrow and walked up to her. "Do you know something, Abigail?"
Abigail stared him down, unblinking. "Cree visited me last night, told me something about the fight coming to an end soon. I wanted to warn Numbuh 1, but I haven't been able to find him." Chad swore softly under his breath and walked behind his desk. Suddenly he stopped and whirled on her.
"You're Cree's sister..." He gaped like he'd just solved the mysteries of the universe.
"Yeah, that comes with having the same parents." Abigail smirked.
"We can use your DNA and our satellite net to find Cree. Maybe we can put a stop to this before any more kids are injured." Chad walked up to her and held out his hand. "If you'll agree to help us out one more time, Abigail." He smiled.
Abigail looked down at his hand. She'd really only wanted to warn Numbuh 1... but it didn't look like that was possible. The next best thing would be to help take out the Delightful children... and Cree would definitely be a part of that. She reached out and gripped his arm in acceptance. "Alright, I still owe her anyway."
Chad smiled and put one hand on her shoulder. "Great, come on, let's get you down to the labs." He turned to lead her out of the office and through the moon base. They soon arrived into a small lab on one of the lower levels, where several operatives in white lab coats were operating a large machine. It would be connected to the entire satellite web right form this very room.
When Chad walked in they all turned toward him, though they gave Abigail distrusting looks. How quickly things changed. "You're all relieved until further notice." Chad said.
"But what's going on Numbuh 274?" One of the operatives asked.
"We'll have time for a full briefing later, right now we have to move fast and quietly. Now everyone out." Chad and Abigail stood aside to let the younger operatives file out so they could approach the machine. "Put your hand against the scanner."
Abigail obediently placed her palm against the glowing screen. Chad sat down at one of the chairs to work the machine. One of the monitors above them showed images of all the satellites turning in place, aiming straight down toward Earth. She watched curiously as the radar began lighting up, showing the surface of the Earth. She waited with bated breath for any sign, but for a few minutes none came.
"Maybe she's underground..." Chad muttered. Suddenly a blip came back, shining brightly against the dull backdrop. "Got her! She's in Australia."
"Let's go pick her up then." Abigail pulled her hand away from the screen. "If she's there, it's a safe bet that the Delightful Children From Down the Lane will be there too." She turned toward the door, but stopped when she saw a little girl with bronze skin, white hair, and narrow eyes staring at them. "Who is this?"
"Do you need something, Numbuh 4?" Chad asked. Abigail looked at him, then gave the girl another appraising look. So this was Wallabee's replacement huh? She didn't look like much. In fact she looked tired and worn, as if she'd gone through a lifetime of service.
"I want to come with you." She replied. Chad sighed and walked up to her.
"This is going to be a dangerous mission. You still need to rest and recuperate." Chad told her.
"If I rest any more, I'll go crazy." The girl replied simply. Abigail had to admire the girl's persistence and calm attitude. Chad looked like he was about to reject her again, but Abigail interrupted him.
"Let her come. I'll take full responsibility for her." Abigail said. Chad and the girl looked over at her. "We could use an extra pair of eyes anyway, if it's going to be just us."
Chad still looked doubtful, but he looked down at the girl and nodded. "Okay, you can come. Just don't overexert yourself." The girl nodded without smiling. Something was odd about her... but Abigail couldn't figure out what it was. Oh well, she had a mission to accomplish.
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The concept of time faded into little more than a memory. He floated in and out of consciousness like a series of waves crashing up onto a beach. Sometimes a figure with fiery red hair would be standing over him, other times it would be nothing but shadows.
Finally he managed to pry his eyes open, looking around the room through a sleep-filled haze. He felt a wet washcloth against his forehead, accompanied by the touch of a hand massaging his temple. He blinked and looked to the side, seeing the red-haired figure sitting beside him. "Numbuh 86..." He spoke as loud as he could, but it was still barely more than a whisper.
"Relax Nigel." Fanny gave him a comforting smile, rubbing her palm against his bare forehead. "You're doin' fine. You'll be better in no time." Her voice was surprisingly gentle, but his hazy mind barely registered anything unusual about it.
"Where's... Numbuh 3..." Nigel tried to sit up, but she put a hand on his bare chest to push him back down.
"She's downstairs fixin' ya lunch." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small silver flask. "Ya sound like ya need a drink." She held it up to his lips and poured the liquid into his mouth.
Nigel watched her face as intently as his hazy mind would let him, letting the liquid flow into his mouth. When she was satisfied she corked the flask again and stuffed it into her pocket. "Don't worry Nigel, we'll be gettin' outta here soon." She patted his shoulder and turned to leave.
Nigel watched her go, then turned his head to the side and spit the liquid on the floor beside the bed. He groaned and leaned back on the pillow, staring at the door. He still wasn't able to think very well, but even he could tell that something was wrong...
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Abigail waited in the back of the small Shuttle with Chad and the girl she now knew as Cleopatra. Only they and the pilot knew the nature of their mission out here. She wasn't sure why, but Chad had insisted that they take care of it themselves. They mansion was passing by below them, as the two children and one teenager rose to their feet.
Chad silently approached the door and pushed it open, looking down at the ground far below. The dark midnight sky gave little light, but the large mansion was lit up by a series of floodlights around the perimeter. He looked back at Abigail and Cleopatra before jumping. "I hope you two are sure about this." Chad told them seriously. "Once we leave this Shuttle there's no going back."
"Just go already." Abigail shoved him out the door, sending him hurtling toward the ground. Abigail leapt after him, followed by Cleopatra. Chad's jetpack flared to life as he aimed toward the mansion, landing on the roof. Cleopatra and Abigail were both forced to open their regular parachutes and float calmly down to the roof.
Chad crept up to one of the many skylights on the roof and took out a small pen, cutting a hole in the glass. He used a suction cup to pry it up and leapt through, using his jetpack to float gently to the ground. Abigail leapt past him, landing in a crouch before standing back up to catch Cleopatra and set her on the ground.
Chad landed beside them. "We'll split up. Signal if you find anything." He handed each girl a small indicator with one button and three small lights. "However many lights blink indicates which one has been activated. One for me, two for Abigail, and three for you Numbuh 4. Now let's move." He moved town one of the hallways away from the circular room, with Cleopatra following until she could find another passage.
Abigail went the other direction, moving as silently as possible. She hadn't brought her weapons; they had all been destroyed after she left the organization. Operatives had to build their own equipment to use, and she hadn't had time to make anything new.
She stopped at a corner and peeked around to make sure it was empty. She slinked down this new hallway until she came to a room with the door open. She could hear a soft mumbling sound coming from inside.
"Three degrees south... no that wasn't right. Bah, why can't I remember?" Abigail peeked around the doorframe. Hoagie was sitting with his back to the door, pouring over what looked like a map on the desk in front of him. He banged his fist into the desk. "Where was it!? Wait... yeah... that was it." He started scribbling furiously on the map.
After reaching into her sweater to press the button on her indicator, Abigail crept into the room silently. She moved on all fours to keep her weight from landing on any one spot. She crept up behind Hoagie, reaching out slowly to grip one leg of his chair. She braced herself and yanked the chair out from under him.
"Yow!" Hoagie slammed into the desk and Abigail jumped on his back, covering his mouth with her hand and pushing his head down on the desk.
"Okay, what do you think you're doing?" Abigail growled.
Hoagie blinked and looked over his shoulder at her. She moved her hand slightly so he could respond. "Abigail? What are you doing here? The Kids Next Door kicked you out."
"I'm helping my friends. How about you?" Abigail scoffed. Hoagie blinked, and gave a soft sigh. Suddenly Abigail was heft off of him and whirled through the air. Her stomach slammed into the corner of the desk, knocking the wind out of her. Someone rolled her off the desk to the floor with a solid kick. She slammed into the floor with a thud, coughing and holding her stomach.
"I warned you to stay away from this Abigail." Cree stepped on her younger sister's stomach, holding her down. "You should have either joined us or kept your nose out of it. Now I'm gonna have to turn you over to Father."
"I'm sure that just chokes you up..." Abigail sneered. Cree grabbed her arms and hauled her off the ground, pushing her arms up behind her back. Abigail looked over at Hoagie, who was watching the exchange with a blank expression on his face. Abigail frowned at him.
"I hope it's all worth it." Abigail said. Cree yanked her arm up painfully and guided her toward the door.
"Get back to work baby, I'll be right back." Cree pushed Abigail through the maze of hallways. Abigail tried to keep track of them, but they all looked completely identical. She gave up trying to keep track and instead wondered about Chad and Cleopatra. Cree might not know she'd come with some Kids Next Door operatives. There was no reason for her to guess...
Abigail was shoved into a huge domed chamber decorated with carpets and wallpaper of gold and silver. The Delightful Children From Down the Lane stood at the base of a set of stairs leading up to a throne, on which sat a dark figure who was leering at her victoriously.
"Abigail Lincoln. Aren't you a little old for kiddy games?" Father asked with an amused smirk.
"Aren't you a little stupid to run an organization?" Abigail shot back. Cree smacked her in the back of her head, knocking her red cap off. "Hey, watch the cap!"
Father laughed and stood up, walking down the steps toward her. "As spirited as ever. It's too bad nothing you do here will make a difference. It'll all be over in ten hours, at noon tomorrow."
"Y'know, you all keep sayin' that it's over, but I just don't see it happening." Abigail commented.
"You can't see the big picture." Father shook his head and looked at Cree. "Lock her in one of the restrainers... I want her to watch the fireworks in the morning."
"I'm on it." Cree dragged her sister out of the throne room and down the hall a short ways. Abigail was shoved into a small chair where her hands and feet were shackled down. There was a monitor in front of her, which was blank at the moment. "I'll come get you after it's over Abby... maybe then you'll see some merit in joining us." Cree stepped outside and closed the door, shutting Abigail in with no way to escape.
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Fanny picked up the tray of food with one hand and the glass with the other, carrying it toward the bedroom. She pushed the bedroom door open with her foot, walking into the room with a gentle smile. "Okay Nigel, it's time for breakfast." She approached the bed, seeing Nigel still unconscious. Setting the tray on the nightstand, she prepared to wake him up when she noticed a stain on the carpet.
"What..." She stared at it, then looked up in time to watch Nigel leap from his unconsciousness and tackle her, slamming her into the wall hard. "Agh!" Fanny struggled with him, but his grip was too tight to break.
"Alright, tell me why you did it! Who are you working for that can make you sell out the Kids Next Door!?" Nigel yelled in her face. Fanny glared down at him angrily.
"Sell out? I'm not workin' for anybody anymore!" She replied.
"So why did you drug me to keep me here?" Nigel demanded.
"To protect you!" Fanny shouted back. Nigel blinked and loosened his grip, but refused to let her go. She sighed and shook her head. "Our spy finally infiltrated the Delightful Children's home base... and what he told us had the Kids Next Door high command shaking in their boots." She looked away from him, as she was one of those high command operatives. "His last transmission detailed a plan to wipe out the Kids Next Door in one night."
"It's not possible." Nigel shook his head. "If they could do it they would have done it long before now."
Fanny looked down at him seriously. "It's true. I saw the plan." She closed her eyes, trying to remember what she'd seen. "Tomorrow at noon there will be a solar eclipse, when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun. It's at that time that the Delightful Children will throw one of their special explosives into the sun itself." Nigel listened with growing interest. "It'll cause a miniature supernova, that will wipe out everything on the surface of the moon, while the moon's presence protects the Earth."
"The Kids Next Door moon base will be annihilated..." Nigel gaped.
"I wish that was the end of it." Fanny shook her head. "They have a ring of satellites floating around Earth, that they can use to deflect the solar energy back down to Earth on any spots they want. All they needed was the locations of all the Kids Next Door bases." She stared down at Nigel blankly. "They have that now, and it's only a matter of time."
"Hoagie..." Nigel let Fanny go, staring at her in shock. "But why didn't Kids Next Door command tell anyone about this? We could evacuate all the operatives and rebuild..."
"It wouldn't matter how many operatives were left. Without our bases and technology we would be powerless to protect ourselves and you know it." Fanny glared at him. "The only option was to sit and wait for it to happen... but I couldn't do it. Me and several other key Kids Next Door members got out..."
"Leaving everyone else to die." Nigel scowled and pushed her against the wall again. "So why drag me along with this against my will? And what did you do with Numbuh 3?"
"Kuki is fine, she'd asleep in one of the guest rooms." Fanny looked away from him. "I knew you wouldn't come willingly... but I thought you were worth saving anyway after seeing you respond to Cleopatra's predicament, and when you risked your life to save me at the mansion..."
"You were right. I want no part of this." Nigel pushed away from her and walked out of the room, searching in the other rooms for any sign of Kuki. Fanny leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling in defeat. She listened to Nigel stomp through the building until he stopped, having found his friend. Fanny shook her head.
"You know it's too late now Nigel. The eclipse is happening in three hours and we have no idea where the Delightful Children are." Fanny replied. "You're only condemning yourself.
"If I can't stop it then I deserve to be condemned." Nigel marched toward the front exit with the unconscious Kuki in his arms. Suddenly they all heard the communicator pin on Kuki's sweater activate.
"*f *ny*** c*n h*** **, ** ***d **lp!" A voice shouted through a pile of static. Nigel looked down at it and pulled it off of Kuki's sweater.
Nigel stared at it curiously. "It's a transmission... but these communicators are supposed to work worldwide. What could be causing the interference...?" Fanny walked out to the living room to find him, knowing what it was. The eclipse was beginning...
"If I can boost the transceiver power..." Nigel set Kuki on the couch and started fiddling with the communicator. Soon a clearly recognizable voice came back. It was Numbuh 274.
"Repeat, if anyone is picking this up, we need backup right away! We're in the middle of Australia... I'm transmitting the coordinates. If anyone picks this up, we need backup right now!" His voice faded into static again as Nigel's adjustments shorted out the power supply.
"I'm going." Nigel dropped the useless communicator and picked up Kuki again.
"There's no point to this Nigel. There's not enough time." Fanny reminded him.
"Then I'm going to fail. But either way, I'm going to try." Nigel walked out with Kuki in his arms, activating his rocket-boots and streaking through the sky away from her. Fanny approached the door and looked up to watch him leave. She wished him the best, but somehow she knew wishes wouldn't be enough...
TO BE CONTINUED...
