Oh my flopping jebus! It has been WAAAAAYYY too long since I've updated THIS.
I hear every voice in the room seemingly gasp in unison. Then chatter fills the room. Mostly white noise but by the tone of it all, I know that not a single person believes me. I turn and see the two operatives that were after me standing there in shock, their jaws practically to the floor. Numbuh 85 angrily marches up to me, grabs me by the arm, and drags me backstage. Then someone else grabs my other arm, tugging me the other way. It's Numbuh 16 trying to pull me away from her.
"Numbuh 16!" Numbuh 85 scolds her, as she pulls on my arm even harder. "Unhand her this moment!"
Number 16 also pulls harder on my other arm. "But I think she might be telling the truth!"
Numbuh 85 lets go of my arm and I topple over onto Numbuh 16. "Have you two been drinking crazy juice? There is no way!"
"Please hear me out," Numbuh 16 pleads. "Two months ago she called me and put me in charge of the tree house for a week. She said not to call her under any condition whatsoever, no matter what. She just said she was gonna be with her uncle." She turns to me and asks, "You were with Father, weren't you?"
I nod and quietly answer, "Yes." With a sigh, I add, "Which is why I asked for this. Everyone must know what happened that week."
Numbuh 85 huffs in frustration, shaking her head like someone trying to shake off lice. "No!" She shouts. "I will not have Jodi make a mockery of the KND!"
"But it's true!" I shout back in desperation. "The safety and future of the KND depends on this!"
Numbuh 16 steps forward. "Numbuh 17…" "Jodi," Numbuh 85 corrects. Numbuh 16 huffs and continues, "has never had any reason to lie to us. She tells the truth when she says she's done nothing heroic or memorable, but she also tells the truth now." Numbuh 16 turns to me and finishes, saying, "you came back and told us nothing of your visit with your uncle. You snapped at us time and time again whenever any of us asked about it. Why tell everyone now?"
"Because I thought time would make it go away," I tell both her and Numbuh 85. "Time would make it as if it never happened. But now that this time has come, it's time to come clean."
Numbuh 85 laughs. "I've heard pleas and begs and lies of many sorts to get out of decommissioning, but none of them were enough to stop it. Your story is no different." She grabs my arm and tugs. "Come on. It's time."
I yank my arm back and scream, "I have a fire inside me that could blow this entire base to the stars! Decommissioning will spark that fire into an inferno! This is why you and everyone must know the truth!"
Numbuh 85 looks at me dumbfounded. "What?"