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Galactic-Kids-Next-Door mission
Operation: A.L.P.H.A.
Story written by Cris Carvalho
Complementary art can be found in my social medias KicaCris
Chapter 3:
Setting the game
There are many stories in the KND history lore. Stories about heroic feats, transcending discoveries and awesome conquers. Tales about sour defeats and never forgotten losses also.
There are so many legends about the fight against adult tyranny.
But sadly, the most well-known stories are those from this modern era of KND, since it was in this time where technology advanced enough to allow us to properly document every single event that happened from the very first moment Numbuh Zero rose to initiate it.
Truth to be told, we might never really grasp the scale of how much KND history there really is.
But thankfully we have the Book of KND, the only official source we have that more or less shows us some of the missing pieces of our history. Every single page contains hand-written testimonies of these forgotten KND times.
One particular tale fills the very first page of this book, the story that started it all.
The story of Alpha and the origin of KND.
Long ago, there were 4 lost kids trying to survive in a world that was barely standing after a terrible great adult war. These lost kids found others just like them who too wished to find a place where they could all be free and happy.
Bravely and with just a bunch of wooden swords, slingshots, and sticks, the 4 kids lead these lost children and defended them from many evil adults who wished to imprison them on places called "orphanages", so they could become adults and be put in schools and have jobs. But the brave 4 kids were so courageous that their combined spirits made them powerful enough to fight back these evil adults that wanted to harm the children under their protection.
One fateful night,t while fighting some thieves, the 4 kids were saved by a mysterious person dressed all in white and wielding a sword made of light, who single handily defeated all their enemies by itself. Amazed by the power of this unknown ally, the kids soon discovered the person was a strange looking young girl of their same age named "Alpha". She was like none they have ever met before and didn't seem to even belong to their own world.
Alpha told them she had come from a very distant place and she too had been helping many other lost kids to find a place she called "Neverland", where kids were free to play and do whatever they ever dreamed. She believed their land was that place and so requested to fight alongside them to help bring change to the grey world.
Deeply moved by her cause, the 4 kids then took a knee and promised to follow her on her quest to create a better world for all kids.
She then rewarded their loyalty with special weapons made by the elements of thunder, water, fire and earth. Encouraged by her words and her gifts, the chosen kids then took upon new names to protect their identities: Epsilon, Delta, Gamma, Beta, together with Alpha's lead became what will later be known as the very first all-kid team who valiantly began the worldwide fight against adult tyranny.
Alpha and her team achieved so many victories across the world that soon inspired not only lost kids but also kids from all different places and conditions to join their fight. Adults began to hide in natural respect and fear of their growing power.
However one day, a shadowed foe named Omega appeared. Tired of living as Alpha's shadow, he challenged her claiming she was neither brave nor powerful enough to eliminate all adults from the world and end all kids' suffering once and for all.
At first, Alpha ignored her shadow's threats as if they were a mere child's tantrum. Enraged, Omega tried to strike her with his Shadow Sword but was easily repelled away by Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon's powers. Furious with his extreme irrational ways, Alpha used the power of her Light Sword and combined with the elemental powers of her loyal teammates they banished Omega out of the Earth forever.
Alpha mourned the loss of her shadow greatly feeling as she had lost a part of herself but reluctantly accepted his sealed fate.
Victory though lasted very little.
Sometime after that legendary fight, adults resurfaced again more powerful and dangerous than before.
It was the Time Out War.
According to the Book of KND, our great leader Alpha was last seen on the battlefield during the final moments of the war. Using the combined powers of the 5 Alpha Weapons, she split the sky in night and day to create a path of light and send her dear team and all her loyalists safely to the moon while she stood behind to ensure their escape.
With broken hearts but in eternal gratitude, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon promised to complete Alpha's dream and with the help of the survivors they built the very first Moon Base Tree House from the remains of their ancient base on Earth, The Super-Double-Mega-Triple Tree House, and later they'll decide to rename the new all-kid-military-organization based on what Alpha very fondly used to call them all:
The Kids-Next-Door.
In the Book of KND it is stated that Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon were the masterminds behind the current KND organizational structure. They established our numerical identification and sector assignment method, wrote the first draft of our main rules, built the Code Module and even programmed the Super-Big-Computermabob system.
And then, when the dreadful hook of time and age finally caught them, the four remaining members of Alpha's team decided the dream had been completed and willingly step down as KND leaders, marking the end of the very 1st era of KND.
Hundreds of years later, the story of Alpha and her sector is nowadays seen as a fantasy, a mere fairy tale still told by some senior KND operatives as a story used to inspire younger cadets. There are certainly no proofs of their existence making it hard to believe that these kids with these fantastical powers started it all.
"One has to wonder how much of these stories are the mere product of over-hyperactive imaginations and how much is actual factual-truths" Numbuh 101 chuckled to a large group of cadets who were sitting with him the Moon Base cafeteria.
He gave a bite to his meatball sandwich and continued, "for example there are stories that supposedly say Numbuh Zero created the missing Sector Z inspired by the legend of Sector Alpha, he even wanted them to carry that same codename at first, but apparently the Supercomputermabob mysteriously denied the request probably due to a programming error or something".
"Ideally, what I think he really wanted was to create a very secret team sector deep inside KND, formed by the most extraordinary operatives of the force, and purportedly put them in charge of the most difficult and dangerous high-ranked missions there were. Tragically, Sector Z never managed to fulfill his dream, but some people believe his idea prevailed and that there is indeed a very high-ranked-top-secret team working in the shadows for KND. Some people speculate they use fake numerical identifications to hide from other fellow operatives, while others claim they don't even appear registered in the Code Module!"
He accidentally spit a bit of food in his excitement, disgusting the young cadets. "But again, these are all just my theories. I hope my input helps you in your report, miss Jhonson, your subject of the report is the most fascinating one!", he smiled to the young girl who had been eagerly taking notes beside him.
"Very much so Mr. Numbuh 101, sir!" she saluted while the rest of the kids resumed their eating.
Matt smiled largely at her, "my pleasure! I have more interesting materials related to Sector Alpha back at the Kids Next Door Seriously Cool Museum of Artifacts and Stuff, if you still need more data".
She nodded with a big grin and standing up she excused herself and went to chat with other fellow cadets.
Numbuh 101 looked over his shoulder and saw Numbuh 60 and 86 chatting and eating together on a different table.
"She's the Supreme Leader now, Numbuh 60. You can't just challenge her believes like that" an uncharastically calmed Numbuh 86 said while munching over a chocolate muffin.
"I didn't mean to challenge her!" Patton defended while taking a spoon of his Sunday ice-cream, "I just think she shouldn't have sold a sketchy story like that as a supposed sightseeing of the 'Sector Alpha', you know?" he said angrily.
Numbuh 86 arched a questioning eyebrow at him, "you don't think she fabricated the story, do you?"
"No of course not! I just don't think it's wise to assume that what she saw was indeed 'Sector Alpha' in full flesh, you know? It could have been any other team that was close to their position that night." He angrily tapped the table with his spoon.
"Ooooh are you guys talking about that mysterious last-minute rescue Sector V had about 4 years ago? Or was it 5 years ago? By the way Numbuh 60 may I say that I just adore this year's group of cadets? I have never seen such a fine group of younglings interested so much in KND history lore" Numbuh 101 interrupted as per usual and sat down on their table without an invitation.
Numbuh 60 and 86 didn't even seem surprised though, as most people were already used to Matt's hyperactive fanboy-ish antics and the complete lack of privacy awareness.
"Actually, we were talking about how useless is to keep fueling young cadets believes on kiddy fantastical KND fairytales…" Patton said sarcastically with a mocking smirk.
"Oh" Numbuh 101 managed to say awkwardly, "well technically speaking, the right definition is unfounded-historical-events rather than 'fairy tales', my pre-teen friend" Matt smiled innocently at him.
"Well, in my opinion, they're fairy tales until proven otherwise" Patton took another spoon of his ice-cream with a confident grin.
"That's fair enough" Matt agreed, "you used to say the same thing about the legend of Numbuh Zero if I recall correctly and look what it turned it out to be!"
Numbuh 60 looked caught off guard for a split second and Numbuh 86 couldn't help but giggle at the irony.
"That-that's different!"
"Why?"
"Because, Numbuh Zero is a modern legend of this era" Patton defended, "it had better chances to be real since it happened so very close to our time compared to a story that supposedly happened centuries ago" he rested his case.
Numbuh 86 glanced back at Matt who seemed to consider it for a second, "well I suppose you're right, we did have actual pieces of evidence of Numbuh Zero's doings, much more tangible ones compared to some old drawings of Sector Alpha from the 13th century".
Numbuh 60 half smiled in contempt.
"Still!" Matt suddenly said much louder, "My fan theory about Numbuh 1 being related to Numbuh Zero was right all along!" there it was, the fanboy couldn't be contained anymore. "And I was also right about the whereabouts of the missing Sector Z, and about Father, and Grandfather and I even had my own suspicions about the failed TREATY! All those unfounded-historical-events turned out to be real".
He elbowed Numbuh 86 excitedly. "My fan theories have been so on fire recently! Would you like to hear a few other ones I have?".
"Matt please-"
"No I'm serious, you might even like this one since it involves our ex-Supreme Leader Numbuh 362!"
Fanny slightly glared at him, "oi, you better watch your tongue" and Numbuh 60 couldn't help himself to also glare at him.
"Nothing weird, it's actually super cool!" he hunched a bit and slightly cupped his cheek as if he was going to whisper to them a secret, "I think… she was part of the very super secret modern version of Sector Alpha" he lowly said just to the two of them.
"What?" the other two said in unison.
"Think about it for a second" he continued to whisper, "you joined KND with her at the same time since you three were recruited together when you were in kindergarten, right? You three graduated together from the Cadets-Next-Door Academy, and yet, she was the only one who immediately got assigned to solo missions after it, while you two were assigned to normal sector teams" he said.
"So what?" Fanny cut in, "Rachel was an extraordinary operative since her first days, better than us" Patton nodded in agreement with her "but the fact that she got assigned to solo missions instead of being assigned to a sector is nothing odd. Other operatives, not as good as her mind you, have been also assigned to those kinds of special missions before"
"Actually" Matt bit her lower lip even more excitedly, "there aren't many operatives assigned to solo missions, in fact, there are very few. According to official records, aside from Numbuh 362 only two other operatives had been assigned on top-ranked solo missions like she: ex-Supreme Leader Numbuh 274 and Numbuh 9".
Numbuh 86 and Numbuh 60 looked at each other confused.
"But Numbuh 9 had been part of Sector V before he willingly decided to go on a solo mission to find the source of the Teen's Chicken Pox" Numbuh 60 argued.
"True, but he barely had spent six months in Sector V before that moment, if I recall".
"So?"
"So! It seems to me the Teen's Chicken Pox mission was a façade all along"
"Why in the world would that be a facade?!" Patton raised his voice slightly feeling outraged by the ridiculous notion of such an important mission to be a fabricated stunt.
"Numbuh 9 was the most honorable operative we have ever had, incapable of breaking anyone's trust, brutally honest-"
"Of course he was! I would never dare to doubt his well-known code of honor! But you have to remember he was also extremely good at keeping secrets and we all know hiding sensitive information is not the same as to be a liar".
Numbuh 86 thought that for a moment, "I…I guess so-"
"Plus, don't you think it seems a little odd that he spent what, 4 years on that solo mission and never managed to complete it? He was one of the best there was and yet it was our current Supreme Leader who ended up finding the source in the end, months after Numbuh 9 was decommissioned" Numbuh 101 arched a suspicious eyebrow.
"But Numbuh 5 is an excellent operative, probably the best of Sector V" Numbuh 86 argued again although with a tone of doubt in her voice.
"Yes but, with all due respect to her rank, would you say she's better than Numbuh 9?" the question took them off guard.
"I…" Numbuh, 86 looked around her as if checking if they were being watched, "I wouldn't dare to doubt her skills-"
"Come on Fanny, you know the answer. Abby is good with no doubt, but even you have to admit that she's not better than Maurice was" Patton sourly admitted.
"All right, but what does that have to do with anything?" Numbuh 86 stubbornly questioned.
"My point is, Numbuh 9 was indeed very capable of completing that mission and to have his place in history as the operative who found it but somehow he never accomplished it. Why? Because, in my opinion, that's not what he did in those last 4 years. My theory is that Maurice was asked to leave Sector V to join this secret team, let's call it Sector Alpha just for the hell of it, and the Global Command used the sudden rise of the Teenagers' Chicken Pox crisis for cover!" Numbuh 101 hit the table with both fists in excitement, "it's brilliant!"
"No, it's ridiculous! Numbuh 100 wouldn't have allowed something like that to happen since Sector V was in such a delicate state after the forced decommissions of Numbuhs 8A and 8B, and later with the brutal betrayal of their leader Numbuh 11" Numbuh 86 remembered him.
"Of course he would! Numbuh 100 always championed the idea of the ultimate sacrifice for the well being of the Kids-Next-Door and the fight against global adult tyranny regardless of the stakes. Numbuh 100 had to be a key actor in assembling the team! I think he even personally trained them! That's why he assigned Numbuh 274 and 362 to succeed him, to ensure Sector Alpha had control over the entire organization just as the original team did back in the time of 1st Era"
Numbuh 86 and 60 suddenly stood up with angry frowns and started to pick up their trays, "I think we've heard enough of your ridiculous fan theories for a whole life" Fanny said annoyed.
"Oh come on, you have to admit that my theories at least make sense in some levels!" Numbuh 101 said with hurt in his eyes.
"Sure, and the next thing you're going tell us is how Numbuh 274 never really betrayed us and almost launched the KND Moon Base to the sun because it was all a GENIOUS fabricated stunt to infiltrate the Teen Ninjas all along because, you know, that's what Sector Alpha would do" Numbuh 60 said sarcastically.
Numbuh 101 raised his finger to argue back but froze with his mouth wide open, "Oooooh…" he considered the possibility with his thumb on his chin, "OH! I never thought of THAT!-I should write that down on my notebook" and he swiftly took a small leather notebook from his lab coat pockets and began to eagerly write.
"You're impossible! Do me a favor and keep your ridiculous fan theories and fairytales away from my cadets, Matt" and with that Numbuh 60 turned over his heels and began to angrily march away. Fanny shook her head in resignation and followed him too.
Numbuh 101 raised his eyes and noticed with disappointment that he was once again alone in the table. He sighed, "I wish people would give more credit to my reasonings…I was right about Numbuh Zero and Sector Z after all".
He peeked down at his notes with a sad frown and closed the notebook.
/
[A few years back on Maurice's 13th birthday]
The moment he had sat down on the chair and Numbuh 86 had closed the door shut, loud electrical and mechanic noises began to blast around him. All his senses had been heightened as he braced himself for whatever it was supposed to happen on this dreadful birthday.
But to his surprise, nothing in fact was happening. Just a bunch of blaring noises playing along with what he guessed were recorded pieces of himself screaming at the top of his lungs.
"What it the world is going on?" he stared confusedly into the darkness of the Decommissioning Chamber.
A drain plunger came forward his face and halted a few inches away from his eyes. A small tv screen turned on inside of it and Maurice silently stared at it.
A typing bar began to blink for a moment as the noises around him continued.
[Happy birthday Maurice Williems. You have successfully completed your obligations as operative Numbuh 9] he read the message on the screen.
"wait-computermabob?" he arched an eyebrow quizzically at the always mysterious sentient persona of the KND SuperComputermabob.
[From this day on, you will never be regarded again as Numbuh 9 and you will no longer be part of the Kids-Next-Door]
Maurice gulped and lowered his head somberly.
[However] he suddenly read.
[Due to your high-ranked position, the Directive requires you to remain operative even after today]
"What?!"
[Operation A.L.P.H.A. must now be resumed urgently]
Operation A.L.P.H.A.
He remembered…the most classified and high-ranked secret mission…the last mission he had with-
Maurice' shock disappeared and was soon replaced by something he had purposely buried and forgotten deep inside of him, something probably none in KND thought capable of him to feel: painful and nostalgic rage. He clenched his teeth and glared angrily at the screen.
"You gotta be kidding me! The KND Global Command canceled Operation A.L.P.H.A. the day Supreme Leader Numbuh 100 was decommissioned and ordered MY sector, MY team, to be disbanded and all of us had to be reassigned to solo missions FOR YEARS!" he hissed thou what he really wanted was to growl at the Supercomputermabob.
"You took away my FRIENDS-"
[It's not the KND Global Command who is requiring for the mission to be completed]
Maurice paused, once again feeling confused.
"What-then who is giving the order?"
[That is classified information]
Now the alarms went off his head. Maurice had known for a very long time that in KND not everything was as crystal clear as it seemed sometimes and that some secrets were so big and risky to kept that mayor stakes had to be taken.
He knew this because he was an example of the many kept secrets the organization had, and it was exactly because of this he always imagined there couldn't be any big secret capable of surprising him anymore.
Clearly, he had been wrong.
"If this order doesn't come from the KND Global Command and, apparently, I can't either be told who is giving it then how I'm a supposed to know this is not something coming from a very skillful enemy who perhaps has hacked our system and wants to use me?" his body tensed as he looked suspiciously around him and went over a quick plan to escape the room and warn the others about this apparent hacking in the SupercomputerMabob.
The typing bar blinked silently for a few seconds without showing any new messages.
He sat straight, planted both feet firmly and was about to give a sprint towards the door when the computer began to write again.
[We know you from a very long time Maurice, even from way before you and the others joined KND and we know how crucial it is your role in the upcoming war]
That froze him. The words 'others' and 'war' resonated in his mind with dreadful familiarity.
[Your team is needed now more than ever not for the sake of KND but of the entire planet Earth]
His eyes grew wide with hope, "the-the team? The whole team you mean?"
[Affirmative]
Maurice felt his heart skip a beat and began to breathe anxiously.
[Two of your teammates who are currently out of the system have already accepted to resume Operation A.L.P.H.A and have made significant progress]
It didn't take him long to figure out who these two teammates were. He half smiled and shook his head with comical resignation, "Those two…I knew everything was a façade all along – I'm so kicking their butts when I see them"
The smile then disappeared when a somber reminder came to him.
"Aren't we too old for this though? Are we still even worth enough to finish the mission regardless of our age?" he whispered with uncertainty.
The computer's response silenced his doubts forever.
[If Alpha considers you worth it then you certainly are]
He smiled fondly for a second with a slight blush on his cheeks and took a timid interest on his boots.
He then frowned with a question on his mind, "will the other two who are still inside KND join us then?"
[Do you accept to resume Operation A.L.P.H.A?]
Maurice wasn't remotely surprised his question wasn't answered and cheekily smiled.
"Of course!" he said with conviction.
[Confirming]
[Maurice Williems, from this day on you shall never again be addressed with the codename identification Numbuh 9. Mission briefs will from now on be sent to you under your official identification]
"Good, I don't think I ever got used to 'Numbuh 9' anyway"
[You must keep your identity and mission a secret even to fellow active KND operatives. For security measures]
He arched an eyebrow quizzically and then put two and two together as he noticed again all the noises the machine was making, "oh so I have to pretend I really got decommissioned?"
[Affirmative. This will also help you with a side mission you and the others are also required to help with. New plans compel for your team to infiltrate the teen's forces and secure new powerful allies for the upcoming war]
This shocked him as the new plan spoke volumes about a terrifying truth, "so Numbuh 100 was right…KND is really not prepared for this war…"
[Affirmative]
He swallowed heavily and worried about the many young operatives inside KND who were still blissfully unaware of everything. He especially thought about Numbuh 5 and Sector V, who were perhaps the only team capable enough to give a good fight.
But not even them were ready for something of this magnitude.
[Upon leaving the chamber you must say the following coded phrase: "Like dude, does anyone know where a guy can get some chips and salsa in this dump?" in order to fully confirm your acceptance of the mission]
"WHAT-oh that is so lame computer, come on! Can you come up with something else that doesn't make me look so…brainless?"
[Negative]
He facepalmed with embarrassment. 'What a majestic heroic way to go' he thought.
[Be thankful you're at least you're not launching the Moon Base to the Sun]
The memory made him snort, "guess you're right".
/
[McClintock High School – 1 year later]
A year later that day Maurice had found out that much like KND, teenagers also had their own functional organization with a established order and sets of rules. Many believe the current teenager form of "government" was designed after the event that was known as the Great Junior High Rebellion of 1999.
The teenagers have a hierarchical form of government, with roles ranked according to levels of importance while respecting the three main corners of the popularity pyramid: academics, sports and the arts.
Right at the top of the pyramid are the Prom King and Queen and together they rule and command over all the ranks under them.
Next to them comes what is known as the 4 General-Captains: The Football Captain, the Soccer Captain, the Basketball Captain and the Volley Ball Captain. These 4 figures are the most important (and popular of course) personalities after the Prom Rulers, as their power not only assures the order over all the rest of the athletic factions but also are said to be pivotal in influencing the decision in the election of the Prom Kings and Queens. These very honored high-ranked positions had been granted to these four sports in particular after being the decisive key powerhouses that allowed teens to obtain their independence in the final battle of the Great Junior High Rebellion of 1999. Therefore, they're acknowledged with the highest form of respect and admiration.
After the 4 General-Captains come the Cheerleader Squad and the Teen Ninjas' Lieutenant-Captains, who are in charge of enforcing order and control over the non-combatant teen population. There was a time when the position of the Class President was ranked above these two titles, but the entitlement eventually became downranked and it's nowadays considered a mere powerless figurehead. The remaining sport divisions and social clubs battalions form the rest of the lower middle half of the pyramid and are directly overseen by the General-Captains.
Maurice had self-taught himself all this before his very first day in high school, in order to effectively blend in without stirring too much attention. Naturally skilled in basketball, he joined the team in his first year and by his second year he successfully achieved the main position with the full support of not only the basketball battalion but also from all the other sport divisions.
The position though came with its own perks however, and one of them was to keep peace and order among the sport lieutenants and colonels and that wasn't exactly a simple job.
"Look Maurice, you're a nice guy, probably the nicest guy in the school, I know that. All I'm asking is for a little-tiny-bit of help with telling me WHERE THE HELL IN THE WORLD IS THAT GOOD-FOR-NOTHING ANTONIO BANDERAS?!"
Maurice rubbed his temples exasperated as he listened to the complaints of the angry red-haired girl that was tapping her soccer shoes impatiently in front of him. It's been a very long first day of school and tryouts for all the sport teams and divisions had taken place in the indoor basketball court.
"What did Ace do now?" he had to ask although by protocol, but he already knew the answer.
The red-haired girl was fuming, "how about NOT showing up to his own team's tryouts and NOT appointing anybody to fill in for him?! Do you think I like having our Queen's ninjas questioning me about his whereabouts!? That's not supposed to be my job!"
Antonio Sebastian Banderas, much commonly known as "Ace, the kid", was the Soccer General Captain. He was a pretty mysterious fella with a strange fascination for anything related to aviation and computers, desired by every girl in the school and considered a hero among the nerd and geek groups as he had always defended them from the most vicious bullies of all time. Oddly enough, only few people really knew him well deep down.
And as a fellow General Captain and old time friend, Maurice was one of them.
"Listen Flare-" he sat down on a bench while piling the many enrollment forms he had received.
"Please don't call me that…"
He sighed deeply, "Right, sorry about that…" Maurice apologized as his eyes returned to the glaring girl in front of him, "Pepper Ann" he promptly corrected "Ace told me yesterday he had a dentist appointment this afternoon. He probably forgot to tell you but I was well aware of it" he began to explain.
The girl standing furiously in front of him was Pepper Ann Pearson, colonel-captain of the Girls Soccer Team, one of the many sports battalions that were under the command of the 4 General Captains. She was an 8th-grade student soccer player superstar transferred from Hazelnut Middle School, with a slender physic and long curly auburn hair combed in a low ponytail with a blue scrunchie. She was known for being very cynical, unpredictable and quite quirky, but was also known for being bold, daring and different, never afraid to take a stand for what she believed was right.
Some people liked to call her "Flare" due to her very fiery personality but apparently she wasn't exactly fun of the nickname.
"Well, then WHY couldn't he just give ANYONE a heads-up! Why do I have to, ONCE AGAIN, cover his butt and not only supervise the girls tryouts but also the main team's? Why-"
"Pepper Ann…I know you're upset and I get it" Maurice looked at her tiredly while scratching the back of his dreadlocks in embarrassment, "I've known Ace for a very long time and I can assure you he didn't mean it not to tell you, ok? He probably just forgot to send you a text message to inform you and I apologize on his behalf".
Pepper Ann arched a worried eyebrow at him, "usually when you apologize so solemnly, it means bad news" her assertive deduction surprised him. "You're down on two General Captains on Tryouts day" she lost her defiant stance and looked at him sympathetically.
He sighed and began to arrange the filled enrollment forms distractedly, trying not to show how much the situation actually worried him. "Chad, I mean, the Football General Captain will be back for next season. Chuck is leading the team in the meantime as per Cree-I mean- her majesty's request but since he's only a Colonel- Captain he still has to report to Ace, Cissy and me and well…Ace is indisposed and Cissy"
"Is being her usual very useful self?" she said with sarcasm.
Maurice chuckled lowly and looked up at her. His puppy eyes were a powerful thing.
"All right, all right! I get it! Don't give me that look, geez!" she waved her hands and chuckled, "I'll help ya but you owe me big time Willems! And I mean, royal level debt" she warned him and reached out to pick the papers of all the Soccer Divisions.
He beamed at her, "see I knew you were cool Pepper Ann, no wonder the swim team's lieutenant likes you so much" he casually teased upon handing the papers to her.
She blushed instantly, "he-wait, what do you mean-"
"Willems! Do you have more of those enrollment forms?"
Both Pepper Ann and Maurice turned to see the Volleyball General Captain, Cissy Roney approaching his bench. She was tall and pretty, with very light pixy cut short hair, plump red lips and the body of a supermodel. She was popular in the school for her looks and trendy fashion sense but was also known for being a bit shallow and a total airhead. Truth to be told, she was one of the 4 General Captains only because none of the other girls in the team dared to willingly take it and Cissy had been figuratively 'thrown' into the position.
Maurice lowered his eyebrows boringly at her, "what happened to the ones I just gave you?".
"I…may have spilled a bit of my nail polish on them," she said while munching her bubble gum, "I'm seriously this close to quitting the team. I can't keep getting my nails ruined every single time we have to play!" she whined and Pepper Ann rolled her eyes largely.
Maurice sighed for the 10th time that day and began to scramble among the large pile of papers on his legs. "Such a tragedy if that ever happens," he said sarcastically and the soccer lieutenant captain had to cover her mouth so Cissy wouldn't hear her chuckle.
But the tall blond girl didn't even register Maurice's joke, "well I'm very tempted these days, being a General Captain is hard and volleyball is ruining my promising modeling career!" she continued to complain while Maurice kept looking thru the many papers without really listening to her.
"Maybe I can convince this new recruit to take my position so I can leave this dreadful situation. She's not as pretty as I am but at least seems to be athletic enough to handle it". She half turned to point at the new recruit who was waiting at the benches across from them.
"Uhm I don't know, she seems a bit young to be up for the General Captain position, don't you think Maurice?" he heard Pepper Ann mention.
He raised his eyes from the papers and looked uninterestingly where both girls were currently looking at. His eyes went wide in seconds and then stoop up harshly with a loud gasp, startling both girls and letting all the papers fall to the floor.
"What the-Maurice! The papers!"
"What is wrong with you now?"
"Rachel?"
Cissy and Pepper Ann blinked confusedly at him.
"You know the new girl?"
Maurice was stunned for a second but then shook his head violently to clear off the stupor and reboot his brain. He looked then at the confused girls and quickly came up with a cover-up.
"She's Ace's neighbor. I've seen her a few times whenever I've been invited over his place-listen" he kneeled to pick up the fallen papers and clumsily gave a few to Pepper Ann and another pile to Cissy.
"We don't have any more blank enrollment forms so I'll go to the library and handle this situation personally. You two stay here and cover up for me in the meantime" he ordered, the words came out so fast that by the time they had realized what had happened, the captain was already gone.
"Wait!-Oh you owe me big time for this Maurice!" he heard Pepper Ann shout at him.
Maurice marched swiftly, every step in sync with the rhythm of his heart's beats. Rachel Mckenzie was here, the ex-Supreme Leader of KND had turned 13 last summer and was now starting her freshman year at McClintock High School, just like he did a year ago. 'Stupid Maurice! Why don't you pay more attention to your friends' birthdays?!' he mentally reprimanded himself. He had been expecting this day since his 13th birthday and yet it had completely caught him off guard.
Two girls dressed in the volleyball team's uniform froze in surprise upon seeing him approach.
"General Captain Maurice, sir!" they both exclaimed while standing up and making a military greeting.
The blond girl in front of them turned to see him and her hazelnut eyes finally met his. Maurice swallowed hard and felt his cheeks blush with nervousness as he noticed how much she had changed since the last time he last saw her. She had grown a few inches taller but was still shorter in comparison to him. Her hair seemed more golden colored, still styled in the same way he was familiar with and her skin was brighter and somehow rosier. The Supreme Leader uniform was gone and instead she now was wearing a long-sleeved orange dress with a brown leather belt, blue jeans and cowboy boots.
Honestly, she didn't look much different but somehow she made him feel different.
'Why are you nervous? Come on! Is Rachel! You've known her from Cadets-Next-Door days!' he mentally reprimanded himself.
"Hi! I'm Maurice Williems, Basketball General Captain" he sounded robotic and stiff.
He saw Rachel's eyes gleam but her expression was unreadable, "hi? Uhm I'm Rachel Mackenzie, first-year student" her small and timid respond shocked him.
That didn't sound like Rachel at all.
Oh no…
The other volleyball girls looked back and forth between the General Captain and the new girl as a minute of awkward silence took over them.
"Nice to meet you" he couldn't help himself sound disappointed. Was she pretending not to recognize him? Yes, that had to be. There was no way in the whole universe for her to not have been chosen just like him.
After all, they have fought together and were needed once again, right? That's what the Supercomputermabob had told him. This must be a façade, a stunt to deceive the other teens, he desperately hoped.
"So! You wanna join the volleyball team, right?" he suddenly yelled, startling Rachel and the other two teen girls.
'Damnit Maurice, get yourself together! You're making a fool of yourself as both a General Captain and also as an elite operative!'
"But I'm afraid we ran out of enrolling forms-"
Rachel frowned sadly, "oh no-"
"But it's fine!" he yelled again with a forced smile, "I just need to go to the library and ask Mrs. Sneed to print us more copies! Would you mind coming with me?" did that sound credibly enough? He hoped his last-minute-made-up plan didn't seem too odd, he just needed to find a place to talk to her alone before Cree or anyone else from the Teen Ninjas noticed her.
"Oh sure!" she smiled with relieve, "I thought for a second you were going to say to 'try next year' or something. Thank you!"
He smiled back at her, "no prob! Come on this way!"
They left the courtyard with everyone's astonished gaze following them behind.
/
"Here you have Maurice, hopefully these will be enough" Mrs. Carlotta Sneed smiled sweetly at the tall boy handing him more printed copies of the enrollment forms. She was the gentlest adult of the school, with a funny fondness over knitting and great mathematical skills. She used to teach home economics at Hazelnut Middle School but had been retired for a while now to have a much tranquil job as a librarian.
"Thank you Mrs. Sneed" he slightly bowed while picking the papers, "sorry for bothering you so much today".
"Oh it's always like this every beginning of a new school year honey, don't worry about it. But please tell me who is your new pretty lady friend?" she suddenly asked and both Maurice and Rachel blushed.
"I'm Rachel, I'm new in the school. Nice to meet you Mrs. Sneed" the blond girl timidly introduced herself.
"She's enrolling in the volleyball team" Maurice quickly said, sweating profusely.
"Oh well, isn't that nice? You look very athletic so hopefully you'll soon be joining cute Maurice here as another fellow General Captain, uhm?" she teased and Maurice panic as she winked at him.
"THANK YOU MRS. SNEED HAVE A NICE DAY!" he grabbed Rachel by the arm and gently began to rush them both out of the library.
Mrs. Sneed giggled and waved them goodbye with a teasing smile still on her lips, "good luck Maurice! Remember to always be a gentleman!" she shouted and other students snickered while the library's doors shut loud.
/
Maurice sighed, his cheeks still flushed with embarrassment, "so sorry about that, Mrs. Sneed is the nicest person I know but sometimes she can be too much like a 'mom'" he apologized and handed Rachel an enrollment form. They were in an empty hallway of the school, surrounded only by lockers and a very comfortable silence.
She smiled at him while shaking her head, "I'm so sorry you've to take all this trouble for a new girl like me. I mean, with you being one of the General Captains and all, I'm sure you must have much more important things to do" she took the paper and shoved her hand inside her purse looking for something to write with.
Maurice arched his eyebrows in surprise. So she already knew about the teens ranking system? That information was something not many freshmen were supposed to know on their very first day in high school.
Maybe this meant he was right and she had too skipped decommission like him!
But wait, they were alone now! Shouldn't she be more open with him and let him know she knew him? She was still acting completely unreadable and out of character.
Doesn't she know he was chosen too?
Oh…
Maybe she isn't sure he was chosen!
He mentally facepalmed. Of course she would be like this! She had been not only a KND Supreme Leader but also one of the best spies of the force! It was part of her training not to trust anything or anybody right out of the bat. Knowing her as well as he did, she probably wasn't even sure what happened in the Decommission Chamber had been 100% real.
But what if?...what if he was wrong? What if she had been indeed decommissioned and he was just running in circles hoping for nothing all this time?
Screw it! He shoved all his questions to the back of his brain and decided to go for it and figure it out once and for all.
He saw as Rachel took out a blue pen from a pencil case and used the locker next to them for support. As she began to write down all her info, Maurice quickly came up with a plan of action.
"Speaking of captain stuff, how has been your first day of school? Any bullies you would like to report to me? Dealing with them it's kinda my job, you know?" he said cockily.
The shadow of a small smirk appeared on her lips while she continued to fill the papers, "Report? Wow, the job is really that serious" she chuckled.
Maurice didn't miss the slightly offended tone of her words and his cocky smile grew, "of course it is. I mean, sure anyone can become a 'lieutenant captain' or a 'colonel captain' but not everybody can be General Captain, you get my drift?" he waved his eyebrows suggestively and deeply hated how he sounded like a total douche.
He saw her briefly look at him with a judging eyebrow raised, "well no offense but General Captain Cissy didn't seem anything special to me".
And she was right, "well Cissy is the only exception. Nobody in the volleyball team wanted the position so the team kinda sacrificed her and threw the responsibility on her?" he shrugged.
Her eyes went back to the enrollment form, "maybe I should give her a hand with that situation".
Now he was curious, "oh? Would you be interested in becoming a General Captain?".
Ah, there it was, her familiar confident bossy smirk. "I used to be good at leading large groups back in school and I'm good at volleyball. If nobody else wants the job then I have no problem on taking the 'issue' out of her hands" she casually said as she was almost done with the enrollment form.
Maurice shoved his hands in his jacket's pockets and decided to bring out the artillery. "So you think you can handle the pressure of being a General Captain?" he teased.
He noticed her burrow her frown very slightly in annoyance, "it can't be that hard".
"But it's very different from leading a bunch of little kids".
He must have strung a chord inside of her because he noticed the pressure on the pen increase and her writing was now a bit more aggressive, "teenagers were kids once, you know? Sure now we have to deal with things like popularity, dating, social protocols and what not. But deep down we're the same as we were before turning 13. I think I'm as good at leadership as I was when I was 10".
Maurice hated this, he really did, but he knew the only way to break thru her disguise was to play with her pride. "Ah see but you're wrong! You need to get better at leadership to be General Captain. Trust me, teens will eat you in a blink of an eye if you're not strong enough to resist the pressure…"
"Especially with girls" he dropped the bomb and mentally braced himself for the storm.
She stopped writing completely and fully turned towards him. In his mind he squealed when he saw her glare at him with one fist now on her hip and the other wrinkling the paper with contained anger.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" she hissed.
He carefully calculated his next move. She was now acting more like her true self so he really didn't need to push too hard to fully break her façade (plus, he knew better than to fully anger her).
"No offense but girls can be…difficult to handle. Even for an experienced leader as you say to already be and you're a girl so…". He took out his cellphone and began to type a message, pretending to act casually as if what he was saying was trivial.
"Maybe girls are just too much to handle for you!"
Oh no.
He raised his eyes from his cellphone and paled when he found her glare almost piercing through his skull, "you act like a nice guy but you're just another pretentious jerk like the rest of the boys in this school!".
She then shoved the enrollment paper on top of his phone, "you clearly don't know who am I! I'll show you how much I can kick butt as a General Captain!" she turned over her heels and began to walk away from him.
Maurice went into full panic mode. He hadn't meant to offend her like this really. "Rachel wait!" he sprinted after her.
"Just leave me alone you jerk!" she shouted without turning.
"Please wait, I'm so-"
She turned over her heels to look at him with utter fury, "Leave me alone, MO!"
He stopped with his eyes big as plates.
"wha-what did you just called me?" he stuttered.
Rachel went wide-eyed too as her anger quickly was replaced with alarm. He had heard her said it loud and clear. The nickname only his closest friends knew very well.
Rachel shook her head and frowned at him, "never mind" she seemed disappointed.
She was about to turn around again when his next words shook her entire world.
"Golden girl wait"
His words halted her march instantly. Maurice saw her standing still for a few seconds and then very slowly she began to turn around to look at him, her eyes brimming with shock as if not believing what she just heard him call her.
He smiled softly at her, his eyes glossy with so many emotions. Hesitantly he walked towards her and closed the distance between the two again, stopping just a step from her.
"Only my real friends call me Mo" he whispered to her.
Her hands went to her mouth and tears began to form in the corner of her eyes. He gave another step and grabbed by her shoulders softly, gently squeezing them in a way to reassure her everything was real.
"you didn't get-?" Maurice chocked before completing the sentence.
Shock disappeared from her face and a big smile curled on her lips, tears falling down her cheeks freely. She slightly shook her head and mutely said "no".
Maurice couldn't help as tears formed in his own eyes and began to laugh aloud.
"Oh thank Numbuh Zero!" he said and went in to fully hug her without second doubts.
"Mo!" she protested but still laughed with him, "put me down! You're going to ruin our cover!" she giggled in his arms with more tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry but I'm afraid you don't get to boss me around anymore, ex-Supreme Leader, ma'am!" he laughed heartily and bear-hugged her again, earning a loud burst of laughter from her old friend.
She returned the hug fully and Maurice blushed as he felt her melt in his chest, "Oh Mo I'm so glad! I wasn't sure at first if you were-I'm so sorry I yelled at you! I would never yell at you!" she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
This felt…different.
"I'm sorry too!" He fondly stroked the back of her head, "I know I acted like a jerk and I was fully prepared for you to kill me for it" he joked.
The bell suddenly rang loudly and both sharply became very aware that soon the hallway was not going to be empty anymore.
"Shoot! We better get out of here before Cree and her croons find about you" he took her hand and both sprinted fully towards the fire emergency stairs.
/
The wind blew softly on the roof of the school and the sky was now tinted with orange and pink hues. Classes were officially done for the day but Rachel and Maurice had remained hidden from the rest of the world. She had spent a good hour retelling him everything that had happened the last few months until her birthday.
"And everybody was crying! Poor Fanny had to be dragged out of the auditorium while I stood there with the blankest expression I could muster- IT WAS AWFUL!" she was waving her hands exasperatedly.
"I know!" Maurice chuckled, sitting Indian-style on the top of the roof's water tank. "it was really hard for me too! What code phrase did they give you?"
She crossed her arms, her cheeks turned rosy as she remembered, "Like, does anybody know where I can get a good coffee around here?" she made snob-like gestures to complete the performance.
Maurice snorted, "well yours was way better than the one I got, that's for sure".
She suddenly frowned at him, "why didn't you tell me anything when I was still Supreme Leader?" she sat down next to him looking hurt.
He avoided her eyes and looked at the space between the two, "I really wanted to…regardless of the order that forbids it and all…but I just didn't want to risk it. I was afraid if I did then you and…you guys could have been compromised and the team never fully reunited" he admitted sourly.
Rachel smiled and looked down too, "I understand…"
But then he scratched the back of his neck with embarrassment, "well Numbuh 5 kinda knows about me tho…"
"WHAT?!"
"I didn't have much of an option!" he tried to defend himself, "Abby got so sad about my decommission that she almost quit being a KND operative while fighting against Cree on the Chicken Pox Island!"
Rachel's eyes went wide with realization, "oh so YOU were actually there!"
"Yeah and ended up helping her. She promised to keep the secret"
She wondered for a second, "you know…she actually seemed a bit too 'chill' during the day of my decommission. Do you think she suspected about me also getting chosen?"
He smirked, "probably. Abby is smart, she even read thru Chad's very over the top cover-up plan" he rolled his eyes largely while remembering his very-extra best friend.
Rachel's eye went wide with a new realization, "Chad…" she looked up to the orange and purple sky with wonder.
Maurice looked up too and saw few stars beginning to appear, "we met at that party the Delightful Children did in their mansion a year ago. We crashed on each other while trying to get out of the mansion. I almost punched his teeth out for all the trouble he caused you after almost launching the Moon Base to the sun"
Rachel looked back at him with shock but then giggled, "he has a life debt with me for that stupid stunt. When is he coming back?"
Maurice frowned with uncertainty, "I'm not sure…this part of the mission is the worst because we literally can't do anything while he's up there. We are asserting some teen forces in the meantime as the Supercomputermabob suggested-"
"That's another thing that has been bothered me since my birthday" Rachel said with a serious tone, "who exactly is giving us these orders? Operation A.L.P.H.A. was canceled by the Global Command years ago, but now the Supercomputermabob decides to rebel against that order? Why now? Why are we assigned to infiltrate and assert teen forces in the meantime? Why are the Teenagers now a key element? Are there any other operatives aside from our team also doing teen undercover missions? I'm telling you, I can't shake the feeling our system got hacked and somebody has been sabotaging the Decommission protocols".
"No, I don't think that's what's going on", Maurice quickly answered her, "You weren't the first ex-KND operative I investigated to see if it got decommissioned or not. After my birthday, every time I met someone I knew back in KND I went and tried to figure out if they were undercovered operatives like us".
Rachel leaned closer to him curious, "And? Who else is with us in this?"
Maurice smiled at her, "well, besides you and Chad, there's just one more person I know of" he smirked just when the wind suddenly changed and mysteriously became much more agitated.
Rachel was shocked with the sudden change of behavior the wind but somehow Maurice didn't seem bothered by it one bit. He stood up and signaled Rachel to jump out of the water tank and they both landed expertly on the school's rooftop as the wind got louder and stronger. Rachel covered her face with one hand and began to walk back towards the border with Maurice doing the same.
"What it's this?"
"I texted him before you snapped at me in the hallway. It took him some time to come so he probably was flying somewhere far away in the globe" Maurice chuckled just when the floor of the roof rumbled under their feet as if something heavy had just landed.
The wind then stooped completely and very slowly Rachel opened her eyes and noticed with confusion the roof was still empty. However, she could hear a faint humming electrical sound coming right in front of her and quickly deduced what was going on.
"No way!" she smiled with surprise and Maurice grinned largely as a new sound was heard, very similar to the one of an airplane door being opened.
A glowing rectangle appeared out of the thin air and began to grow and shape in the form of a door. They saw a figure approach and Rachel chuckled when a familiar face stepped out of the invisible aircraft.
It was a handsome teen boy slightly taller than Maurice, wearing a brown aviator jacket, dark blue jeans, black sunglasses with his caramel hair perfectly styled in a Mohawk.
The boy adjusted his sunglasses to see better and cackled, "oh-mi-gosh! it's Golden Girl indeed!" he said and sprinted towards them.
"ACE!" Rachel opened her arms wide open and allowed herself to be engulfed in another tight bear hug, "wow you had some serious growth spurt since the last time I saw you!"
Ace gave out a loud guffaw and looked at her, "well EXCUSE ME miss 'I'm too busy being a super-awesome KND Supreme Leader, kicking butts and taking names to have time to visit my handsome neighbor'!"
"Oh mi pobre corazón!" he put a hand over his heard and melodramatically pretended to be hurt.
Rachel punched him softly on the arm, "Shut your telenovela! You didn't even send me a happy birthday message!" she scolded him.
He scratched the back of his head with embarrassment, "in my defense, I didn't know if you were going to even remember me after all!"
Maurice arched an eyebrow at him, "what are you talking about, we both knew she was going to join us! You're just trying to excuse yourself!".
"…Mo, brother, you can be a nasty backstabber some times, ya know?"
"You're never going to change, are you?" Rachel crossed her arms cheekily.
Ace smirked suavely, "why should I when you love me just as I am?" he winked at her and got himself punched in the arm once again but much harder this time.
/
[Omega Main Orbital Base - GKND Command Bridge]
Chad narrowed his eyes and instinctively balled his fists to contain his obvious disdain as Numbuh Omega approached them.
He stopped a few feet away from them with a sinister smirk plastered on his dark alien features.
"You don't know how much I have been waiting to meet you two. I've heard so much about both of you" he said with finesse.
"The honor is ours, Supreme Emperor!" Numbuh 1 suddenly said with his head bowed while kneeling.
"Oh please rise, rise. Kneeling is so old fashioned after an entire millennium" the emperor signaled with his clawed hands and Nigel and Chad did so.
Numbuh Omega then came closer to Numbuh 1 and graciously extended one of his hands for him to shake. Nigel smiled nervously and very slowly he took the alien hand and shook it in a greeting manner.
Omega smiled knowingly, "Nigel Uno, aka Numbuh 1, former leader of Sector V. Son of the legendary Numbuh 0 and 999 and… Father's nephew?" he teased darkly.
Nigel swallowed heavily, embarrassed by the last part of his profile, "ye-yeah…that does sound like me I suppose, your grace".
Numbuh Omega released his hand and tucked both of his hands behind his back in a very formal military stance. "I always wanted to meet your parents, you know?" he smiled curiously at him.
"Oh really?"
"Yes, I actually considered to invite them to join GKND back when they were still operatives but I was advised to not choose any Earth-galactic-level-operatives just yet. Humans weren't ready still to know about us apparently" he shrugged.
Nigel glanced over where Numbuh Infinity, Numbuh 74.239 and Vine were currently standing "So…that means you've been around for some time I guess".
Omega let out a horselaugh, "oh more than you probably imagine, my friend. No offense but you don't seriously think Earth's KND was founded by mere humans, do you? You probably would have been overrun by adults way earlier if it wasn't for our intervention centuries ago".
Nigel frowned worriedly as Numbuh 9L sad feline face flashed in his mind, "thank you again for choosing us to be part of such a great endeavor, Supreme Emperor" he gave the alien a proud military salute.
Omega's eyes narrowed at him with interest and smirked, "I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll be capable to do in order to help your people, Numbuh 1".
The emperor then side glanced at the oddly silent teenager next to them.
"Chad Dickson" he grinned largely and walked towards the teen with calculated steps.
Nigel relaxed his military stance and noticed the intensity with how Chad was glaring at the Galactic Supreme Leader. He remembered how he had reacted to the news of Numbuh Omega was not only real but also still around and in charge of the Galactic KND and silently hoped for his senior comrade to not say something stupid.
"Aka ex-Numbuh 274, former Supreme Leader of Earth's KND who, allegedly, orchestrated a very elaborate plan to fake a betrayal in order to infiltrate the Teen Forces and help KND behind the curtains". Omega said with his eyes still narrowed and his hands still behind his back.
Numbuh 1 saw nervously how Chad remained silent, his eyes piercing Omega's alien skull.
Then, the teenager squared his shoulders and made a slight bow with his head. "Sir," he said very lowly in that monotonous tone he always used whenever he was in front of any alien operative. He straightened himself and raised his chin to look at the Emperor straight in the eyes in a very intimidating way.
But Numbuh Omega didn't seem bothered by it, "I was especially curious about meeting you" he grinned wickedly.
Chad didn't say a word so Omega continued speaking, "the teenager rebel who also busted Numbuh Infinity's cover so easily". The Emperor glanced over his shoulder towards the squirrel alien form of Infinity who coughed and seemed uncomfortable with the obvious call-out.
"And who also so very annoyingly insisted on being proven worthy to join our forces regardless of his…condition" Chad didn't miss the subtle tone of disgust.
"You both are certainly the most interesting humans I've met since the last time I was in this galaxy" Omega smiled like a fox as his voice slightly pitched with wicked fun.
He then looked at the room's large windows towards Earth's direction.
His brow furrowed a little, the blue planet mirroring on his eyes, "it took me some time to decide to return here…definitely not an easy decision considering how things ended rather tragic last time…"
Nigel thought he saw sadness flash in the Galactic Leader's eyes.
"Infinity has told me you're familiar with me and my sister' story yet I'm afraid the version you know has been horribly altered"
"Altered?" Chad said lowly with clenched teeth.
Numbuh Omega looked at the teen with unreadable eyes. "Unfairly altered…"
Every story has two sides.
/
A.N.:
My apologies for taking so long on updating the story. Hopefully, this very long chapter compensates it.
Comments and reviews are really appreciated!