Part 4: Like a Brother

Cree holds on to Numbuh 5, allowing her cry on her shoulder. "It's okay, Abby. I'm here."

"But I shoulda been there for you! I'm so sorry, Cree." Numbuh 5's words cause Cree to up and hug her sister tighter.

Cree speaks to Numbuh 5 in a reassuring tone. "Abby, there's nothing you could have done had you been in that room. God only knows what that monster would have done to you. And from what Chad and Tommy have told me, I imagine it would have been awful. Anything had happened to you, that's on me. You're my younger sister, I'm supposed help you and you safe."

Numbuh 1 speaks up curious about something Cree said. "Um, Cree. What exactly did Chad and Tommy tell you? And Tommy, is this Chad also from the Negaverse?"

Cree looks at Chad and Tommy before answering Numbuh 1's question "From what they told me, Eerc was basically the Antichrist." Everyone nods in agreement to that statement.

Chad finally speaks up "And to answer your other question, no. I am not from the Negaverse. I'm the real Chad Dickson, just as you're the real Nigel Uno."

Numbuh 1 believing him, still is very curious as to what he means. "Were you cloned?"

"Yes, almost a year ago." Chad seems to grimace at the thought of that. This leaves everyone with many questions. Numbuh 362 asks Chad, "Who did that to you, and why?"

Chad then develops an angry look, "Numbuhs Infinity and 74.239. Those psychopaths wanted to take everything from me, because I wouldn't join the Galactic Kids Next Door. They captured me, and hid me in their secret Mars Lab." Suddenly tears start to fill in his eyes. "I had to watch the Moonbase almost drift into the Sun and watch the Animalization Ray turn you all into animals."

Chad is trying his absolute best not to completely lose it, when Cree puts her arm around him and gives him a kiss a the cheek; this seems to allow Chad to mellow down. Cree looks into Chad's eyes and says "It's okay sweetie, none of that was your fault. We're home now."

Numbuh 5 looks at them and asks, "Is you to a couple?" Cree looks at her curiously, "Yeah, why?" Abby chuckles slightly "Hah, well in your "absence", Eerc started dating Maurice. And I think Chad's clone dated that girl Stacey. Don't be surprised if problems arise from this."

Chad gives her a look of disbelief, "Stacey? That nasty cheerleader? And did Maurice ever make to the TND?"

Numbuh 5 decides correct him and herself for that matter, "Unfortunately yes, Chad. Good luck "breaking things off" with her. And Numbuh 5 probably shouldn't answer this, but Maurice is in the TND."

Everyone looks at Numbuh 5 in shock. Numbuhs 1 and 362 look at her, immediately wanting to know how she knows that. Numbuh 362 is the first ask, "How long have you known about the TND?" Numbuh 5 does not hesitate to respond, "Since he destroyed the Teenz pox weapon."

Numbuh 1 is startled, "You told us that YOU destroyed it with timed explosives." Numbuh 5 looks on his face and sees surprise and not disappointment, "I only said that to not blow his cover, he told me about the TND in confidence, he didn't tell me who else was a part of it."

Both Numbuhs 1 and 362 give her understanding looks. Both Cree and Chad look incredibly happy, remembering the speech Maurice made about finding said weapon and destroying it. Cree then realizes the reason why Maurice would date the Nega-version of herself, "Something tells me his mission of spying on "Cree" will be over when we tell him about this."

Numbuh 362 looks at her in agreement before turning to Chad and Tommy. "Chad and Tommy, how did you find her in the Negaverse?"

Tommy brightens up, glad to rejoin the conversation, "Well with some 2x4 I made in my own quest to help kids, we found an opening to the Negaverse about five months ago."

Hoagie looks at Tommy and asks, "Why didn't you tell me you knew about the Negaverse?"

"To be honest I didn't think you'd believe me, I didn't know that you knew about the Negaverse at the time. I found out about that through Lizzie Devine. When she rants about you guys, she rants about everything."

Numbuh 1 flinches at hearing Lizzie's name brought up. Both Chad and 362 each put a hand on his shoulders. Chad says, "Tommy mentioned you two broke up. I'm sorry man." Nigel looks at him and says "Part of it was my fault though, I just wish I could have been better."

Numbuh 362 looks at Numbuh 1 with a reassuring look "Nigel, it's not entirely your fault, you gave her the Earth and the Moon, and she didn't appreciate it. You did more for her than she ever did for you. But listen, don't focus the past, focus on the now, and what you have in front of you."

Numbuh 1 looks at her almost big eyed and asks "Rachel, are you saying..." She interrupts him, "Yes, I am."

Numbuh 2 then blurts out, "So does that mean Numbuh 1 is a "little honey bun" too?" This results in Abby slapping him with her hat. "Boy, they were a tender moment, and you done messed it up!"

"It's okay Abby, not the worst joke he coulda made. Nigel? What do ya say? Would you wanna go out some time?" Numbuh 362 asks Numbuh 1.

Numbuh 1 looks at her, grateful and now realizing how she has been there for him. "I'd like that Rachel."

"Can I ask a question? What was that honey bun joke that Hoagie made?" Tommy asks curiously.

"Well, Numbuh 363 is dating Numbuh 10. He said that because he though we would laugh, or to annoy us." Numbuh 1 answers.

"Why would that annoy you?" Tommy asks.

Numbuh 362 answers that, "Because Numbuh 363 is my brother. And Numbuh 10 is Nigel's cousin. Harvey never told you that, Tommy? I thought you two were friends?"

Tommy answers, "He never told me who he was dating, nor did I ever meet Numbuh 10. We are buds though."

Chad looks at Rachel with a smile on his face, "Harvey's in the KND now? Man, I haven't seen him since he was a baby."

Numbuh 1 speaks up, "He is. In fact he left a few minutes before you all showed up. He and Sector W actually helped us get Numbuh 74.239 off the planet with a clone of me."

Chad changes moods, given that he can tell where this conversation is heading, "Might I assume that the clone has joined the Galactic Kids Next Door?"

"That's correct. The plan was to make sure that not only did we not lose one of our operatives, but that those two lunatics left the planets.", Numbuh 362 answers.

"Good Thing it worked. Now I don't have to pretend I was with Numbuh 1, when I was with some cruddy clone." Numbuh 4 snaps.

"Uh, are you okay Numbuh 4?" Chad asks.

"Oh, he's fine. He just didn't like pretending to be sad for the fake Numbuh 1." Numbuh 3 answers.

Cree looks at them the two of them, "Now you two, I don't know."

Numbuh 5 has a brief brain fart, "Aw man, Numbuh 5 forgot. Cree, this is Kuki Sanban, aka Numbuh 3. And that boy's Numbuh 4, or Wally Beetles. They didn't join til after you would have been decommissioned. They were kinda the replacements for Numbuhs 8A and 8B."

Cree salutes the two of them, "Good to meet the two of you."

"Likewise. Hopefully it won't be weird, because your Nega-version was nightmare to deal with." Numbuh 4 says.

"I assure, you'll never have to take any of that crud from me, kid."

"Sorry to interrupt the introductions, but Chad, how did you know not to join the Galactic Kids Next Door?" Nigel asks.

"Because Nigel, when I was approached. It was without much warning. I barely even knew the pair of them, and suddenly they rave to me about how adulthood is a disease and how I would have to leave everything I knew behind. So naturally, I said no."

"And how did they take to that?"

"They were disappointed. But they also looked at me as if they knew I was gonna look into their backgrounds. Which, they were right about. I was about to look into their files, when I was captured and taken to their hidden Marsbase."

Numbuh 362 looks shocked at the mention of a Marsbase, "Um, Marsbase?"

"It was the closest they could get to Earth without being noticed by Global Command, I assume. When I escaped the base. I burned it to the ground."

Numbuh 1 is shocked, "Wait, you didn't kill anyone did you?"

"No, I made sure everyone was off the base before getting out. As but as far as Numbuhs Infinity and 74.239 know, I was on the base when it burned down."

"Why make them think that?"

"Because nobody is gonna come looking for you if they think you're already dead. And I'm not gonna risk killing hundreds of kids, I'm not insane."

Numbuh 1 then chuckles, peeking Chad's curiosity. "Something funny about that, Nigel?"

"No, it's not that. It's just I can assume Tommy told you who nearly sent the Moonbase to the sun."

Chad frowns and shudders a bit, "Yes, Yes he did. And I'm disgusted."

"Well, you're clone had told me that he only did it to prevent "Cree" from doing the same thing."

"Tell me, did you believe that?"

"I don't know, because before I could ask more questions, Numbuh Infinity took him away."

"Well I can tell you this. I wouldn't have done that. There's too much risk losing you guys. That'd be like getting yourself sick so that the Common Cold won't be able to. When Numbuh 5 tipped me off to Eerc's plan, I had defense systems installed to prevent the Moonbase from leaving the moon. Clearly my clone had other plans. I could never do that to you guys, especially you Nigel, you're like a brother to me."

Nigel begins to tear up at those words when Chad pulls him in for a hug. "It's okay, let it all out."

"I... missed... you!" Nigel says through his sobbing.

"I missed you too, brother."

End of Part 4. Please read and review. I wanna know what you guys think. Where do you think I'll go from here.