Part 18: Serious Mistakes

Aboard the Mothership, Chad and Nigel follow Numbuh 74.239 and the clones into the hidden chamber, unnoticed. The pair hang back as Numbuh 74.239 chains both of the clones up.

"Hmm. Now we will see what you did to sabotage this plan, Numbuh 274." Numbuh 74.239 boasts.

"What are you talking about?! I didn't do anything!" Chad's clone pleads.

"Then why are you against the destruction of Earth? Do you really want the infection to set into you?" Numbuh 74.239 asks callously.

"It's not an infection! But where am I supposed to stay after retirement?" The clone asks.

"We will find a place, void of the disease known as Adulthood. There you can start a new. Prosper." Numbuh 74.239 states.

"What? Alone? No way. That wasn't part of the deal." Chad's clone rebuffs the idea of isolation.

"Is that why you sent the signal to Pegasi with Numbuh Vine? So you wouldn't have to live alone?" Numbuh 74.239 asks suspiciously.

"I didn't send any signal, where is Numbuh Vine anyway?" Chad's clone asks.

"We have traced her and another operative from her planet to the Saturn moon of Titan. Our squad is there currently "Tying up" that loose end." Numbuh 74.239 answers. Both Chad and Nigel look at each other in shock, realizing that Lizzie and Vincent are in terrible danger.

"Is that why I'm here? You think I would bite the hand that feeds me?" Chad's clone asks.

"We can't be too sure. But for now, I have to inspect Numbuh 1." Numbuh 74.239 turns to Nigel's clone, who seems very confused to why the module exploded.

"Inspect me for what? It's your machine that blew up." Nigel's clone protests.

"It wasn't supposed to blow up. This isn't the first time our machine has used generic material. I need you genetic material." Numbuh 74.239 explains while sticking out his finger.

"Don't you dare pick my nose." Nigel's clone protests.

"We have to check." Numbuh 74.239 puts his finger in the clone's nose and pulls out a booger. He begins to put the booger in an analyzer. At the same time, Chad and Nigel look at each other, knowing now is a good time to signal for Cree and Rachel. Chad gets on his radio to call it in, careful not to be heard until the time is right.

"Cree and Rachel. This is Chad, do you copy?" Chad radios.

"This is Cree. Did you find something?" Cree responds.

"We did, how soon can find us?" Chad asks.

"The three of us are headed over right right now. We got you guys on the tracker." Cree answers.

"Three?" Chad asks, causing both him at Nigel to look at each other with cocked eyebrows.

"Yes, we have Infinity with us. Can I assume your eying 74.239 and the clones?" Cree asks.

"You assume correctly. Stay safe hun. We'll hold 'me down till you ladies get here." Chad signs off.

"Copy that." Cree signs off.

Chad and Nigel turn their focus back to Numbuh 74.239, who is finished analyzing the booger. He begins to read the analysis and is in utter shock.

"What the?!" Numbuh 74.239 shouts.

"What does it say about the booger?" Nigel's clone asks.

"This is isn't a booger. It's..." Numbuh 74.239 is about to answer when Nigel stands up to make his presence to the three known.

"I Can't Believe It's Not Booger. Patented and supplied by Numbuh 2 himself." Nigel boasts. The clones and 74.239 are all in shock at the sight of him.

"How is this possible? How are there two of me?" Nigel's clone speaks up first.

"Because... I am the original Nigel Uno. And you... are just a clone of me. You're purpose was to rid the planet of Numbuhs 74.239 and Infinity. Clearly just sending them away wasn't enough, given the attempt to destroy the Earth." Nigel explains.

"You're lying! Isn't he?!" The clone turns to a still shocked Numbuh 74.239.

"I... I don't know. But I do know this, if it's true. Than this Numbuh 1 was a fool to come here alone." Numbuh 75.239 states shooting Nigel an angry look, causing Nigel to smirk.

"I never said I was here alone." With that, Chad stands up and comes from behind the shadows and to Nigel's side. The clones keep the same look of shock, but Numbuh 74.239's is mixed with anger.

"How are you still alive?" Numbuh 74.239 hisses at Chad.

"No thanks to you and Infinity. That's for damn sure." Chad hisses back.

"What is happening? Why is there another me?" Chad's clone asks.

"There is not another you. You... are another me." Chad informs the clone.

"What are you talking about?" The clone asks again, growing increasingly anxious. Chad and Nigel turn their attention to Numbuh 74.239.

"All this, because I knew I couldn't trust you. And where did that all lead? Back to me, and the Kids Next Door." Chad taunts.

"You could have been one of the greats with us Chad. All you had to do was say, yes." Numbuh 74.239 boasts.

"And do what? Destroy everything and everyone he knew and loved because a group of terrorists offered him a new pad? Seems like he'd be better off." Nigel comments.

"How do you know all this? How did you know we were looking to you for joining Galactic? And why would you turn down the chance of a lifetime?" Numbuh 74.239 asks Nigel.

"Because, you have brought me nothing but pain and misery in your quest for me to become a terrorist. Forcing me to believe someone I loved like a brother was a false traitor and an opportunist, forcing a girl away from the one she loves into a toxic relationship with me, and breaking the Kids Next Door moral codes. Nothing good ever could have come from this. That is why we created the clone. Get you away from Earth, as soon as possible. And trust me it took quite a bit of effort to do. It was hard to find paper copies. But you... being the fuckhead, that you are... we found the digital footprint for cloning on your computer. And we didn't know why you would have that, but Chad's reappearance on the Moonbase and explanation of his Mars escape, made it perfectly clear." Nigel explains. Numbuh 74.239 and the clones all look at each other, realizing that Nigel is telling the truth.

"So we're clones of you. But what about us?" Chad's clone asks.

"What about you?" Chad scoffs, much to the shock of the clone.

"Well, you can't just leave us here. I mean, I have a life on Earth." The clone states.

"Nooooo. I have a life I Earth. A place that neither of you are welcome to return to. You can go anywhere, do anything. Just not on Earth." Chad informs the clones, who are growing agitated.

"Why I want to return to that place? There's a reason I have to destroy it. I..." Nigel silences his clone with a zip the lip motion.

"You have opportunity to walk away here. Seize it. You may not get another, and if you do return to Earth, we'll throw you in The Pit." Nigel's warns.

As they are talking, Numbuh 74.239 tries run away, only for Chad and Nigel to clothesline him. Chad then drives his heel into the scientist's ankle.

"You're not going anywhere. YOU... are coming back to Earth with us. You're going in the Pit." Chad informs.

"You two made a serious mistake coming here, trying to stop this." Numbuh 74.239 hisses ARH the two.

"Not as serious as your mistakes." A voice calls. It's Rachel. Her and Cree walk into the room, the are holding an immobilized Numbuh Infinity by his arms, one which has Rachel's knife still driven into the hand. His mouth is taped shut. The two girls throw him to the floor and rip the tape off of his mouth.

"And what exactly was the mistake we made? I mean you trust filthy teenagers, and you thought you could take us all on your own." And Infinity asks.

"Your mistake was fucking with the Kids Next Door, and thinking you could get away with it." Rachel states.

"WE... are Kids Next Door. YOU... are nothing. This place is full of operatives who are prepared to fight until the last breath." Infinity boasts.

"And yet... we all managed to find all four of you undetected. Clearly... they're expendable to you. And besides, this is not a army of soldiers fighting for a good cause. This is an act of lunacy, fought by a cult of terrorists." Rachel snaps back.

"You call what we are doing lunacy, I call it merciful. We were doing you favor. You don't have to grow old." Nigel's clone callously states. The Squad all turn their heads to him.

"What did they do to you to make you see things this way?" Cree asks.

"And what did you do to them, to make you think that you can be trusted, traitor?" The clone asks angrily.

"Details I have no interest in getting into. Bottom line is, my life was stolen from me. Like those two fuckers stole Chad's life from him. And made that clone, just to ruin his reputation." Cree answers, causing Chad's clone to become furious.

"Is that what my purpose is?!" The clone snaps.

"Yeah, pretty much. You're fucking pawn. Just a tiny little pawn in their game. Everything you ever did to "help" the Kids Next Door, was a lie." Chad answers.

"And what would you have done differently from what I did?" The clone asks.

"Everything. Literally everything you did is the opposite of what I would have done. And I saw the security footage of when they told you to launch the Moonbase at the the sun. I did not take much convincing from where I stand. So don't sit there and tell me you're innocent of any sins. We could throw all of you in The Pit. And we probably should. But... we offer you two a second chance at life." Chad answers.

Suddenly, an alarm goes off. Numbuh Infinity had a hidden tracker and just sent a signal for Galactic operatives to come and find him. Nigel grabs him by his lapel.

"What did you do?" Nigel hisses.

"All threats are to be terminated." Infinity says.

Nigel rips the knife out of Infinity's hand and stabs into his kneecap to prevent him from escaping. Cree restrains Numbuh 74.239 and ties him and Infinity together. Rachel checks the trackers for how long they have to four of them lock and load their weapons, ready for the fight of their lives.

"Kids Next Door, battle stations!" Nigel yells as they see the approaching enemies.

Part of Part 18. Please read and review. We will eventually return to the The Squad's battle on the Mothership. The next chapter is gonna be back on Titan; Lizzie and Vincent vs the assassination squad. Until then happy reading.