Chapter Summary: The four find refuge in Abby's childhood stronghold as the TND starts to take notice of them. Wally, Kuki and Hoagie uncover a secret that will change the mission and their lives.

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Code: [RESTRICTED]

Operation: M.A.R.S.

Maurice

Approves

Retreat

Sanction

Written by OfficiallyWrong with properties owned by

Tom Warburton and Cartoon Network

Episode 4

September 4th, 2007

It was an early Saturday morning in Cleveland, Ohio. Birds sang a happy tune as trees swayed to the silent breeze. The sun was starting to peek over the homes in the quiet suburban neighborhood. Children were tucked in bed, sleeping in past their alarms as their parents let their houses fill with the smell of fresh muffins and crispy bacon. All was at peace.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. A siren sang its call to action, waking up nearly half the neighborhood with its piercing wail. Cups of coffee spilled, babies started to cry as the Adults looked around, trying to find the source of the panic. At the end of the street, a great red light flashed atop an even greater treehouse, which was rooted inside a two-story white house with a broken red roof. Inside, four kids stumbled out of their beds, sliding down poles in order to make it to the heart of the tree. As they entered the corridor, a small bald boy stood with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. The chatter of the others did not faze him. Only the sound of his whirring mind passed through his ears.

This was it, he thought. The end of the world was beginning.

The children filed in by Numbuh. Numbuh 2 was first, having had just gone to bed hours before after a late night of work. Numbuhs 3 and 4 entered together. They did everything together nowadays. Numbuh 4 grumbled as Numbuh 3 rubbed her eyes, still in a daze. Finally, Numbuh 5 approached with bags under her eyes and a sour disposition. Waking up that early on a Saturday was not her idea of cool.

"Have a seat," the bald boy said, turning around. His eyes were shielded by a pair of round sunglasses, making him appear to be the most important of the team. At least, that was the intention. "There's been an emergency that requires our immediate attention." He spoke clearly, with a proper English accent. This was he, the fearless leader.

Numbuh 1.

"This couldn't've waited till after Numbuh 5 woke up?" Numbuh 5 bit at him.

Numbuh 2 agreed. "Or at least after breakfast?"

"Sorry guys," Numbuh 1 approached his podium. "But we have an important mission from Kids Next Door Moon Base. There was no time to waste."

"Well then, what're ya waitin' for?" Numbuh 4 snapped. "Tell us whose butt we're gonna kick today!"

"Right," Numbuh 1 nodded. He picked up a nearby remote and pressed the big red button on the front, activating the 3D hologram projection system. "Brace yourselves, Team. This mission could change the world as we know it." He pressed another button as an image popped up on the table. The others looked at it with shock and awe.

"Aww!" Numbuh 3 squealed with excitement. "It's so cute!"

"Um...Numbuh 1," Numbuh 2 started to protest.

Numbuh 1 nodded again, triumphantly. "Isn't it awful? Doesn't it make you quake with fear?!"

Numbuh 5 rolled her eyes. "You've gotta be kiddin'."

The team stared at the image that Nigel had placed on the screen, trying desperately to figure out what it could possibly mean. Yet no matter how hard they tried, all they could see was the same thing.

"I've got it!" Numbuh 4 shouted. Everyone turned to him, surprised. "It's a cow!" His teammates slapped their palms into their faces.

It was, indeed, a cow.

"Not just any cow," Numbuh 1 explained, zooming in the image. "It's a brown cow."

Numbuh 2 giggled. "How now!"

Numbuh 1 cleared his throat. "We've received word that the school board wants to change the menu to make healthy lunches for kids. But we all know what that really means!"

"No more pizza bagels?" Numbuh 2 gasped.

"It means that the schools are trying to control what we eat so they can control our brains! But it isn't enough to just change the menu. Since we all know that chocolate milk comes from the brown cow, I can only assume that's where they'll strike first. The Adults are planning to get rid of all the brown cows, so children are stuck drinking plain old regular milk!" Numbuh 1 shouted, quite fanatically.

But Numbuh 5 was not on board. "What? That ain't no mission!"

"Of course it's a mission!" Numbuh 1 flailed his arms before slamming them on the podium. "Everyone knows the chocolate neutralizes the tracking devices they put into our milk cartons! And no more brown cows means no more chocolate milk!"

Numbuh 2 raised his hand. "Couldn't you just add chocolate sauce to regular milk?"

"Numbuh 5 cannot believe you woke us up on a Saturday mornin' for this!"

Numbuh 5 was still not convinced of the importance of this mission.

"I got a question," Numbuh 4 said. "If chocolate cows make chocolate milk, does that mean they also make chocolate milkshakes?"

"Yeah," Numbuh 2 added. "Or chocolate cheese?"

"Ew!" Numbuh 3 grasped her mouth in disgust. "Chocolate cheese?"

Numbuh 4 grinned. "What about chocolate cheese burgers?" He looked at his friend for his approval. Numbuh 2 nodded excitedly.

Numbuh 5 stood to her feet, whipping her braid. "Numbuh 5 is not missin' out on a nice day like this just so you can save a bunch of stupid cows." She proceeded to walk out of the room, her fearless leader following her, begging her to return.

"But you don't understand!" he pleaded.

"Yeah!" Numbuh 2 chuckled. "You're milking us dry here!" His joke was received as though he let one rip right in the room. "Haha! This is udderly ridiculous! I mean, Cheez, Numbuh 5!"

"You're gonna be cream cheese in a minute if you don't shut up," Numbuh 5 spat back, shaking her fist at him.

Numbuh 3 giggled at Numbuh 2's embarrassment.

"Y'all can go save the cows," Numbuh 5 was at the door now. "Numbuh 5 is goin' back to bed."

"No!" Numbuh 1 whined. "This is an important mission! Y-you can't just go back to sleep!"

"Watch me." It didn't seem to be working.

Numbuh 2 knowingly twiddled his thumbs. "It's really too bad. No more chocolate milk means no more chocolate ice cream." His eyes moved slowly over to Numbuh 5, who froze at his words.

As though appearing in a puff of smoke, Numbuh 5 was suddenly right back at the table, hovering over it with much anticipation. "When do we leave?!" she asked Numbuh 1, who shared with her his determined grin. "This injustice will not stand!"

Numbuh 4 looked at Numbuh 2. "Whoa. How'd you do that?"

Numbuh 2 looked at him, his eyes innocent beneath his opaque yellow goggles. "Do what?"

"Don't just stand there!" Numbuh 5 shouted at them. "This is a code alpha mega sooper important alert here, people!"

Numbuh 1 stepped back, adjusting his sunglasses so that the light reflected off of them just so. "Right. Numbuh 2, prepare the S.C.A.M.P.E.R."

"Roger that!" he saluted.

"Numbuh's 3 and 4, you two are on weapon detail. Grab all the dairy-based weaponry you can find!"

"Yay!" Numbuh 3 jumped up to her feet, standing on the bench she was sitting on, excitedly. "Mission time!"

"Alright," Numbuh 4 said, cracking his shoulder. "Time to show those cruddy Adults who's boss!" He punched and kicked the air a few times, just to prove his point.

"Numbuh 5, You're with me. We'll make sure that no kid has to eat what the stoopid school tells them to eat! Not if we can help it!" His team cheered him on as he stepped back onto the podium, fire in his eyes and justice in his heart. "Kids Next Door!" Numbuh 1 stuck his fist in the air. "Battle stations!"

March 31st, 2015

Kuki stepped cautiously along the side of the wooden staircase, trying desperately not to slip on her robe or fuzzy slippers. The winding steps ascended into an inky blackness, one that could only be battled by the desperate light of a dying cell phone. Wally remained behind with her, helping her up the stairs whenever he could see she was struggling. Hoagie stayed in the middle, peering over Abby's shoulder to try and get a glimpse of where they were going. Like so many things, their path was shrouded in shadow.

"So..." he started, holding onto the wall as he climbed through the darkness. "What's Sector V?" Abby didn't answer him, even though he knew she heard him. Hoagie frowned. There was something suspicious about this whole thing, something Wally and Kuki clearly weren't picking up on. He tried again. "Is it like...a secret passage to the base?"

Abby didn't stop walking. "Not exactly."

Hoagie brushed back a cobweb, which clung to his hand. He shook it off in disgust, wiping the dust on his pants. It was clear Abby wasn't going to volunteer any information. What a shock. "It looks like no one's been here in decades..." He said under his breath.

Kuki clutched herself, shivering. The dust was not helping her sickness. "Are you sure it's safe?" She looked up, even though she couldn't make out the top of ceiling.

Wally agreed. "Hidin' in a billion-foot tree seems a bit obvious. What if they find us here?"

"We don't even know where 'here' is," Hoagie tried again.

"Trust me," Abby finally replied. "Ain't nobody gonna go lookin' for ya here."

Kuki looked up again. The ceiling had gotten closer, now almost a foot above her head. Abby stopped walking, pushing on a wooden panel which stood above her. A bright light streamed into the hole, the others closing their eyes, shielding themselves. Abby climbed through, gesturing her company to follow suit.

They arrived in the center of a long hallway, its walls nothing but boarded panels of molding oak. The ceiling towered over them, nearly three times their height. The hallway stretched long and wide, so it emulated more of a tunnel than a hallway. Streams of light peeked through the holes in the wood, which were no doubt caused by eroding. The gang dropped their jaws as Abby helped them out of the hole one at a time. The shock on their faces only brought a smile to hers.

"Well," she grinned. "Here we are."

Wally was the last through. "Bloody hell..." he whispered.

"Holy guacamole!" Kuki sputtered after him. "This place is huge!"

Abby chortled. "Yep. Yo' lookin' at a 100% bonafide, genuine, Treehouse." Her voice grew solemn for a minute. "Beautiful, ain't it?"

"It's incredible."

Abby started walking again, her eyes rolling up to the ceiling. She led them down the hall, the walls appearing to get narrower and narrower. Hoagie flinched. It was like a strange piece of abstract art. As soon as Abby started talking, all three teenagers had their attention glued directly to her.

"This Treehouse is one of the many bases used by the Kids Next Door," Abby began. Her voice got quiet. "Or at least it was."

Kuki pursed her lips. "Kids Next Door?" She tilted her head to the side, Wally along with her. "I've never heard of that."

"Of course you haven't," Abby grumbled under her breath before continuing. "It's an organization which exists to protect the rights of kids against Adult tyranny."

Wally smirked. "Adult tyranny?" he couldn't help but laugh. "Y'mean like makin' em do the dishes and homework and stuff?"

"No," Abby said. "It's to prevent the exploitation of kids for the purposes of labor or reducing their resources and basic freedoms to further certain Adult supremacist activity."

Wally and Kuki looked at each other, both having the same confused reaction.

"In other words," Hoagie stepped in. "You're civil rights activists for minors."

Kuki gasped. "That's so cool!"

Abby blushed. "Yeah, I guess it is pretty cool."

They arrived at the end of the Hall, Abby opening the door to the pain platform while continuing to explain. "The KND operatives are divided into sectors. These sectors are scattered around the United States, along with several international locations. The ground troops are located in sectors A-Z. This is Sector V, the sector I used to work for before I joined the Teens Next Door. Now, this particular Treehouse is one of the last remainin' hand-built bases. Normally, the sectors move locations after they change leadership. When that happens, the Treehouses are taken down. But this tree holds significance to the Kids Next Door's history, so they kept it around. It took some convincin', but they let us keep the Treehouse too, so long as it remained inactive." Her eyes softened. "It took so much work to build. Would'a been a shame to see it go."

Hoagie shook his head. "Wait. You're saying a bunch of kids built this?"

Abby turned to face him with a cheeky grin. "Nah. Really just one. Of course, they had a bitta help."

Hoagie's jaw fell. "One kid?"

"What can I say?" she said. "He was a genius."

"Did you know him?" Hoagie asked.

"Y'know, for a smart guy you ask a lotta really dumb questions."

Hoagie's brows flattened as Wally chortled in the back.

They walked onto a platform, entering the main meeting room. Abby told the teens to have a seat on a small bench, where they barely were able to squeeze into. Hoagie sat on the end, his body taking up nearly half of the allotted space. The only light in the room came from the windows where the mid-afternoon sun kissed the floor and walls with its glow. Abby walked up to the podium at the front of the room, where she and Nigel had both given many strategy meetings, mission briefs, and motivational speeches. There, she stopped. Sitting on the podium was a pair of tiny black sunglasses. She had put them there for safe keeping, as no one else ever came in the treehouse anymore. She smiled, the sight of them alone enough to keep her going.

"Alright," she finally said. "Who's got questions?"

All three hands shot up in a matter of milliseconds. Each one of them were questions about Father and the machine he was building, what the TND was and, more specifically, what the future of their world was going to look like. Kuki, mortified by what she heard, exclaimed that she needed to find Mushi, her little sister, to make sure she was alright, which Wally assured her was most likely a waste of time. Eventually, she came to the same conclusion herself, and through bitter tears agreed that putting herself in danger was not going to help anyone. Hoagie kept his chin on his palm as he listened to Abby give lecture after lecture. He couldn't escape the twisting feeling in his stomach. He knew what Father was doing, and he didn't need to know why he was doing it to know what it wasn't in his brother's best interest. Strangely enough, the corruption and greed of the world's economic and social leaders did not come as a surprise to him. But there was one thing he didn't understand.

"I still don't get what that has to do with us," he said.

"I needed a team," Abby answered. "A team that was gonna fight, not sit around an' wait for the right moment." The room was quiet. "I was a member of the KND for most of my childhood," she continued. "I saw kids grow up into great leaders, and others into traitors. But no matter what happened, Sector V was my home..." She looked above her, admiring the wood of the room, the craftsmanship and the detail. She paused for a while, just staring into space, unable to hide the goofy grin appearing across her lips. "My team and I spent a lotta time here. Fought a lotta oppression and didn't always win. But I gotta tell ya," she paused, her eyes sparkling with fond memories. "They were the best. They didn't just save kids from bein' forced to do homework or go to the dentist...They saved schools from using kids as means for labor. They discovered and protected endangered species. They built things that flew and swam and scrapped the sky. They saved this planet so many times..." A lump appeared in Abby's throat, which she swallowed in order to push through. "They were my best friends and now this is all that's left. The truth is..." She swallowed. "I can't do anything by myself."

"You lost your team? That's so sad." Kuki said, tears sparkling in her eyes. "What happened to them?"

Abby gave a bittersweet smile. "They grew up," she finally said. "They were decommissioned."

"Decommissioned?" Hoagie leaned forward. "Why?"

"They got too old," Abby said. "Only kids can be members of the Kids Next Door."

Wally scowled. "But you're a member."

"Abby's an exception." Abby stood upright. "When an operative turns thirteen they are subtracted from the system. This is a failsafe that prevents people from hacking into our personal files. After that, the teenager's memories are removed, and they are sent to live the rest of their lives ignorant of the Kids Next Door and anyone associated with them." Abby stared at the blank faces and decided it best not to go on about the subject. "Recently, Earth was sent a transmission from the Galactic Kids Next Door, the largest conglomeration of KND operatives in the Universe. They have, as of this moment, disbanded the Earth's sector of the KND."

Hoagie raised his eyebrows. "Meaning?"

Abby looked at the podium. "Meaning everyone whose DNA is still in the code module has been decommissioned."

Wally put a hand to his chin. "Aliens!" he shouted. "I knew it was aliens!"

Kuki gasped.

"The transmission was delivered by earth's G:KND representative, Nigel Uno." The name stuck in Abby's throat. "I have reason to believe that Uno was fed false information and is not acting at his full capacity. If this is the case, then we may still be able to convince him to reverse the decommissioning process. A negotiation, if you will. For this mission, I've selected the three of you to serve as my interim team. You will be given a series of tasks that you must complete without question and without hesitation. If you do, I will guarantee the safe return of your siblings. As for your own safety, I cannot do the same. But that is my proposition."

"What about the TND?" Kuki started. "Can't they help you?"

"They ain't wholly interested," Abby said sorely back.

"Hold on!" Hoagie stood up. "This doesn't make any sense. You can't get the support you need from the TND, so you come to us, people you barely even know? Why didn't you just contact your old team?" He paused, letting the question sink in. "You remember who they are, don't you? Wouldn't it make more sense, considering how good they were?" The room was silent. "Did something happen to them?"

Kuki clasped her hands over her cheeks. "Maybe they were murdered!"

She was silent.

"...Abigail?"

Abby had stopped cold. Hoagie stared straight through her. Years of being betrayed by others had lead him to a life of skepticism. He didn't know why, but something didn't add up. Abby could have chosen anyone in the world to work with, but she decided on them? It was a gamble.

Wally and Kuki watched the exchange, speculating their own answers. Hoagie searched Abby's eyes for something: a hint that would help him unlock the secret once she spoke. But she didn't speak, and her silence was all the proof he needed.

"N-no."

Abby's lack of response reaffirmed his suspicions.

Hoagie felt his cheeks rise, his chest tightened as he began to laugh. Again, there was no response and his laughter quieted. "No."

"What happened?" Kuki asked. "I didn't hear."

"Y-you've gotta be kidding me." Hoagie took a step forward. No response. "Tell me you're not serious."

"What!" Kuki was getting impatient.

"Will somebody please tell me what the bloody hell is goin' on!" Wally shouted.

Hoagie clenched his fists. "We're Sector V," he said, half in shock. He waited for Abby to finally look back up at him, his nose flared with frustration. "That's what you think, isn't it?"

"I don't think. I know," She finally said, surprising even herself.

This took Hoagie aback. Logically, everything was falling into place. When she had asked him for his help, she had denied assistance from anyone else, claiming that it had to be him that helped her. The TEENZ, Joe Balooka, Tommy's insistence that Hoagie could do anything in the world without taking his physical limitations into account...

Tommy.

Hoagie felt sick. Tommy would have told him. He would never keep something like this from him. Not when he knew how badly Hoagie needed to remember... She had to be lying. She just had to be.

Kuki pouted. "I'm...confused."

Abby sighed. "I guess it can't be helped," she whispered under her breath. "Yes. You ar-" she caught herself. "Were. A long time ago...that's why..."

"Did he know?" Hoagie cut her off before she could say anything else. His body twitched.

Abby didn't understand. "Wh-what?"

"Tommy!" Hoagie shouted. "He knew you! Did he know about this too? Did he just decide not to tell me something that important? My brother doesn't keep secrets from me! He would've..." Tommy's final words to Hoagie hit him in the back of the head. He began replay them in his head. Their meaning was finally clear:

I got to see my big brother in the field again

That's the one thing I wanted for my birthday

My birthday

My thirteenth birthday

Thirteen...

...Thirteen...

Abby looked down at Nigel's sunglasses. "You don't have'ta believe me. But tellin' former operatives their true identities is a punishable offense." Her nose began to twitch. "I'm puttin' my life on the line here. I know you don't understand. You'll probably never understand. But Nig-I need you." She looked up at her team, each of them watching her with intent. "Hoagie Pennywhistle Gilligan Jr: Technology Officer. Kuki Sanban: Diversionary tactician and medical specialist. Wallabee Beetles: Hand to hand combat and weapons expert." She nodded, confident in her words. "Former Numbuhs 2, 3, and 4 of Sector V." Her voice dropped to the base of her chest as she clutched the podium. "Please. Help me."

Hoagie felt the weight of his body carry him back down to the bench, his fingers straddled across his knees. "This is lunacy," he whispered.

An annoyed Wally propped his leg up over his own knee. "Well, I believe her."

Hoagie's head shot up, staring at the nonchalant Wally with fiery eyes. "You're joking."

"She ain't got a reason to lie about it," Wally clarified. "Kuki and I both don't really remember much about bein' kids. Thought it was just a side-effect of growin' up, but this makes much more sense."

Abby looked over at Kuki, who was grinning at her with tears in her eyes. "Of course I believe her!" she said gleefully, standing to her feet in adulation. "I knew it! From the moment I saw you! I knew!" Her smile widened. "We were friends!"

Abby tried to hold back her tears as she brought her focus back to the wood of the podium. "Thanks, Kuki." A smile graced her face.

Hoagie, meanwhile, tried to calm himself. In hindsight, he should have seen this coming. Abby and Tommy knew each other, which meant Tommy knew about the Kids Next Door? But Tommy couldn't keep a secret to save his life there was no way he could have kept something this big quiet for too long. Hoagie's head hurt. This was too much to take in, especially on top of everything else that was happening. An operative? Him? A soldier? With teammates...with friends? Absurd. The whole thing was absurd. And yet...Hoagie inhaled.

"Say it is true," he said softly, managing to grab everyone's attention. "That bit of information won't help us. If we don't remember, then we're in the same position we were before. Nothing has changed." He sat up, eyeing Abby. "As long as we can have the TND's support in saving our families, then the deal still stands."

Abby smiled, which sent a shock up Hoagie's spine. True, nothing had changed. The situation was exactly the same as before. Yet now, everything was different. Questions began to pile up in his mind, ones he was fearful he would one day learn the answers to.

"I need air," he heaved breathily. He left the room without a second thought, exiting toward the hall to the left. He wasn't sure where he was going, all he could think about was getting out and breathing. Breathing. He needed to breathe.

"I hate to say it," Wally griped. "But the Nerdling is right. You said you'd help us so we ain't got any choice but to listen to ya." It was his turn to stand up. "We can talk about the rest of this crud later."

"Agreed," Kuki replied.

Wally stood up, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He brought out the lighter and stuck the bud between his teeth. Abby walked over and snatched the cigarette out of his mouth, her face turning dark.

"Hey!" He reached for it back, but Abby wouldn't have it.

"Nuh-uh! You do not smoke in here!" she scolded him. "This is my childhood!" She stuck the unlit cigarette in her pocket, turning away from him. Walking over to the podium, she noticed Nigel's sunglasses still sitting where she left them. She gave them a bittersweet smile, picking them up. "Look at em', Nigel." She clipped the tiny sunglasses to her shirt. "The hell am I s'posed to do with these idiots?"

Hoagie didn't have any trouble finding an exit. As soon as he saw a light he ran for it as fast as he could. When he walked through the threshold, he found his breath leaving him once more. The view from the top of the deck was spectacular, as though he were soaring up through the clouds. The wind caught his hair, tickling the collar of his shirt under his sweater. He walked to the edge of the railing in a daze, unsure if he wanted to cry or laugh. The wood appeared to remain steady, despite its old age. Hoagie scrunched his nose, doing the math in his head.

Seven years old? Or maybe six, depending on when it was made. Perhaps parts were even older than that. He looked over the sea of houses, the empty streets, the broken sidewalks which screamed mass hysteria. He let out a deep sigh from the bottom of his lungs. He imagined them, vacant and cold, with blind Adults walking around, not knowing where their children had gone, or that they had gone. The empty chair at the dinner table, the quiet stillness of the street. Toys without owners collecting dust at the bottom of boxes.

Tommy.

"Hey," a voice behind him said. He turned around to see not Abigail, or Kuki, whom he had expected, but Wally, the punk boy. "Whoa...check that out," he said, making his way next to Hoagie. "All the houses look the same from up here!" He leaned against the railing, with no concern of its age or whether or not it would hold his weight. "Like the bloody factory they came from," he added. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "You mind? I've been goin' mad all day."

"Go for it," Hoagie said, trying to put on a polite face.

Wally puffed a steady stream of smoke into the air. He held the pack out to Hoagie, who refused. Hoagie leaned onto the railing, knowing now it was safe.

"What was your name again?"

Hoagie's body seemed to sink lower into the railing. "Hoagie."

"Right. Right. Like the sandwich," he said. Hoagie rolled his eyes in response. "So. You got a brother, huh?"

Hoagie wasn't expecting that. "Yeah." He sat up a bit, noticing Wally wasn't looking at him.

Wally held the cigarette between his pointer and middle finger, moving it up and down with just the slight rotation of his joints.

"How old?"

"Twelve. He's turning thirteen in a couple months."

Wally was quiet. "Mine's six."

They stood there for what seemed like ages. In the silence, however, the tension seemed to lift. "I'm sorry," Hoagie said.

"I had'im," he spoke again, his voice growing harder. "Had'im in my bloody arms..." He grit his teeth. "This Father, Been-A-Dick what's his name...I'm gonna ring him dry for what he did to Joey." A smile started to appear on his face, slight and bittersweet, but still a smile. "This bitch doesn't get it, does she? But that ain't her fault. To be honest...I dunno quite how to feel about the whole thing." Wally inhaled again, then blew. "It's a bloody mess."

Hoagie turned to face him, surprised. "You said you believed her."

Wally shrugged. "It's not the believin' it that's the problem." Another puff of smoke came out of Wally's mouth, Hoagie tried not to cough at the intensity of the smell. "Actually, it's really fuckin' easy to believe."

"Just really hard to chew..." Hoagie admitted.

"The way you handled that stick, though. Man, would'a thought you'd just left the Indy 500. It was like out of a spy movie or somethin'."

Hoagie could feel his cheeks turning pink as he smiled. "Yeah, well, I normally don't drive a stick, so the transition wasn't exactly automatic..." Immediately after he spoke, Hoagie clenched his eyes shut, wanting to punch himself in the face. Dammit, he thought. "That...was a joke." Why did he always have to mess things up? Suddenly, he heard a puff of air come out of Wally's mouth, one that wasn't filled with smoke, followed by something he never thought he would ever hear.

Wally burst out in a string of chortles, causing him to arch his shoulders and lower his head into his chest. "I get it..." he said. "That's funny." Hoagie was in too much of a shock to say anything. This person who had done nothing but make fun of him this entire day, actually laughed at one of his jokes. No one ever laughed at his jokes. "Y'know, even though this whole situation sucks major ass," Wally continued. "It's still fuckin' incredible. I mean, you wake up one day and you're a secret agent? That's pretty damn cool." He smiled. "Just like Matt Damon."

"Yep," Hoagie agreed. "We're Jason Bourne-again." Wally gave him a blank stare. Hoagie could feel the sweat accumulating on the back of his neck. "Y-you know, Jason Bourne?" Still nothing. "From the Bourne series?" Wally still had no idea what he was talking about. "...Matt Damon."

Wally's face lit up. "Yeah! Matt Damon is the coolest."

"Yeah," Hoagie became solemn again.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You don't like Matt Damon?"

"N-no, Matt Damon is fine," Hoagie said. "It's just...there's something not right in all of this. I can't put my finger on it, but something's up with Abigail."

Wally rotated back around to see his face. "How do you mean?"

"Well, when we left the school to go find Tommy, my brother, she seemed really upset about something. I mean, other than everything," he explained. Hoagie pursed his lips, thinking of the way she had clutched the steering wheel. "And then later when I asked her questions, she got all anxious and snapped at me."

Wally nodded. "Yeah, I remember that."

"She was never planning on telling us the truth. Which, you know, makes sense considering the consequences but..." He adjusted his glasses. "There's more. I know there is."

"Well," Wally stretched, putting out the cigarette. "I'll stop believin' when it stops makin' sense. She could be trying to trick us, but so long as I get Joey back, I don't fuckin' care at this point."

Hoagie smiled. "That's a pretty dangerous mentality."

Wally felt his cheeks burn. "That's cuz I'm a dangerous man!" He said, confidently. To this, Hoagie just laughed, which caused Wally's face to darken even more.

Hoagie pushed himself up off the railing. "I'm gonna go talk to her." He turned to go, Wally following behind.

"She ain't gonna tell you nothin'."

Hoagie shrugged. "Everyone's an open book if you take the time to pick it up and read it." He pointed his finger in the air, matter-of-factly. "This Abigail Lincoln is no different. I guarantee you. Doesn't matter what your past is, people always find ways to figure you out." He spun around and raised his palms to the ceiling in another shrugging motion, still walking. "And besides," Determination twinkled in his eyes. "I quite enjoy reading."

Wally stuffed his hands in his pockets, his eyebrows raised to the top of his forehead as Hoagie completed his turn, his back to him once more. "Gives me a headache," he retorted.

Hoagie may have been convinced that other people were easy to understand, but for Wally, it was Hoagie himself that eluded him.

Kuki hadn't moved from the bench. Abby had gone upstairs to make a phone call, leaving her alone in the large, vacant dustbowl that was the Sector V Treehouse. Her mind was doing flips, but it kept landing on Mushi. She thought about her little sister never stealing her makeup again, never trying to sabotage her relationship with her boyfriend or complaining at the dinner table. Kuki rubbed her eyes with the sleeves of her bathrobe, which was now tucked over her legs, protecting them from the chilling air.

"Hey," A voice came behind her. She didn't turn around as she felt a pair of rough hands place themselves on her shoulders. "There's my Kukiburra..." Kuki smiled as Wally came around and sat next to her. "They got a whole stash'a snacks back there. Did ya know? Cookies, chips...this place is loaded."

Kuki wiggled her toes beneath her slippers. "I'm okay, thanks." Wally leaned back into the seat, puffing air out of his mouth as though he was still smoking. For some reason, the act of doing this always calmed him down, even if there was nothing tangible in his mouth. "Feel better?" she asked him.

Wally inhaled again. "What do you think?"

Kuki placed her chin on her knees, rocking to-and-fro. "I'm sorry." She clutched her legs, squeezing them tightly. "I'm sorry about Joey...and for not texting you back..."

Wally sat upright. "Oh, I'm gonna get my brother back, Kuki. Don't you worry about that."

Kuki smiled, bittersweetly. "I know you will."

"No, not just Joey..." Wally almost decided instantly. "I'm gonna get back every bloody person that bastard took. Joey, Mushi, everyone." The rage was starting to build up, his passion and frustration burning out the top of his ears. "Damn Adults...they think they can do anything. Just cause they can. They can take their silver spoons and shove them up their asses." He turned to his girlfriend, his anger subsiding. He leaned over, gently tilting her face toward his. "You n' me are gonna take down those bastards. Together. I'll even let you have the first punch. Okay?"

Kuki nodded, sniffling. "Wally...I'm so confused."

Wally sighed, his body lowering down under the weight of his own words. "Yeah."

"I know Abby is telling the truth," She said, a light finding its way back into her eyes. "I can see it on her face, in her smile. When she looks at us, she's always remembering...something..."

"You sure it's not something else?"

Kuki rotated towards him, sitting up on her knees. "I know it's crazy, Wally, but I'm serious!"

"I never said it was crazy," He said back. "Now, that don't mean we get to throw all caution to the wind, but a little faith ain't gonna kill us."

Kuki grinned. "I trust her."

Wally gave her a half smile, his mind diving back into his earlier conversation. "Well, that makes two of us at least."

Hoagie walked out of yet another room on the top floor of the Treehouse, this one appeared to have a boxing ring built inside of it, which he did not understand the usefulness for. After taking a separate turn to allow Wally and Kuki some space, he had found himself lost again in the massive, winding tree, and still no sign of Abigail Lincoln. He sighed. Whoever built this treehouse sure had strange design ticks, he thought. The hallways were slanted, the walls having holes between the boards, which got worse the higher he went. Suddenly, he stopped, a door catching the corner of his eye. He adjusted his glasses, staring at the sloppily painted door with a big 2 on the front.

A shiver went through his body.

He clutched the straps of his backpack, which he had kept close by his side since they left his house. A 2...just like the one on his Dad's aviator cap. He always thought it had been there forever, that his dad must have written it for him after he gave him the cap. He was, after all, Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr. The 2nd. It was one of the many narratives he created for himself, having little memory of his father beyond his talks of airplanes and his crackpot stories. However, that narrative was now being re-written. That number meant something, something beyond a suffix in his name. His hand hovered over the knob of the door. Beyond it, lay the answers he had been searching for. The missing piece, the hole in his life...

He stumbled backwards, moving his hand away from the knob. No. This...this wasn't right. That wasn't his room. This wasn't his treehouse. He felt his heart begin to pound, his breath getting shorter and shorter. His body twitched as he tried to find his air again. He looked around, the angled walls starting to close in on him. Closing his eyes, he reminded himself to breathe. Although he soon realized that remembering to breathe was not as difficult as remembering how. He spun around, walking as fast as he could away from the door, his head throbbing. What was he up here for, anyway? He couldn't remember.

He stopped once he reached the end of the hallway.

His breath quieted.

The world focused.

Slowly, he turned back around, his eyes making contact with the door once more. He inhaled, holding his breath, as though he were about to dive into an icy cold ocean. Curiosity got the better of him. He had to know. He had to see what was behind that door, no matter how difficult it was. Clenching his fists, he marched back over to the door at full-speed, grabbing the handle and pulling it open with all the force he could muster.

"Abigail?"

His mouth hung open as he let go of the door.

It was empty.

Hoagie crept into the room, the dusty floorboards creaking as though to warn him that he no longer belonged there. He reached for the light switch in the side of the room, but it did nothing. There was a small window, which cast a golden light onto the empty floor. A few wires were unhooked, blanketed with dust and cobwebs. The only thing of note in the area was a tall wooden ladder, which leaned against the right-hand wall.

An unexplainable heaviness fell over him. Every other room he visited had something: a couch, a couple of books, some old stuffed animals, even a boxing ring. But here, there was nothing. Hoagie's nose twitched from the dust. He didn't know why, but he felt as though he would burst into tears at any moment.

He closed the door, hearing the latch click, surprised that there even was a latch on a door in a kid's treehouse. Fitting, he thought bitterly. The one empty room in the place was his own.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Hoagie jumped, the lights blackening out, a red warning light flashing over his head. Shit, he thought. Did he trigger some sort of alarm system?

TEEN ALERT

TEEN ALERT

Hoagie covered his ears, running to the end of the hall again. A steel wall rocketed up from the ground, blocking his path. He tripped over his shoes, falling to the ground with a thud. He scrambled to his feet again, sprinting to the other end of the hall.

"Abigail!" He called, his voice straining to reach over the incessant beeping. "Abigail! Are you up here? I think something triggered the alarm!" There was no response. "She's not up here..." he said to himself.

Just then, he caught a whiff of something in his nose. It was a strange, sour smell, but a familiar one. The smell was followed by a sound. Hoagie's ears perked as he heard the faint echo of a piercing scream. He recognized it instantly, his heart starting to thud again.

"Kuki!" He called. No answer.

The sour smell got stronger, causing him to plug his nose. It was rank, like...rotten eggs...or sour milk...or...Hoagie's vision started to blur. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus. A green haze snaked around the wooden floor. As soon as he caught a glimpse of it, his mind went black. Everything began to fall away: Tommy, Kuki, Abigail Lincoln, the Kids Next Door, all of it seeped into a black hole as his face hit the ground.

Wally held his head as he sat up. His body shivered as he felt the cool tile of the floor. Everything was pitch black, not a spec of light entered the room. He had to double check that his eyes were open, which they were. He called out to his girlfriend, who was lying underneath him, complaining that his combat boots were pushing against her stomach.

"Where the bloody hell are we?" He asked.

Kuki gasped. "Where's Hoagie?"

"I'm right here..." They heard him grumble.

"And Abby?" She asked. This time, there was no answer. "...Abby?" She called again, her voice trembling. "Oh no."

"That's it," Wally's voice raised a few keys. "We're dead. This is the end. They're gonna cut us up and feed us to their pet piranhas!" He grabbed his head.

"Wally, please." Kuki crossed her arms. "You're over reacting."

"Why'd I pick today to go to school? Nothin' good ever happens when you go to school!"

Hoagie shook his head. "This would have happened even if you hadn't gone to school."

"Shut up!" Wally snapped. "Oh God. I don't wanna die, Kuki! I got so many things left to live for! I still need to see Dave Groll in concert and...and get a tattoo...and eat an entire burrito in one bite!" Wally stood up, his fists clenched, ready for action. "No way! I ain't goin' down without a fight! You hear that you fuckin' ass-clowns! I'll take on every one of ya!"

Hoagie stiffened. "Wally! Shh!"

"You want some of this? Huh?" He put up his dukes. "Well, let me see ya throw it down, old maids!"

"Yeah!" Kuki chimed in, her confidence, for some reason, higher than it had been all day. "We're gonna take you down to the pound!"

"Good one!" Wally congratulated her.

"Oh my god we're gonna die," Hoagie whispered to himself.

Just then, the door crept open, a steady stream of light flashing into the room. The teens shielded their eyes, barely able to see the dark shadowy figure in the doorway. When everything finally came into focus, they saw a man with long black dread locks, leaning on the side of the archway. His arms were crossed, one leg folded over the other. He looked at them in their sorry state: Wally's hair sticking up on end, Kuki in her bathrobe and slippers, and Hoagie's sweaty body and ruddy face.

He sighed, watching them with both annoyance and pity.

"Come on," he finally said. "Let's get going."

"No way!" Wally shouted, grabbing Kuki's hand. "We're not going anywhere with you!"

The man sighed again. "Fine. Whatever. Suit yourself."

"Maurice!" Another, familiar voice cut in. Abby's distinct silhouette came into view. She leaned into the room, giving them a cheeky grin and a wave. "C'mon now, be nice." Her old teammates looked at her, not amused in the slightest. "Y'all hungry?"

Hoagie, Wally and Kuki looked at each other, then back at Abby.

"Good." She started to walk away. "Cause Abby's starvin'."

"Well, it was a bit of a backwards route," Abby said as she marched alongside Maurice. "But I promised'ta get ya here, didn't I?"

They walked down the hallway where they came upon a large pair of double doors. Kuki ran up to Abby, not wanting to leave her side for a second. Abby walked up to the scanner, sticking her finger in her nose. The boys flinched with disgust. She placed her finger into the hole next to the scanner as the door slowly opened. She turned back to the boys, who no longer had the desire to move forward.

"C'mon!" Abby called as she walked through. "Before you get locked out."

"This was definitely designed by kids..." Hoagie remarked.

"That is so gross," Wally agreed.

"Let's go!" An impatient Abby said as she watched the boys scramble after her.

Maurice smiled for them. "We're here. Home Base."

When they walked through the doors, they were astonished. The place was huge, like a giant mall. Some rooms had clear windows, others were completely closed. Around them, thousands of teenagers were bustling around, carrying things from one room to the other in a panic. Hoagie took a whiff of the air, a rich smell tickling his nose. He sniffed it again, his entire body beginning to tingle. It was a warm smell, welcoming and fresh, the smell of progress and a job well done. Yet, he couldn't put a finger on where he had experienced the aroma before. It wasn't diesel fuel. It was softer, smokier, efficient.

It smelled like home.

"Sorry if we scared you," Maurice said, his mood seemingly beginning to brighten. "We noticed the suspicious activity around the Treehouse, so we had it temporarily activated. We didn't want the TEENZ to collect any more information."

Wally frowned, still not pleased with the situation. "So you smoke bombed us."

Maurice laughed, awkwardly. "Yeah, well, we're in a bit of a crisis mode. Can't afford to make any mistakes, right?" But Wally's frown did not go away. Maurice faced Hoagie. "We had to take your backpack for security. We will have it ready for you within the next few hours. There's food right down that hall over there. I'm sure you're very hungry after the day you've had..."

"Maurice was it?" Hoagie asked. "We actually came here to talk to you about-"

But Maurice put up a hand in protest. "No worries. Abby explained everything. Feed your bellies first. We can talk about your situation later."

Hoagie smiled. "That's very kind of you."

"Do you have showers?" Kuki asked. "And maybe a change of clothes?"

"Sure," Maurice said. "We'll get you set up. But you might want to eat first. Food doesn't last long here at the TND."

"Alright!" Abby said bounding away from him, the desperation in her voice was palpable. "Let's go eat! Abby feels like she could swallow a rocket ship..."

"Abigail," Maurice said bluntly. "You mind hangin' back a sec?"

Abby pasted on a smile. "Sure." She turned to her old teammates. "Abby'll catch up with ya later..." she told them. They agreed, and it wasn't long before they had disappeared into the crowd. She turned back to Maurice, who was glaring at her. "See? They're good people."

"That's not the issue."

"What did you want me to do? Let the TEENZ get them?" Abby snapped.

"I want you to mind your own business!" Maurice spat back. "You've compromised the whole mission by bringing them here! They'll know who you are! Who we are!"

"They're just here because they wanna help us rescue the kids." She paused for a long time. "Circumstances have changed." The knot in her stomach grew more and more twisted as she thought about what the TEENZ had said. "The TEENZ know..."

Maurice sighed. "I suspected as much."

"If we let them back out there, it won't take long for the TEENZ to capture them. We can't afford to let that happen." Abby said. "We need them."

"We don't need them."

"If we're gonna stop Nigel, yes. We do."

"Stopping Nigel isn't the priority right now," Maurice said. "Earth has been quarantined. The G:KND has a barrier all around the perimeter. It's going to take everything we have just to get a ship to Mars!"

"Mars?" Abby stiffened. "How about Earth? What are you gonna do about that?"

"Abby..." Maurice was hesitant. "The Kids Next Door is gone. The TEENZ have captured nearly half of our agents. We can't-"

"You're not gonna do anything?" she said in disbelief. "You're just gonna let Father take over the planet?"

"No!" Maurice raised his voice. "But if we fight now we will lose. No question. And then there will be no more Kids Next Door. No hope for any kids of any time. I don't want to have to sacrifice anyone either, but if it means the survival of this organization I am willing to do whatever it takes."

Abby let his words sink in. Of course he had a point. She hadn't realized how desperate the situation was. As long as there was a Kids Next Door, there was hope for kids. She couldn't very well argue with that. It was telling the others that would prove difficult.

"Fine then," Abby stated. "I'll find Nigel myself."

"Uh...no you will not!"

"Maurice."

"If you go to the G:KND they will see it as an act of war. We don't have the numbers, nor the resources to fight them. We can't even fight Father to save our own planet!" He gritted his teeth. "You can't risk intergalactic war for a chance at diplomacy!"

Abby's face was stone cold. "Nigel's in trouble and he needs his friends."

Maurice pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nigel's not the one in trouble, Abby!" he argued. "He's the one who caused all the trouble! We are the ones who need help!"

"And when I brought you help, you got mad at me!" Abby clenched her fists.

"What? Them?" Maurice couldn't handle this anymore. "They can't help us! They're teenagers!"

"We're teenagers!"

"It's not the same!" Maurice heaved. He tried to keep his voice down as to not alarm the other agents. "They may look the same as us, but they aren't! They're brainwashed! Agified! With no memories of the KND whatsoever."

"So you won't even give them a chance?"

"You can't assume that because they were on our side at one point, they'll just automatically be loyal to you! That's dangerous. You shouldn't have brought them here."

"What does it matter what I do with my friends?" Abby felt her heart race faster and faster. "Who am I gonna answer to?! The Kids Next Door? Oh wait. There is no Kids Next Door! There's barely a Teens Next Door!"

"They're not your friends anymore, Abigail!" Maurice snapped. Abby flinched. "Your team is gone. Sector V is dead. And you need to realize that before you get yourself hurt." He turned around, beginning to walk away.

"They used to be your friends too," Abby spoke at the base of her voice. "Or did you forget that?"

He stopped. "You're not going after Nigel," he commanded quietly.

"I'm not askin' for your permission," she replied. "I'm askin' for yo' help. If you don't wanna come, that's fine. But they came all this way to get their families back. At least try to help save them."

It was quiet for a long time before Maurice responded. "I'll see what I can do."

Maurice left, his mind riddled with all of the things that he needed to do. If this was what it took for Abby to realize how unreasonable she was being, then he would take it. He sighed. Despite keeping her memories, she too had changed drastically since she was a child. Losing her friends had made her paranoid, obsessive, and much more impulsive than the level-headed Soopreme Leader of the KND that the organization hired. No, it started with Nigel, Maurice figured. All he knew was that eventually, she would see things differently. She would move on and let go, just like he did.

Just like he did? Maurice shook his head again. That was a laugh. He wasn't any better than she was.

The truth was, he was much worse.

Kuki stared at the large pile of cardboard boxes in front of her. Wally sat on her right, Hoagie on her left, Abby, having finally joined after her conversation with Maurice, straight across. Around them, hundreds of TND agents swarmed the table, picking up slices of greasy pizza and shoving it in their mouths. Kuki held her stomach as it began to grumble.

"You sure you guys don't need to ration?" Hoagie asked, his mouth full.

"Don't worry 'bout it. Eat as much as you want," Abby said. She leaned her chin on her palm, watching as the teenagers devoured their plates.

Hoagie shook his head. "You're gonna regret saying that," he jeered.

Kuki noticed a man bringing more boxes. "Um, excuse me?" She asked. "Do you have, um, anything else besides...this?"

The boy, whose carrot-top red hair matched the pustules on his face, snarled at her. "You mean like a salad? Go fuck yourself, Teenager."

"Hey!" Wally shot up, but the guy was already gone. "What a dick!" He looked over at Kuki, who he saw still hadn't eaten anything. "Kuki. Seriously. You can't do this here."

"I was just asking..." She sulked.

"Kuki," he said again, sterner. "We're in the mothah fuckin' apocalypse. Eat the damn pizza." He reached over to grab another piece from the box in front of Hoagie.

Hoagie could feel the sweat reappearing on the back of his neck again. "W-wait! Wally-" Wally opened the box to discover it completely empty. Hoagie slouched in his seat, pulling his hat over his ears.

"Fuckin' Hell, Man!" He tipped over the box, letting the crumbs run out the bottom. "Fang it."

Hoagie shrank. "Sorry."

"Whoa!" One of the TND agents came behind him. "Holy shit, check it out. This guy ate the whole box in like...five minutes!" Hoagie's ears started to burn, his face florid. More and more Teenagers were soon hovered around him, commenting on the miraculous feat. A pair of strong hands grabbed him by the shoulders, another ruffling his hat.

"Dude!" Another guy punched him in the shoulder. "Way to fuckin' rip, man!"

"I haven't seen a guy kill like that since Davis did the WonderBurger challenge..."

"Oh yeah. That was sick."

"So was he afterwards, haha!" one said, making puking sounds and gestures over Hoagie's head.

Abby stood up. "Ahem." Her eyes were stern and narrow. "We all finished? 'Cause Abby'd really like to finish her meal in peace." The teenage boys dispersed immediately, leaving a perplexed and embarrassed Hoagie in their wake. He adjusted his hat, looking at Abby who was smiling proudly at him.

"...Thank you," He managed to say.

"No problem, Baby," She told him, her eyes soft. She looked around the table, opening a few boxes. She grinned, finally seeing what she was looking for. She handed the box to Kuki. "Here ya go, Kuki. This one's got fruit on it."

Kuki took the box, seeing the Hawaiian pizza inside. "Thank you, Abby."

Wally puffed out some air. "That ain't fruit. That's pineapple. Pineapple ain't a fruit." Kuki shushed him and thanked Abby again.

Abby noticed Maurice appear in one of the doorways. It made her feel uneasy. "Well, if that's all, Abby's gonna step out for a bit. I've got some things I gotta do." She saluted to them, starting to get up and leave. "There's soda too, if ya need somethin' to wash down all that pizza."

Hoagie looked up, watching as Abby turned to leave. "Wait! Abigail..." He scrambled off of the bench he was sitting on. "I'll go with you."

Abby turned toward him, smiling. "That's okay, Baby. You go rest up."

But Hoagie caught up to her. "I'd actually like to see the base. If that's okay."

Her eyes brightened. "C'mon, then."

Hoagie examined the ships on the landing bay as he followed Abby. She was tenser than before, more on-edge, and he was going to figure out why. The smell wafted through again, that old familiar smell. His mind began to wander. He found himself lingering over one particular model, not sure if he should speak up to the engineer who was currently re-attaching a fallen wing. Right above his gaze, a girl stood on a ladder, using a wrench to tighten the bolts used to secure the metal to the frame. She spun around, her cheeks flushing.

"Do you mind?!" she shouted, covering herself.

"S-sorry!" He practically tripped over his own feet. "I wasn't...I was...It's flat."

"Excuse me?" She heaved.

"Gah! No! The plane! The angle of the extension on the plane is flat! It won't glide as easy-"

"Hoagie!" Abby's voice shattered his bones. She moved up to him, pulling him by the hood of his jacket. "Quit droolin'."

"I wasn't—-The plane!" He insisted. "I was looking at the plane."

"That's what I meant," she whispered as she let go of his hood. Hoagie scuttled up to meet her.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask," he continued. "If I'm Number Two, Kuki is Number Three, Wally is Number Four, and you're Number Five..." He paused for a moment to make sure she was paying attention. "Then who's Number One?"

Abby stopped walking. "There is no Numbuh 1," she finally said. "Just us."

"Really?" Hoagie said, not really believing her. "That's surprising."

"It ain't that weird," she defended, starting to walk again. "Sectors are assigned by region, not by Numbuh. It's just our sector was one of the oldest, so we inherited our Numbuhs from the succession of agents before us. It goes one through twelve, and dependin' on what's available, you take that. But you don't have to do it that way."

"So this mysterious missing Number One has absolutely nothing to do with the guy we're after named Nigel Uno..." Hoagie smirked. "Is that what you're telling me?"

"You know, sometimes Abby wishes you weren't so quick," she confessed. "It's gonna get you in trouble one of these days."

He shrugged. "I just know a plot hole where I see it. Like why that Maurice guy's always following you around."

Abby sighed, letting out a pitiful smile. "That's more like a bad subplot."

"It's kind of wigging me out."

Abby chuckled. "Don't worry, Baby. He's just trying to make sure Abby don't do somethin' stupid."

The statement made Hoagie uncomfortable. "Were you planning on doing something stupid?"

"Depends on how you look at it," she responded, which didn't make him feel any better.

"Lincoln." A stern voice called.

Abby stiffened, seeing Vicki emerge from out of the crowd. "Sir!" Abby stood at attention.

"At ease, soldier..." Vicki ordered, and Abby did as she was told. Vicki's eyes darted to Hoagie, who in nervousness was also standing stiff. "You too, Gilligan. We're not at war yet."

Hoagie contracted. "Sorry."

Vicki's lips curved into a half smile. "Well, you've certainly been busy this morning. Haven't you, Operative?"

Abby looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry." Although she appeared nervous, her voice remained calm throughout her speech. "I shouldn't've taken off without permission."

"Never mind that now," Vicki said, her tone softening. "I have more important things to worry about than your insubordination."

Abby shut her eyes, the words swarming her and stinging like bees. "Yes, Sir."

"Insubordination?" Hoagie interjected. "She saved our lives."

Vicki looked at him pitifully. "With all due respect, Mr. Gilligan, what Abigail did was neither beneficial to you nor to us." She turned her nose up to him. With that, she turned from him. "Let's go, Abigail."

Abby flinched. "Right."

As Abby began to follow Vicki, Hoagie stood in the dead silence. He swallowed, his body steaming with vexation. He didn't really understand why what she said had made him so upset. Perhaps his brother's irrational longing for justice was beginning to manifest in his absence. Or maybe it was his emotional investment in the situation which caused him to blindly defend the girl who saved his life. Whatever the reason, it failed to calm the turbulence inside of him.

Then, as though a warm light broke through the storm, Hoagie felt a firm hand on his shoulder. It was strong, reassuring, confident, everything he wasn't. He stared at Abby, who didn't speak to him but instead continued to smile. Vicki called her to her side, more furiously than before, but even that didn't make her flinch this time. She gave the boy a salute before making an about face towards her superior. Walking briskly, her black banded ponytail swished back and forth as she disappeared into the crowd. As Hoagie watched her go, he could finally find his breath.

"Where's Abby going?" Kuki asked, appearing behind him. Wally wasn't far behind.

"I don't know," Hoagie admitted. "Probably a meeting of some kind." He turned to Kuki, whose face was masked with concern. "I'm sure it'll be fine," he assured her. He touched his neck to feel his pulse, that strong confident smile still circling around in his head. How could she be so certain when everyone else was so lost? A strange feeling began to fester in the pit of his stomach.

Just who was this Abigail Lincoln anyway?

"That's your plan?" Abby scoffed in disbelief.

A holographic diagram of the earth and the G:KND's ships sat in the middle of a round table in the center of the room. Around the table were six chairs, yet no one was sitting.

"Well, what do you propose we do?" Vicki snapped at her. "And don't say go find Nigel Uno, because that ship has sailed."

Maurice spoke next. "The G:KND doesn't understand anything about where the children on our planet come from. It's the one thing they won't expect, and they won't be able to stop unless they resort to extreme violence. Setting up a colony on Mars is our best option."

Another agent piped up. "Then there is the matter of the brainwashing. If we can buy enough time to build an anti-mind-control ray gun, then we can recruit other teenagers to help us."

Vicki shook her head. "But until then we have to rely on this ourselves. Since negotiation won't work with the G:KND-"

"Who says negotiation won't work?" Abby snapped. "There's gotta be some way we can deal with this without goin' to war."

"War," Vicki insisted back. "Is exactly what I'm trying to prevent."

Abby sighed. "Fine. Then as far as the mind-control is concerned, I move that we access the restricted files and pull out drive 28-B." The room grew quiet, horrified eyes all staring at Abby.

"Abby-" Maurice, protested.

"28-B was destroyed," Vicki stated. "Along with the rest of the folder."

"What? Why?!"

"What's in 28-B?" one of the agents asked.

"That drive didn't even belong to you!" Abby snapped.

"Exactly!" Vicki replied, vigorously. "We cannot use information that we did not obtain through our own research. It would be immoral." She calmed herself. "Besides, 28-B is too risky."

"So what's in 28-B?" the agent asked again, now more curious than ever.

"It's Gilligan's project file." Maurice explained. "Numbuh 2 from the Sector V circa 2008."

"Do you have any idea what that was?" Abby heaved.

Vicki didn't look away from her. "I do not."

Abby leaned over the table, her whisper slicing through the air. "It was a recommissioning module."

The rest of the room gasped, even Maurice who had chosen the night they obtained Hoagie's research not to look at it. Vicki was the only one who seemed unaffected by the news.

"A prototype, no doubt."

"Yeah," Abby said. "But a damn good one."

"A prototype wouldn't do us any good, even if the information were available," she concluded.

Abby huffed. "Then he can build a real one."

"Abby, please."

"If he did it the first time, who's to say he can't do it again?" she protested. "And if we gave him access to our technology-"

"We are not recruiting your team, Abigail," Vicki said, bluntly. "End of discussion."

"Why not?" Abby slammed her fists down on the counter.

"You know why not!" Vicki yelled.

"They're the best! They're still the best! We need all the help we can get! And if Numbuh 2 can build a working recommissioning module-"

"I don't have time to deal with this right now!"

"But-"

"No! You are not recruiting those teenagers-"

"But!"

"You are not going after Nigel! By morning, those people are going to be gone. You are going to get on that ship and you are going to Mars with us or by God, Abigail, you will lose this job! Am I understood?" Vicki heaved, her body covered in sweat.

Abby picked herself off of the table. "Yes, Sir."

Vicki sighed. "I just..." her voice quivered slightly. "We can't afford anything else going wrong. I'm sorry." The rest of the team was quiet as Vicki recomposed herself. "So. We need a plan to get a ship past their security barrier. That's the primary issue as of this moment."

Maurice eyed Abby, who was still standing upright, still enough that a butterfly could land right on her nose. The gears in her head were turning faster than they had ever gone. There were a million choices, a hundred right ones, even more wrong ones. He knew what she was thinking: What would Nigel do? That part was obvious. Abby pulled up a chair and sat down, her eyes fixated on the hologram. Maurice's gut began to fill with dread. Abby was making up her mind, and if he didn't do something soon, he would never be able to change it.

Maurice had snuck out of the meeting, Vicki and Abby still engaged in their silent heated debate. Kuki had gone to the bathroom to freshen up after the long day they had, and to change out of her pajamas. This left Hoagie and Wally as the only ones waiting on Abby.

"Excuse me," He said, approaching them. He had to do something. He had to stop all of this before it got out of hand. "Would the two of you come with me, please?"

Wally scoffed. "And why should we?"

"I apologize for before," Maurice stated. "We're in a tight spot and you being here isn't exactly reassuring for our operatives." Wally and Hoagie looked at each other, but reluctantly agreed to tag along, if only in fear that not obliging would land them in bigger trouble than they already were. Maurice led them down a hallway, where the number of people was significantly fewer. "We have set up accommodations for the three of you. It's tight, but I managed to get each of you a room of your own. You may sleep here tonight, if you wish."

"Sweet!" Wally exclaimed. "It's like a five-star hotel!"

"I'm really sorry about all this," Hoagie said. "I know it must not be easy for you to trust people outside of your organization, especially when they're unannounced."

Maurice stopped walking, turning to face them. "I am going to be straight with you," he said straightly. "Your presence here is a major threat to our mission and our fellow operatives. You must understand that we cannot allow you to wander around like rabid dogs."

"What did you say?!" Wally shouted, his hair sticking up on end.

Hoagie nudged him, trying to calm him down. "We understand the situation."

"That being said," Maurice's tone lightened. "Given the current circumstances and the fact that you risked so much to get here, we are prepared to offer you a deal." He stuffed his hands in his jacket pocket, hiding their nervous twitch. "We cannot allow Abigail Lincoln to contact the G:KND."

What was he talking about? Wasn't that part of their mission? And besides that, if they couldn't contact the Galactic Kids Next Door, then how would they ever locate Nigel Uno? He looked over at Wally, who was still steaming from the last insult.

"You are here to rescue your younger siblings from Father. We have the capability to send one rescue team, just one mind you, to Father's containment chambers. There is a good chance that if we catch him off guard, we may be able to save your brothers. If that were possible, then it would be no problem to manually cure your parents of their mind-control. We can set you up in a colony on Mars, where you can live the rest of your days in peace while we aim to rebuild the child population."

Hoagie's jaw fell. "You can do that?"

Maurice noticed Wally's face harden. "In exchange, however, we ask that you prove your loyalty to us. We cannot have you leading us into a trap, you see." There was no response from the boys. "Their mind manipulation is still fresh. There is plenty of time to save them. I can predict, no, I can assure you that if we send a team out there we will be successful."

"Tommy..." Hoagie felt his brother's name slip out without him realizing it.

"What's the catch?" Wally sneered.

Maurice looked at them with sharp eyes. "Abigail." Wally clenched his jaw, but Hoagie had already seen it coming. "We want you to convince her not to go after Nigel Uno. If an intergalactic war breaks out, there will be no hope for this planet or this organization. She is delusional. She is mentally ill-prepared for the mission she is trying to undertake. No matter what happens, Abigail Lincoln must not make contact with the G:KND. Do you understand?" He closed his eyes. "If you do not cooperate, we will have to take matters into our own hands. I really...really..." his voice softened, only for a moment. "Don't want that to happen." He sat up, regaining his composure. "You must stop her at all costs. Maybe if she hears it from you, she'll see things differently. She'll reconsider."

"From us?" Hoagie said in a daze.

"So lemmie get this straight..." Wally said, taking a few aggressive steps toward Maurice. "You want us to betray Abby after everything she's done for us! You want us to just leave her in the fuckin' lurch! Is that what you're sayin'?"

"I'm asking you to save her life!" Maurice snapped. "If she goes through with this, she'll be considered a rogue agent. That means that if she gets caught she'll be decommissioned, or worse! And if she isn't caught..."

"Why don't you just trust her then?" Wally didn't understand this at all. "She might actually know what she's doing!"

Hoagie put a finger to his chin. "It could benefit to have a diplomatic approach to the situation. Disputes like this should be approached through many different means. They might be more forgiving than you think. Who knows, maybe if the Galactic Kids Next Door knew what was happening here, they would re-establish a sector on Earth..."

Maurice frowned. "The G:KND is made up of Kids. They wouldn't understand diplomacy even if we presented it to them on a cake written in frosting. They don't..." he tried to find the right words. "Suffer under the same limitations that we do."

Wally hissed. "There ain't no way I'm followin' you freaks. No way in-" He was interrupted by a tug on his jacket as Hoagie stepped in front of him.

"We'll think about it," he said, bluntly.

Wally was shocked. "What?" He struggled to push past Hoagie, but found the boy was too big, and surprisingly strong. "Speak for yourself!"

Hoagie ignored him. "Do you mind if we talk about this in private? It's been a long day and we shouldn't jump into a decision right away."

Maurice nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Hoagie pulled Wally's coat as he screamed profanities at him all the way down the hall. They went down three different hallways until he finally found a spot where they could be alone. He let go of him, looking around for people who may walk by.

"You're somethin' else!" Wally continued to berate him. "Abby risked her life to save you and your stupid little brother and you're gonna sell her out!"

"Shhh!" Hoagie put a finger to his lips, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Calm down. No one is selling anyone out."

"But you said-"

"I was trying to buy us some time." Hoagie rubbed his nose, his glasses lifting up over his hand for a brief second.

"Time?" Wally stared at him incredulously. "The fuck do we need time for?"

"Wally, think about it. Abigail is already on thin ice with the TND, otherwise Maurice wouldn't be so worried. He cares about her. He's trying to do everything in his power to save her, which can only mean that as far as the TND is concerned, Abigail has already gone rogue."

"So..."

"So if she's a rogue agent...what does that make us?"

"Uhhh..." Wally started to speak, but then lost what he was going to say. He looked at Hoagie, searching for the answer in his brain. "It um...it makes us..." Wally's head started to throb. Talking to Hoagie was exhausting. "...the bad guys?"

"A liability," Hoagie stated.

This didn't help Wally at all. "A lia-"

"Or more accurately..." he clarified. "We're their hostages."

That, Wally understood. "H-hostages?"

"When we were in the room, did you notice the door?" Hoagie asked. There was a pause. "The doors here lock from the outside, but not the inside." His nose scrunched. "Just like a jail cell."

Wally shook his head. "Wait. You think they wanna lock us up? Why would they do that? They said they were gonna help us!"

But Hoagie shook his head. "No, they don't care about us. They only care about Abigail. They're worried she might do something drastic, that's my guess," he said bluntly. "That's why they offered to save our families. They'll do anything to keep her from her mission and they plan to use us to get to her, whether we agree to it or not." He bit his lip. It didn't make sense. Were they really so afraid of the Galactic Kids Next Door that they would leave the planet in shambles?

Wally snarled. "Why those bloody..."

"If we comply, they'll just use us as puppets until our usefulness has expired. If we refuse, we'll be incarcerated. Either way, we're completely at their mercy." Hoagie kept his voice quiet, in case there were surveillance cameras or bugs. If there were, he knew there would be no way to avoid getting caught. It was stupid to be talking out loud this way, but Wally needed direct communication. The TND had them at gunpoint.

The punk boy slouched, his eyebrows flat against his lids. "Damn. We're completely cornered."

Hoagie sighed. "Exactly."

"So what're we gonna do? We can't just let them fuck with us!" Wally whispered.

Hoagie put a hand to his chin, his mind turning like a crank. His brain was a steam engine, constantly moving. It was unlike anything Wally had ever seen. "We stick as close to Abigail as possible," he finally concluded. "I don't trust these people, and clearly they don't trust her."

"Mmhmm," Wally agreed.

"The way I see it, we have two options. We can stick around long enough for the TND to get suspicious and suddenly change their minds or..."

"...or?"

"We run. And pray that we're fast enough."

"You're right," Wally sat up with determination. "Abby's our friend. We gotta stick by her. Even if we don't remember."

But his enthusiasm was met with chilling stillness "I didn't say that," he spoke at the bottom of his range. There was a heaviness to Hoagie's voice, coupled with a small tremble of fear. "The very fact that we do not remember her confirms that she is not our friend."

Wally's jaw hung open. Who did this guy think he was? "You can say that after everything she's done for us?"

"Everything she's done has been in her own self-interest!" Hoagie snapped. "Don't be deceived, Wally. She saved us because she needs us for something. She didn't do it out of the kindness of her heart!"

Wally pouted, confused. "But...she said we used to be-"

"Right. Used to be," Hoagie explained. "We know nothing about her, and she knows nothing about us outside of old memories and photo albums. We may be on the same team now, but that doesn't prove anything. We're still complete strangers. And besides that...she isn't giving us the whole story. There's something else. Something she's not telling us." His lips curved into a pensive frown. "And I have a hunch it's got something to do with this Nigel Uno..."

Wally scowled. "Tch. Y'don't have'ta be an ass about it."

Hoagie exhaled. "What's important is that we stand with her. Does it really matter why we do it? The reason isn't because of friendship or a false sense of community, it's because it's the right thing. If we don't go, she'll go alone. If she tries to go alone, she will die. I, for one, refuse to have her death on my conscience."

The punk boy huffed. "Now who's actin' on their own self-interest?"

Hoagie was quiet for a while. "Yeah, you're right. That's what happens when you start to lose everything you have..." he almost whispered.

Wally slipped his hands in his pockets. "I'm gonna go find Kuki," he grumbled, annoyed.

As he turned to go, Hoagie called after him. "Wally! Don't go into any closed rooms!"

"Yeah, yeah." Wally waved his hand without looking back, as though shooing him away. He didn't know how he could stand being on the same team with a person like Hoagie Gilligan. Just as he thought the kid might still have some semblance of compassion, he would do things like this. All the sacrifices Abby made for him and he wouldn't even consider her a friend. He groaned. If being smart meant that you become an asshole, Wally didn't want to be smart anymore.

Kuki pulled up the sleeves of her new wool sweater, which were too long for her short arms. Underneath it, one of the girls had given her a cheerleader's skirt so she didn't have to wear her pajamas. Her hair was slicked back into a bun, something she hardly ever did. She felt better now that people wouldn't be staring at her robe and fuzzy slippers all of the time, which were by now covered in dust and dirt from their extreme adventure. Scanning the main floor, she noticed Wally, hands in pockets, coming back. His eyes were glued to the floor.

"Wally!" She called as she skipped over to him. "Do you like it?" Kuki spun around, letting her skirt fly around. "The girls were nice enough to lend me some clothes."

"That's great."

Kuki tilted her head to the side. She could always tell when Wally was thinking. He wasn't typically a thinker, more of a doer, so she knew something important must have happened. "Did you and Hoagie talk to Maurice?"

Wally flinched. "Yeah."

"And?" She prodded, but Wally still wasn't talking. "What did he say? Are they gonna help us?"

Wally grimaced. "Tough to say." He caught Hoagie coming behind him out of the corner of his eye, worry beginning to settle into his stomach. Worry and aggravation.

Hoagie's head was buried in his phone, his newly-located backpack over his shoulder. He approached Wally and Kuki with no greeting or commentary. "There's no service down here," was all he said. He frowned. "How are we supposed to keep in contact with each other?"

Kuki pulled out her own phone. "There's no internet connection either."

"I'm surprised we even still have working data plans with all the insanity that's been happening," Hoagie admitted.

"Wait," Kuki stopped cold. "Maybe we shouldn't have them."

Wally and Hoagie froze, their eyes wide. "Are you nuts?" Wally exclaimed.

"Kuki, we need our cell phones. How else are we going to stay connected?"

Kuki fidgeted with her sweater, whose sleeves kept falling down. "I know. I know. But you guys found me because you traced the location of my phone. If you can do that..."

Hoagie's eyes widened further. "Then the TEENZ can too. All they'd need is a number."

Wally grit his teeth, realizing that they were right. "And if they trace us back to this place..."

"We're all screwed."

"I'm turning mine off," Kuki said, doing so straight away.

"Good idea," Hoagie replied as he followed suit. Wally reluctantly took his own phone and did the same. It wasn't going to do them much good anyway. They stood there for a while, deciding to stay in the same place so they would be easier to find when Abby came back.

When Abby finally returned, her face was stoic. She stood at attention, as though commanding an army of thousands. Her voice was crisp. "I'm goin' after Nigel Uno," she said, bluntly.

Hoagie was the first to respond. "We know."

"This is a high-risk operation. The Earth has been quarantined, which means leavin' the atmosphere is illegal. However, it's somethin' that I have to do." She sighed. "He offered you a deal, didn't he? Maurice."

Wally nodded. "He did."

Kuki gasped. "What deal? Wally, you never said anything about-"

"You should take it." Abby was quiet for a while, her eyes sharp. "Take it and save the people you care about."

But Wally wouldn't have any of that. "Oh, no," he said walking right up to her. His nose was inches away from her face. "Don't you pull that shit on us. You did all this just to find us and now you're tellin' us to stay behind? I don't think so."

"Yeah!" Kuki chimed in. "You said you needed us."

"Plan's changed," Abby said, stiffly. "I can't risk bringin' you with me. You have no idea what would be at stake for you if you came." Her voice quieted. "You're out of the hands of the enemy. That's what matters."

Wally crossed his arms. "If you think I'm gonna stay in this bunker while you go off on some wild adventure then...then you're...just plain wrong!"

"Abby, please let us come with you," Kuki pleaded.

"I said I wasn't lettin' you outta my sight till this whole thing was over. This sure as hell doesn't look 'over' to me." Wally took a step backwards, letting Kuki in.

"You said we were teammates. We have to stick together. That's what teammates do."

Abby looked at Hoagie, who blushed at averted his gaze from hers as he often did. "Don't look at me," He said. "You and I already made a deal." He pushed up his glasses, lifting his eyebrows.

"You're stuck with us, Lady. So cut the shit and just tell us the plan already."

Abby's sharp eyes began to soften as she looked at her team.

Whatever happened, she knew with their help, she would make it. Maurice was wrong. Sector V wasn't dead, it was alive and well. Memories, no memories, at this point none of that mattered. They were allies fighting for the same goal, and as long as they were willing to fight, Abby was willing to lead them.

"Then that's that," Abby said, satisfied.

Wally stepped into the cold night air, the wind slithering between the holes in his jacket and jeans. He shivered, sitting down on the curb outside of the closed PuzzleTown coffee. The parking lot was empty now, no sign of life anywhere. It was peaceful, he thought, but also quite frightening. He remembered hanging out in front of the gas station at night when there was nothing left to do. Cars would wiz by, late night patrol men would be out on watch. There was always something going on. This was nothing like those other evenings. The street was barren, like a ghost town. Everyone was inside their homes, hiding, and he couldn't blame them.

He pulled out a piece of paper and a tiny bag of weed. Wally opened the bag and began meticulously measuring out a sample of the grass onto the paper. There was just enough for two. He rolled the joint and pulled out the lighter. As the paper touched his lips, the end singed, and the sweet aroma encircled him. He inhaled, feeling the muscles in his back release. Perhaps if he could get himself to stop thinking about everything, he could finally get to sleep.

Footsteps were heard behind him. Wally didn't turn around to look at who it was. A girl appeared around his shoulder, sitting next to him along the curb. Her red hat caught on the corner of his eye. Wally wasn't surprised to see Abby, but he wasn't thrilled about her presence either. She didn't say anything or even make a face. It seemed she was out there for the exact same reason he was.

"Nice night," Wally finally broke the silence.

"I suppose," was her simple response.

Wally looked her up and down, trying to read her expression. "Don't you want a jacket or nothin'?"

Abby held her hands under her knees. She was still wearing her mid-drift top and shorts, her skin riddled with goosebumps. Still, she didn't shiver as Wally did. "Nah. The chill is nice. Keeps me alert."

Wally inhaled again, blowing out a stream of smoke from his lips. "So, what now?"

"Whadduya mean?"

"Are we really going to space?" Wally asked, sincerely. "I mean, really?"

Abby shrugged. "That's the plan."

"Well then," Wally smirked. "I bettah finish this off. Can't smoke in space."

That made Abby chuckle. "No. Guess you can't."

"Too bad," Wally examined the piece of rolled up paper between his fingers. "It's gotta be stressful up there." Even though Abby didn't move, Wally could tell that she was discomforted by his statement. "You smoke?"

"No, never," Abby replied honestly. "None of us do. Or at least, we ain't supposed to. We're always on duty so we always have'ta be in our right minds."

The joint moved up and down between Wally's fingers as he wiggled them. "Your right mind, huh?" Ashes from the paper fell to the pavement. Wally watched them with a dazed look in his eye. "Well, nobody ever thought my mind was very special. So nobody cares what I do with it. Guess for you it's different." Abby couldn't find the words to say before Wally started to speak again. "And who's to say what's the right mind, anyway? It ain't so easy as right and wrong or high and sober. We're fucked up as it is. We don't need bloody Adults tellin' us which way is up, and which way is down. Our brains may be fried, but we still got em', you know?"

"I guess you got a point."

"Followin' a stranger you ain't never met before into space to stop some crazy loon from destroyin' the planet, most people would call that bloke outta their mind. No sane person would do a bloody thing like that." He grinned. "Yet, here we are."

"Here we are," Abby agreed.

Wally inhaled, holding the joint out to Abby. She mindlessly took it, clasping the paper between her lips and breathing in. The smoke caught in her lungs and she immediately coughed whatever she had just inhaled back up.

"Ugh!" she coughed again, her eyes watering. "That's nasty."

"Ya get used to it," Wally shrugged, taking back the joint. He watched as she flashed him a smile. Wally felt a warm ember burning in his heart. Somehow, being with Abby felt right to him. Him being a part of her life, and her being a part of his, was the way it was supposed to be. He didn't need a list of reasons or a million provisions on their goals and aspirations. He just knew it. "So, what's your story?"

The question caught Abby off guard. "I already told ya-"

"Not that," the boy shook his head. "Your real story."

But Abby just stared at him.

"What do ya like? What are your hobbies? Do you like music? Do you like surfin' the internet for cat videos?" Abby laughed as he went on. "I'm serious. If we're gonna be travelin' together, I wanna know who it is we're dealin' with here." He cleared his throat, dropping the bud to the cement and snuffing the flame out with his foot. "Here, I'll start. I'm Wallabee Beetles. My parents moved here from Australia when they first got married, but I was born an' raised in Cleveland. My favorite band is Cradle of Filth. Okay. Your turn."

Abby scrunched her eyebrows. "Cradle of Filth?"

"They're English. Hard core. You'd like'em, I think."

"Oh," Abby tried not to think about it too hard. "Well, my Mama was born in Quebec, but she moved to the States when she married my Daddy. He's a doctor and she's a fashion consultant for a major magazine."

"Whoa!" Wally sat up, excited. "That's fuckin' sick! See? I would never'a guessed that!"

"Oui," Abby tightened her lips as she thought. "Je parle deux langues. I dunno many bands. I just kinda listen to whatever. But I know what I like when I hear it."

"You like the Beatles?"

"They're cool."

"I don't get'm."

"That's really ironic."

"Yeah." There was a long pause until Wally finally continued the conversation. "Abby."

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure."

"Say," he started, losing his footing halfway through. "They didn't get rid of the Kids Next Door."

Abby took a double take. "Huh?"

"What if everythin' was just...I mean..." He placed a palm to his head, trying to get the words out. "If there was still a Kids Next Door, it would be business as usual for ya, right?"

Tilting her head up, Abby tried to follow where Wally was going with this. Although, she was completely lost. "Right."

"So what would happen?" he asked. "To you? You'd graduate high school and then...what? I mean, what would you do with your life?"

Abby silently looked at him. "It ain't productive to deal in 'what ifs'," she said, as though reciting a line that had been fed to her.

"So you don't know," Wally said, teasingly.

"Why do you even wanna know somethin' like that?" Abby asked. "It won't do any of us any good."

"Cause you gotta have dreams, Abby!" Wally defended. "Everybody's got dreams!"

Abby sighed. "The path we're walkin' down is a dead end," she whispered. Wally asked her to repeat what she said, but she knew that wouldn't satisfy him. "After high school, agents are put through another entrance exam. If you pass, you get to keep yo' memories as an Adult. You continue espionage at whatever college they send you to, no matter where that might be. They try to send you as far away as possible, so you don't run into..." she paused, her throat tightening up before she could speak. "They don't care what you do in school so long as you keep up in social circles and don't lose sight of the mission. In the end, if you're a TND agent, the future is pretty much set in stone."

"Not much room for dreamin' I guess," Wally responded.

"Abby's dream is the same as it always was. The Kids Next Door. It's everything. Nothing is more important to me than this organization..." she clenched her jaw and looked away from Wally. "Nothing."

As the night became darker and the stars twinkled above their heads, Wally and Abby reflected on those final words. She couldn't mean that, Wally insisted to himself. If that were true, she wouldn't be abandoning the TND's mission. She would stand by them no matter what, wouldn't she?

But as Abby pondered those same words, different thoughts swarmed around in her head: dedication to Nigel Uno and her former teammates, respect for her fellow TND agents and guilt for leaving them behind. However different their opinions, their goal was still the same: To save the Kids Next Door on Earth, to bring hope to the children of this world. That was her reason for existing. If there was a path that lead to a freer world, that was the one she was going to choose. No matter what the cost, she knew that the only way to truly save the world, was to save Nigel.

Nigel was the reason she could bear to abandon the TND. Nigel was the one who would lead them to justice. Nigel Uno, the one person who she still believed in, despite everything that happened. She knew deep in her heart that everything would be alright. She smiled to herself, trying not to let Wally see. Unlike her, Nigel was still a kid at heart. He didn't live with the suffering of Adulthood to cloud his judgement with hormonal mood swings and false logical assumptions. He was a child, blessed with eternal youth and wisdom. Not all the wisdom of the TND could match that, no matter how hard they tried.

END TRANSMISSION