Author's Note: Yet another silly name for a chapter title. There are some minor confrontations, which will lead into a bigger one into the later chapters... which I have yet to come up with a good idea. But in the mean time, enjoy this one!
Legal junk: I don't own Codename:Kids Next Door, but Cartoon Network does and Mr. Warburton created it. But this fic belongs to me. Clear? Good.
Operation: FIX - Fixing In X-treme
"We build this treehouse in this unforgiving and merciless land so the adults won't find us." – Altair La-Ahad (Numbuh 1191)
Fourth Age
"Arctic Base, come in. How are things going on over there, Numbuh 999? I hope it's all okay there. Anyway, this is Treehouse of Coolness requesting Sector Identifier Code, over."
"Understood, Numbuh 01. Standby for further intstructions, over." She said through the microphone. She punched the letters on the typewriter-like device and waited for confirmation from the Soopah Big Computermabob. Just then, a letter was printed out and she tore it away and began to read it.
SECTOR IDENTIFIER CODE REQUESTED. PROCESSING.
.6 percent
..27 percent
…41 percent
….65 percent
…..84 percent
TEMPORARY DESIGNATED NAME TREEHOUSE OF COOLNESS IS NOW IDENTIFIED AS SECTOR V. CHANGE IS NOW PERMANENT AND CANNOT BE AMEND WITHOUT A VALID REASON APPROVED BY THE SOOPREME LEADER. WELCOME TO THE FOLD, SECTOR V.
"That took long enough." Numbuh 999 said with a wry smile. "Congratulations, Ben. Your place is called Sector V from now on. I hope you like it."
"Heh, I was thinking of a cooler name, but hey, Sector V ought to do just fine." He replied back, smiling, not that the person on the other side of the line would see it, though.
"Just a reminder, Numbuh 01. There's an aircraft inbound from the Arctic Base heading towards Sector V. ETA is most likely 20 minutes. And give her a red carpet treatment, will ya? She worked hard to fix that thing."
"Understood. Numbuh 20 will be given a welcoming party which she rightfully deserves. Next transmission will commence when she arrives at the treehouse. Sector V out." With that, static noise came out from the headset. Numbuh 01 removed them away and placed it around his neck. He revolved his seat around and looked at the folks in the sector, saying to them, "All right guys, listen up:" everyone paused their activity for a moment and looked at him. "Betty is coming back and I want the hangar to be clear from debris. I want one person to command the radio and guide her in when she's ready to land."
"Ben." One of the operatives said with antagonistic disbelief, "Who died and made you the leader of this place?"
"Hey, I'm Monty's brother." He replied coolly. "I know he's going to appoint me to be the leader of Sector V eventually."
"That's nepotism and you know it! What makes you eligible to be the leader of this place anyway? And what's with this Sector V nonsense?" the operative asked back.
At this moment, Ben's patience began to run thin, "It's the name of our treehouse, you dolt!" He replied back, losing his coolness. "Look Boss, I know you used to have a big candy smuggling ring back when Father was in power and all, and we appreciate that you gave us something to brighten up our day when we toil in the factories then, but it doesn't mean that you're going to be the big boss of this place now."
Boss was unsatisfied. He glared at him with his discontented eyes and said, "We'll see about that."
--
"Numbuh 20 to Sector V." Betty relayed through her microphone headset, "I'm making my descent for landing, over. Please reconfirm my current altitude and position."
"Will do." The operative manning the radar replied, "You are descending at a rate of 20 feet per second and heading towards southwest at zero-niner-seven. Please maintain your current trajectory and everything will fall into place. Wow, talking in military lingo is so cool!" he exclaimed in disbelief.
"Well, you're gonna do that often Fizz. Might as well enjoy it." She replied back with a grin.
The radar continuously monitored the flying ship by assigning it with a green dot. Nothing was irregular until a red dot suddenly emerged on the opposite side of the radar. A warning beep began to sound, alerting Fizz. "Numbuh 20, come in." he said through the microphone while looking at the radar with concern.
"Yes Numbuh 22, what is it?"
"The radar picked up an aircraft operated by adults." Her heart skipped a beat, "Please wait for further instructions and expect your course will be diverted shortly."
"Copy that, and thanks." And with that, she let out a worried breath out and leaned back to her chair. She thought to herself that nothing bad would come to this. Back at Sector V, Fizz was monitoring the red dot closely. If it came any closer to the SCRAMPER, he had to issue a course diversion, which would delay Numbuh 20's arrival, and if he didn't, the adult aircraft will spot her and the Kids Next Door's secrecy will be compromised. Thankfully, the adult aircraft made a sudden bank to the left, making it safe for Numbuh 20 to land.
"Sector V to Numbuh 20, please maintain your course, over." Numbuh 22 said, to Numbuh 20's relief.
"Roger that." She replied. "Please make an announcement to all operatives to gather at the hangar bay. We need all the help we can to repair this ship."
--
The ship made its way slowly into the hangar. On the ground, Numbuh 01 waited for the ship to stop completely and for its pilot to come out. "That's a pretty banged up ship, Numbuh 20." Ben said, admiring the hunk of junk that Betty brought with her. As the aircraft powered down, a team of engineers and technicians came to inspect the ship. They were the ones that helped Numbuh 20 in constructing the SCRAMPER.
"Hey, don't make fun of my baby!" Numbuh 20 scolded him playfully as she jumped out from the cockpit. She then gazed at the ship for a while and could understand what Ben was talking about, "Well, it is a bit broken, but I have the best technical crew on the planet and I'm sure we can fix it in no time! Isn't it right, guys?"
But, the best engineer crew on the planet as claimed by Betty was actually slaking off at the edge of the deck, playing a card game. Betty lowered an eyebrow in disbelief and yelled at them to get back to work. Ben on the other hand was laughing uncontrollably. As the laughter subsided down and Numbuh 20 calmed down a bit, she told him what Numbuh 0 had in mind for the newly discovered Arctic Base. Ben then replied there was no need to be worried about as he had gathered as many volunteers as he could to join the rest back at the Arctic base.
"I can see his plan working smoothly. Everyone is eager to make it work. I can't wait for the Kids Next Door to be fully operational so we can fight adult tyranny, and eat all the cookies we want." Numbuh 20 said.
"You can hand it to Monty." Numbuh 01 replied back. "People follow everything that he says. He has all the makings of a great leader, you know. Oh by the way, I kinda forgot to tell you guys about this, but we're running short on power right now so I really hope he can find something in that book of KND of his on how to create energy or something."
"Heh, got that covered for ya." Betty put her thumb and pointing finger in between her lips and whistled. Then a horde of guinea pigs came out from the ship, startling and scaring the technicians working on the ship. They screamed and squealed like little girls, even though most of them were boys.
"Betty, what are you doing?!" Ben screamed as he leapt behind Betty, taking cover as he watches the guinea pigs ran in front of them, "You've unleashed a plague upon us!"
"Don't be stupid, silly!" Betty smiled at him, "They're just here to power the generator." And after a few seconds later, the dim lights due to the lack of power was shining brightly again.
"Treehouse power capacity: 48 percent. 73 percent. 95 percent." The Computuh announced. "Treehouse power is at 100 percent maximum capacity. Efficiency is at 96 percent."
"You'll just gotta hand it to the KND 2x4 technology." Numbuh 20 said. "It may not look much, but it's far superior to what the adults have made."
--
Back at Sector V's briefing room, all of the operatives there stood up and saluted Numbuh 20 for a job well done. She then did the obvious by saluting them back. "I have accomplished my mission by bringing the aircraft back for repairing, S—... by the way, who's the commanding officer of Sector V, and who am I supposed to report to anyway?" she asked, a bit confused.
But everyone gave her a quizzical look and shrugged their shoulders, since no one had ever thought of it before. Betty herself was a bit dumbstruck at the reaction and she immediately asked the Computuh for help, "Computuh, who is the Sector Leader of Sector V?"
"That position has yet to be appointed, Numbuh 20." It replied, "A Sector Leader must be appointed by Soopah Big Computamabob and/or by the Soopreme Leader at the Arctic Base. I would suggest bringing a qualified operative to the headquarters so he or she can be appointed and lead this sector."
"HAH!" Boss yelled as he points to Ben, "I told you you're not official yet!"
Ben looked at him back as he furrows his eyebrows furiously, "We'll see about that Numbuh 8055. I'm the brother to the Soopreme Leader. I'm a shoe-in to be the Sector Leader!"
"Now, now, boys…" Betty tried to calm the situation down, as the rest were getting restless about the conflict. "Don't forget I'm bringing all of you down to the Arctic Base to get you all officially instated in the KND… well, as soon as we finish fixing the ship I brought along, anyway, and get this problem fixed as soon as possible. In the mean time, please don't fight, all right? We're all civilized. We're all kids here." But despite the calling for calmness by Numbuh 20, the two boys were still locking their horns together.
"I would've knocked your face off, you snot nosed wimp!" Numbuh 8055 said angrily.
"Oh yeah? I feed fat kids like you to my dog every morning!" Numbuh 01 retorted back.
"You don't even have a dog!"
"Then I'll buy one up then!"
And they blew a raspberry to one another.
"Now that's more like it! Fighting like the kids we are!" Betty said, saying it in the spur of the moment.
--
The weather was thankfully a lot calmer than what they had to go through previously. And in a case of a really huge ship, Betty was grateful it was steady and strong enough to bring along nearly hundreds of operatives in one sitting to the Arctic Base. "Kids Next Door AIRSHAFE here."
(Kids Next Door – A.I.R.S.H.A.F.E: All Incredible Rotational Shuttle Helps Air Ferrying Effortlessly)
"Come in, Arctic Base. This is Numbuh 20 with bearings of 7-8-0 with precious cargo full of repairing equipment and some 87 operatives requesting for landing, over. Arctic Base, do you read me?"
"Arctic Base reads you loud and clear." Numbuh 999 said cheerfully. "All signs show the weather and other conditions are perfect for landing. Please approach the base from the north, over. And welcome back, Numbuh 20. We can't wait to show you what we've all have done while you're away."
"Can't wait for it, Numbuh 999. Over and out." Betty replied, smiling broadly.
--
As the new arrivals disembark the AIRSHAFE, they scanned the new environment in awe. To most of them, they never once set foot outside of their country, and to go to a very remote place such as the Arctic, was a new experience to them. Then things started to get a bit out of hand. Some of the new arrivals begin to scatter and explore the hangar, touching everything that they laid eyes upon, and playing around. The others tried to regain control, but the orders fell on deaf ears. It was when Numbuh 0 arrived, they immediately restrained themselves. They stood up straight and saluted the Soopreme Leader.
"At ease, everyone." He said courteously. "First of all, I welcome you to the Arctic Base. You are here because like the rest of us, are the pioneer members of the Seventh Age of the Kids Next Door." Everyone started to clap slowly, "The base that you are in right now is the Arctic Base, a once proud Base of Central Administration constructed by the Kids of the Fourth Age until its unfortunate demise at the end of the Sixth Age. As you walk around, looking at the remnants of our predecessors, we must remind ourselves that from this moment on, we will make a promise to them and to ourselves that we will not make our enemies victorious over us, and we will carry on their legacy to make kids worldwide safe and secure from adult tyranny and from our enemies!" the rousing speech garnered thunderous claps from everyone.
"Thank you. But as you can see from around you, the base is in a state of decay and most of the infrastructure is dilapidated. We need your help to make this base to return to its former glory. I need teams of scientists, engineers, technicians, decorators, to restore this base to full capacity."
"I'll help!"
"Me too! You need help with the wiring? Then I'm your kid!"
"Any pipes needed repairing?"
"I think this place is pretty dark. If we put some lights and bright the place up, it'll be great!"
Those were some of the operatives shouting out loud and offering their services and expertise to help the cause, no one was more grateful than the Soopreme Leader himself. After he asked everyone to settle down and organize the repair organization, they then scattered away to their places, with the help of some of the cooperative guinea pigs. Everybody was happy, with the exception of one.
"Yo, Monty."
"What is it, Boss?" Numbuh 0 replied back.
"Look, I'm really grateful you've saved us all from Father and stuff, and you got all these people in the KND, but I really feel it's a bit unfair to have your brother to lead Sector V."
Numbuh 0 raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How is that unfair?"
"Hey, it's not like I hate Ben, but I just think he's not qualified for the job. You have to admit he's a bit of a… wuss. I heard stories that he bailed on you when you tried to organize an attack on the factories?"
"Well, he lets me down sometimes, but that doesn't mean he's by any means cowardly…" he paused for a second, gazing at Boss, trying to read his face. Finally, he let a small chuckle out. "Heh, you want to be the Sector Leader of Sector V, isn't it?"
Boss' was startled, "Get real!" he replied nervously, "I'm not gunning him down just for the sake of me taking a top position! Why, the very idea is mad—"
"Hehe, calm down, man, and walk with me," he said as he put his arm across Boss' shoulder, "I'm going to let Ben to be the Sector Leader, because he's ready to prove himself to be a good leader and operative. We had a conversation when we were registering for recruits. I can see through his eyes that he's determined. Joining the KND itself is courageous in its own right, and for someone like Ben, it's saying something. I believe he can do it. I trust him. You however, I have something in mind."
While Numbuh 8055 was still skeptical of the given explanation, his heart lit up when Numbuh 0 said that, it was as if he wanted to give him a better position than just being some lame Sector Leader, "What is it?" he asked, with great curiosity.
"You're a great entrepreneur, and an excellent smuggler." Monty replied. "Who else we came to get root beer, toys and candy from when Father made them illegal when he was in power?" You're the man! You're the only one who could do it."
Boss smiled, and chuckled, "Heh, I admit, they didn't call me Boss for nothing…"
"That's why I need your help. Most of the Kids Next Door 2x4 technology is created from existing adult technology, and we just tinker around and perfecting it. You have lots of contacts, and with your genius of smuggling and obtaining anything that you can get your grubby hands on, I think you are the perfect kid to head our Salvaging and Recovering Department.
Only a blank stare greeted Monty, "Which means…"
Monty rolled his eyes, in disbelief that Boss couldn't understand the kind of position he was offering to him, "It means you get to go to fly all over the world, get stuff for us by any means necessary so we can further develop our 2x4 technology."
Boss began to smile broadly slowly, "You mean I get to steal things and fly my own jet, just like Numbuh 20?"
"If only you can drive it!" Monty gave back a sly smile.
"DEAL!" they then shook their hands, and off Numbuh 8055 went to rejoin his repair team. Just then, Numbuh 999 emerged from behind and walked towards Monty.
"He seems pretty pleased after listening to you."
"Well, I gave him something that he really loves to do."
"So, what now? All operatives are giving their best to restore this place up, and we still short on manpower for everything else."
"You're right." Monty nodded. "A few kids on our neighborhood just won't cut it. We need help from other kids from different counties, states and countries."
Numbuh 999 turned her face to him, looking at him with a bit of a shock, "You're crazy." She accused jokingly.
"I think it's time for a little diplomacy. To the bridge!"
And off to the bridge they go. Some origins of Mr. Boss on how did he got his name, and the introduction of Mr. Fizz whose character will be expanded more than just being a guy at the cotrol tower who talks with Betty. Monty's unshaken trust towards Ben will soon go downhill after this. Heh, too many information. Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review!