Disclaimer: C:KND belongs to Mr. Warburton and does not belong to me.
Chapter 2-2 - Emotions
When Numbuh 5 got back from bringing Rachel back home, her teammates hurried over to Numbuh 5 and tackled her down into a group hug.
"Hey! Ow! Numbuh 5 needs her space! Get off me!" Numbuh 5 squealed.
"Congrats Numbuh 5! Or should we say, Supreme Leader now?" Numbuh 2 teased.
"Yeah, Supreme Leader, maybe you guys should call me that!" Numbuh 5 teased back.
"Yeah well, we're not gonna do that! You're still plain old Numbuh 5 to us!" Numbuh 4 said.
They all laughed on the floor forgetting the circumstances for a while before someone approached them
"Ehem, sorry to interrupt sir, but we need you in mission control right away."
The group saw it was Numbuh 36, the security chief on Moon Base and the one who leaded the salute today. It seemed both Numbuh 5 and 36 will still trying to get accustomed to the new situation as they stared awkwardly at each other.
"Umm…now?" Numbuh 5 said.
"Yes sir." He nodded.
"We'll be waiting for you Numbuh 5." Numbuh 3 assured her.
"Ermm, Numbuh 3? This will take a while. Unless you all want to stay on Moon Base for several hours, I think it's best if you head back to your treehouse."
"No way! We're stayin' right here!"
"Guys, it's ok. You don't need to wait. I'll come down the treehouse myself after all this is over."
"Sir, we really need to go." Numbuh 36 urged her.
Before they could say anything else, he grabbed Numbuh 5 and dragged her away to mission control, leaving the others standing alone in the empty conference hall.
"So, should we stay?" Numbuh 4 asked.
"I guess we should head back. Numbuh 5 said she would come down here so there's no reason to stay here right?"
They slowly walked back to the Scamper in the landing bay. The journey back to Earth was dampening. No one said a word until they arrived back at their treehouse.
They had a week before missions started again but the three sat glumly in the main room. Losing Numbuh 1 was bad enough, but Numbuh 5 made up for it in her leadership skills and her ability to keep everyone engaged and happy. Those were the days they have been the happiest since Numbuh 1's departure.
Losing Numbuh 5 was a demoralizing blow. They already lost two members, two unique and irreplaceable members of their group. It would almost be a crime to find a replacement for them, as if they were tainting their memory.
Eventually Numbuh 4 asked 2, "hey, since Numbuh 5 and 1 are gone now, doesn't that make you the leader of Sector V?"
Numbuh 2 didn't even think of that. "I guess it sort of does…"
They didn't say anything for the rest of the day.
There was a knock on the door and it opened. Numbuh i was standing in the doorway.
"Hey Numbuh 1, can I come in?"
"Sure thing." She went over took a seat next to Numbuh 1.
"So, you just watched it huh?"
"Yeah…"
"Were you guys close?"
"A little. I guess not as much as everyone expects." He shrugged.
"Everything ok?"
"Yeah…I'm fine." Numbuh i gave her a look.
"You know I can tell when you're lying or not."
"How many times have I told you not to do that to me?" Numbuh 1 said angrily.
"Nigel calm down! I didn't anything of the sort, I could feel you aura when I was standing behind the door! And you have that look on you."
"What look?"
"You have a sort of a scowl," she tilted her head a little looking at him, "I don't know. I can't really explain it but it's a mix between irritated and sad."
Numbuh 1 continued to avoid her gaze.
"So, is everything alright?"
"No, I suppose not." Numbuh 1 mumbled.
"I can understand. She looked like a great leader."
"She was."
"Is that all that's bothering you?"
"Why are you asking?" Numbuh 1 asked, a bit apprehensively.
"Because I'm concerned for you. I don't know, is it really that emotional for everyone when the Supreme Leader on Earth gets decommissioned? I mean, I get that you're not kids for very long but…"
"Well…no, it's not exactly 'emotional' I suppose."
"Then why do you seem so upset?"
"I don't know. I'm confused." Nigel was mindlessly fidgeting with his hands.
"About what?" Nigel didn't say anything. He stared out the window in front of him seeing the stars. It was a beautiful thing to watch the dots clustered together, lighting up the emptiness of space.
"It's about her isn't it? You didn't get to say goodbye to her didn't you?" Nigel nodded.
"You like her don't you?" Jath saw Nigel hesitate for a moment before he nodded his head.
"Nigel, I don't really know what to say. I know you miss her, chances are she was probably thinking about you too."
"How would you even know that?"
"I just have this feeling. You two weren't as close as you would've liked to be, but you were still close. Probably a lot closer than the other operatives she saw everyday? Am I right?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'm sure she was thinking about you."
"I didn't even get to say goodbye to her." His grip tightened on the edge of the chair.
"Neither did she. She probably felt the way you're feeling right now. But you can't stay upset forever Nigel. Be happy that you got to spend time with someone that made you feel this way."
"You're assuming she felt the same way that I did." Nigel replied spitefully.
"I know she did Nigel!" Jath snapped. "Trust me when I say that! I could see the look on your face and from the photo files you gave me with you and her. I could see it. You should know that Nigel." Jath lowered her voice realizing her sudden outburst wasn't helping.
"My people, they thrive on emotional power. They can read what a person is feeling through their body language, tone of voice and the aura they emit. I've told you all that at the start. We're experts at it. I could see it in her face Nigel. She felt the same way."
Nigel didn't say anything but a tear streamed down his cheek.
"Nigel look at me," he turned to face her and she smiled, "everything will be alright."
Jath closed her eyes and Nigel felt something surrounding her, a gentle force. She was giving him a hug. It was the closet she could do to an actual hug without touching him. But Nigel didn't mind, it felt comfortable.
"We're your friends too Nigel. You can talk to us."
"Thanks Jath." Nigel finally said.
"No problem Nigel." She smiled and leaned back.
"Umm...Jath…" Nigel said, his voice barely audible.
"Yeah Nigel?"
"I need to talk to you about something."
"Ok. What is it?" Jath could already feel a very strong feeling of sorrow and resentment coming from him.
"Well, a few days ago I got sent on a mission."
"By yourself?"
"Yeah…" Jath nodded and gestured him to continue.
"I got sent on a mission with this new recruit. It was her first time, she wasn't assigned to any sector but she wanted to go. And Numbuh 90.0 said they needed someone…" Nigel struggled to continue as he started sniffing. Jath already knew where this was going and tried to act unaware.
On the day Nigel came back from his rescue mission he received a file from the GKND. It outlined a mission that was undertaken by Sector V and how it resulted in casualties, a rarity in his KND organization. It was labeled top secret but Jath couldn't help but see for herself. When she came to deliver the news Nigel had just come back from his mission. As soon as she stepped inside she could feel an intense dark aura coming from him and as she hastily searched his mind she discovered that he had just experienced the death of an operative. She couldn't face him being the messenger of another death on his home planet. So she fled.
"It's ok Nigel. What is it?" she said soothingly.
"…they needed someone experienced. It was me! We went on a rescue mission and she was being reckless. I should have stopped her but I didn't. I could have but I didn't! And…she…she died. On my watch. I was supposed to be the responsible one!"
"Nigel…"
"I let someone die!"
"It's not your fault!"
"It was my responsibility!" he yelled bitterly.
Jath's eyes glowed again and a faint white light surrounded Nigel. He started to look more relaxed.
It wasn't your fault…there wasn't anything you could have done. You did everything you could have to protect her. The GKND didn't give you any information, they simply told you to go. How could you be prepared without that information? You did the best you could. She knew it.
How…?
I know Nigel. Her last moments were spent doing what she wanted. She got to meet a senior operative. You made her feel so happy.
Jath released Nigel from her telepathic grip. As she looked at him, he looked a lot calmer now but far from feeling fine.
"My friends…" Nigel mumbled.
"I know. I'm sorry." She faced the floor, wanting to avoid Nigel's gaze. "I wasn't supposed to read the file. I was supposed to bring it to you. I wanted to be there for you when you got the news but…it was on the day you came back from your mission. I couldn't bring myself to see you in such a state…and I could feel all the negative energy coming from you. It was frightening." She whimpered. "I'm sorry..."
"It's ok. I'm glad you're with me now."
Jath looked up and he smiled at her. A sincere smile. It was times like these where she wished she could actually hug him and hold him physically. To feel another emotional being with her. It was so close but it felt like a million miles away. They simply looked at each other, their eyes expressing a thousand emotions all at once.
"Can you stay with me for a bit Jath?"
"Sure thing Nigel."
Hope you liked this part! If you liked this please leave a favourite and if you have any criticisms then give me a review! Constructive feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading!
