A/N: Hello again, time for chapter 5! Got a bit of a review drought as of
the last chapter, thanks only goes out to VTbots (review when you can, I
don't mind). That kinda sucks, since I really wanted feedback for that
chapter... Well, there's always the next one- um, until the last one, that
is. I certainly hope I get some more reviews before THEN! But anyways,
here's chapter 5! Oh yeah, and to anyone who's interested, I finally
uploaded this "John Doe" fanfic I wrote a while ago. Check it out if you're
a fan, it's pretty good.
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"Numbuh 1?" the Quiet One called along the corridors of their HQ, "Nigel?" she was beginning to get frustrated, "Where you at, boss?!" It was early afternoon, and the girl hadn't seen her friend since breakfast. She had been walking back to her room after eating lunch when, upon passing the computer room, she'd spotted their new orders from IHQ. It was some mission involving a day care school, 5 couldn't quite recall the details in her concern over Numbuh 1's whereabouts.
Eventually she had scoured the whole inside of the treehouse, something she would have been proud of is she hadn't been so worried, without seeing a trace of the boy. Furrowing her brow, she finally decided the only other place he could be if he was in the vicinity at all was on one of the wings' roofs.
"Nigel Uno!" she called once she'd clambered into the sunshine on the roof. It was a nice place to sit, what with the sun and the warm roof tiles and the birds. 5 made a mental note to bring her magazines and music up some time and chill with Numbuh 3. But first she knew she had to find Numbuh 1, and with fresh resolve started scanning the area for her friend.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally spotted him, sitting on one of the roofs bent over something in his lap. She jogged over and peered curiously over his shoulder, "Wassat, boss?"
1 grunted in response, but didn't turn from the small laptop on which he was playing five games of solitaire at once, trying to beat his best score of 725 and time of 39 seconds in one go. He was beginning to think both records were flukes, but he couldn't stop playing, not when he was so close... Suddenly the screen went blank, "GAH!" he cried, "What happened to my games?!"
"Yo' battery ran out, boss," Numbuh 5 responded. She had taken a seat next to 1 to watch the tournament, but had really been watching him the whole time, and she didn't like what she saw. From that angle she could see beneath his sunglasses to reveal dark rings under bloodshot eyes sunken into a pale face. Had he been playing that stupid card game for the last three days?!
"I can see that," Numbuh 1 grumbled, whipping off his glasses to rub his tired eyes.
Numbuh 5 handed him the paper containing the new mission, "Jis' came from IHQ."
He snatched the paper from her and squinted at it for a second before tossing it weakly into the air, "More orders from IHQ," he murmured bitterly to himself as the thin sheet settled between the pair, "What's the matter THIS time? They want us to get Polly out of the well, or something?"
Numbuh 5 was taken aback at his sudden apathy, "What's da matter wid you lately?" she said none too politely, "You been actin' like you don' care 'bout nuthin', and, frankly, 's gettin' old. You used ta' be da most motivated outta all of us! Now all you do's play dat dumb game." She looked at him solemnly, "What's da matter, Nigel? You can talk ta' Numbuh 5, jis like Numbuh 5 can talk ta' you-"
"Well sometimes one doesn't FEEL like talking!" Numbuh 1 loudly interrupted. He was so tired, all he wanted to do was sleep, but 5 just kept talking and talking...
The dark girl's eyes narrowed and her whole body stiffened, "Hey, you don't talk ta' me like dat!" she shouted sharply, "So you don wanna talk, fine, you can take care uh yo' problems ALONE!" She stood up and quickly turned so Numbuh 1 wouldn't see the cavernous gash his words had carved in her heart, before striding away from him and back into the treehouse, the new mission flapping in the breeze from her clenched hand.
Numbuh 1 sat in dull shock on the roof, feeling much more alone than he'd intended to by coming up in the first place. The small laptop clattered to the warm rooftop without notice.
:::
Numbuh 5 quickly disposed of her hurt in favor of obstinate anger at Numbuh 1. How dare he? she thought, even her head sounded bitter, He's abandonin' da whole team! Does he even KNOW dat? Well, dis mission ain't gonna complete itself. She made for Numbuh 4's room with a heavy heart.
Knocking on the 4 marked door, she yelled, "Numbuh 4! Get yo' behind out here, we got orders waitin'." She waited for an answer, and upon getting none roughly threw open the door before she could tell herself to calm down.
.19 and Numbuh 4 sat on the wrestling ring that dominated the room, the teenager cradling an acoustic guitar while strumming a few chords as the small boy watched attentively. They didn't even glance up as Numbuh 5 stormed into the room.
"That's pretty much all I know," .19 was saying, "I'm sure you could figure the rest out-"
"Hey!" yelled Numbuh 5. .19 scrambled to keep the guitar, which she'd been holding out to Numbuh 4, from falling onto the hard mat.
"Yeh, Numbuh 5?" 4 said once he'd blinked some adrenaline from his brain, "What's the problem?"
So many answers to a simple question... Numbuh 5 groaned inwardly. She went for the one that would make sense to him, "New mission," she said and held up the paper, which was slightly crinkled from 5's incensed scrunching.
"Ah, man!" whined Numbuh 4, "Can't somebody else 'andle it? Ah'm busy 'ere!"
"Dis a MISSION, Numbuh 4! Ya' can't jis blow it off!" Numbuh 5 was getting madder by the second at her teammates' behavior, "Kids are in trouble, 'n you 'n Numbuh 1 don' seem ta' CARE! 'What's da problem' you ask? Numbuh 5 thinks YOU da problem!" With that she stalked from the room and promptly slammed the door of hers without another word.
She slumped against the door, suddenly very tired. She hated it when she had to yell, particularly at her own teammates. She was the Quiet One, for goodness sake! She wasn't good at yelling, it wasn't her job! She heaved a great swallow of pity for the kids they were supposed to save, since that probably wouldn't happen. Those poor kids, they were counting on the Kids Next Door to help them, save them from whatever torture they were enduring. They didn't have a prayer without the Kids Next Door, and that made Numbuh 5 hurt all the more.
"What's goin' ON here?!" she whispered with a shaky voice, "Seems like everythang's fallin' apart! What's changed?" She racked her brain for the culprit, and the answer sent ice water through her veins, "Numbuh .19..."
:::
Night fell with its purple-black blanket of dark and stars and 5 smiled as she watched the last of the sunset disappear. Now 's Numbuh 5's turn, she thought as she crept silent as a cat along the outside balconies of the treehouse. Long ago she'd memorized each and every way in and out of the headquarters, just in case, and her preparedness was coming in handy now. Within three minutes of her exit via window of her room she balanced on a branch just outside .19's simple quarters. Everything about her was silent and invisible, from her watchful eyes to her slow, even breathing. She was a professional, and she loved her job.
She didn't have to wait long. Around 11:30, the girl watched .19 crawl fully-clothed out of bed and begin rummaging through her room. Amateur, Numbuh 5 almost chuckled before sinking into the shadows as .19 climbed out of her window. With barely a glance to see if she was being followed, the teenager climbed down the tree and started walking down the sidewalk, Numbuh 5 not ten steps behind the entire time. 5 shadowed .19 along the sidewalk, then through some dark trees, into town, then out of town. The girl hoped she'd remember the way back after the trip was over.
The teenager finally stopped in a valley between two particularly highway-riddled mountains. The moon was at high noon now, and it lit the rocky area like a delicate, silver spotlight. 5 was hard-pressed to find a deep enough shadow, but eventually crouched underneath a rock over-hanging and watched .19 with keen eyes.
.19 merely stood in the valley, still and silent. Numbuh 5 quickly decided the teenager was waiting for something, or someone, but unlike back at the treehouse, this time she DID have to wait. 5, half-asleep, jerked up and hit the low rock ceiling at .19's contact's arrival.
"You always gotta make an entrance, don't you?" .19 grumbled as the gleaming hovercraft folded into itself again and again, until it was nothing but a metal cube in one of its former occupants' hands.
"Yes," came the various tones of a single reply, "Why did you call me, Danica?"
.19 couldn't help but shiver at the sound of the five different voices blending into one, not to mention the use of the singular case and her name, but this was no time to get squeamish, "I thought you deserved an explanation."
"Yes, I had a very delicate trap laid for today, why did you fail?"
.19 flinched under the five identical, accusing glares, "The plan's working too well! They're practically at each other's throats, but it's so bad they didn't even bother going on the mission!"
Numbuh 5 let her head sink onto her folded arms. Of course, .19 had been behind everything the entire time. She let her mind run over the course of events since .19's arrival. The botched mission, Numbuh 1's distraction, Numbuh 4's new obsession, all of it was .19's doing, under the direction of the Delightful Children From Down the Lane.
"You've followed my orders, Danica?" The Children didn't bother to disguise the threat behind their conjoined voices.
"Yes, yes, to the letter, I swear," .19 quickly assured them. Numbuh 5 cringed at her pathetic fear, "I think, maybe, we should-"
"I'll give the orders around here!" the Delightful Children cut her off viciously, "And I think the time for well-laid orders is over." The tallest boy suddenly whipped out a weapon of some sort and .19 ducked in horror. The boy aimed and fired, but instead of ending .19's pitiful life, it released a silver cable with a claw at the end that shot underneath the rock over-hanging and clamped around Numbuh 5's waist. With a cry the dark girl was dragged out of her hiding place as the boy pressed a button on the weapon that retracted the cable.
"Numbuh 5?" .19 said incredulously, then glanced back at the Children with mortal fear in her eyes, "I didn't know she followed me! Please believe me!"
"I believe you, Danica," the Children answered in their mingling, sticky sweet tones, "But, as I said, the time for well-laid plans is over. Drastic measures must be taken to secure our victory and destroy the Kids Next Door. You still have a part to play, however, and as such I will not destroy you."
"You a sick girl, .19!" 5 growled as she tried to pry off the metal claw, "Sellin' out ta DAT scum!"
.19 lowered her head as if she was made extremely weary by Numbuh 5's biting words, "You'll understand someday..." she whispered.
"Enough talk!" declared the Children, "The new plan goes as thus: Abigail is now bait. You, Danica, shall go to back to the Kids Next Door headquarters and tell them their teammate has been kidnapped. They will come for her, and that is when I will spring the trap and relieve myself of their insufferable meddling once and for all."
"You can't do dat!" 5 passionately protested, then changed tact, "You think da Kids Next Door'll fall for dat lame-ass plan?" she scoffed, "Please."
"Oh, they will come for you, Abigail," the Children replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "And their capture will be simple, due to Danica's efforts to weaken the team. Be assured, the Kids Next Door's days are numbered." Their laughter echoed in Numbuh 5's head as a syringe was plunged into her arm and she lost consciousness. The last thing she saw was .19's face in the moonlight, a single tear blazing a trail down one cheek.
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A/N: Shock, it's another Delightful Children screwing with the KND fic. Dun, dun, duuuun **dramatic reverb**... Welcome to cliffhanger city, my dear readers! Looks like this fic will be done earlier than I thought. Hope I see a few more reviews before it's over!
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"Numbuh 1?" the Quiet One called along the corridors of their HQ, "Nigel?" she was beginning to get frustrated, "Where you at, boss?!" It was early afternoon, and the girl hadn't seen her friend since breakfast. She had been walking back to her room after eating lunch when, upon passing the computer room, she'd spotted their new orders from IHQ. It was some mission involving a day care school, 5 couldn't quite recall the details in her concern over Numbuh 1's whereabouts.
Eventually she had scoured the whole inside of the treehouse, something she would have been proud of is she hadn't been so worried, without seeing a trace of the boy. Furrowing her brow, she finally decided the only other place he could be if he was in the vicinity at all was on one of the wings' roofs.
"Nigel Uno!" she called once she'd clambered into the sunshine on the roof. It was a nice place to sit, what with the sun and the warm roof tiles and the birds. 5 made a mental note to bring her magazines and music up some time and chill with Numbuh 3. But first she knew she had to find Numbuh 1, and with fresh resolve started scanning the area for her friend.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally spotted him, sitting on one of the roofs bent over something in his lap. She jogged over and peered curiously over his shoulder, "Wassat, boss?"
1 grunted in response, but didn't turn from the small laptop on which he was playing five games of solitaire at once, trying to beat his best score of 725 and time of 39 seconds in one go. He was beginning to think both records were flukes, but he couldn't stop playing, not when he was so close... Suddenly the screen went blank, "GAH!" he cried, "What happened to my games?!"
"Yo' battery ran out, boss," Numbuh 5 responded. She had taken a seat next to 1 to watch the tournament, but had really been watching him the whole time, and she didn't like what she saw. From that angle she could see beneath his sunglasses to reveal dark rings under bloodshot eyes sunken into a pale face. Had he been playing that stupid card game for the last three days?!
"I can see that," Numbuh 1 grumbled, whipping off his glasses to rub his tired eyes.
Numbuh 5 handed him the paper containing the new mission, "Jis' came from IHQ."
He snatched the paper from her and squinted at it for a second before tossing it weakly into the air, "More orders from IHQ," he murmured bitterly to himself as the thin sheet settled between the pair, "What's the matter THIS time? They want us to get Polly out of the well, or something?"
Numbuh 5 was taken aback at his sudden apathy, "What's da matter wid you lately?" she said none too politely, "You been actin' like you don' care 'bout nuthin', and, frankly, 's gettin' old. You used ta' be da most motivated outta all of us! Now all you do's play dat dumb game." She looked at him solemnly, "What's da matter, Nigel? You can talk ta' Numbuh 5, jis like Numbuh 5 can talk ta' you-"
"Well sometimes one doesn't FEEL like talking!" Numbuh 1 loudly interrupted. He was so tired, all he wanted to do was sleep, but 5 just kept talking and talking...
The dark girl's eyes narrowed and her whole body stiffened, "Hey, you don't talk ta' me like dat!" she shouted sharply, "So you don wanna talk, fine, you can take care uh yo' problems ALONE!" She stood up and quickly turned so Numbuh 1 wouldn't see the cavernous gash his words had carved in her heart, before striding away from him and back into the treehouse, the new mission flapping in the breeze from her clenched hand.
Numbuh 1 sat in dull shock on the roof, feeling much more alone than he'd intended to by coming up in the first place. The small laptop clattered to the warm rooftop without notice.
:::
Numbuh 5 quickly disposed of her hurt in favor of obstinate anger at Numbuh 1. How dare he? she thought, even her head sounded bitter, He's abandonin' da whole team! Does he even KNOW dat? Well, dis mission ain't gonna complete itself. She made for Numbuh 4's room with a heavy heart.
Knocking on the 4 marked door, she yelled, "Numbuh 4! Get yo' behind out here, we got orders waitin'." She waited for an answer, and upon getting none roughly threw open the door before she could tell herself to calm down.
.19 and Numbuh 4 sat on the wrestling ring that dominated the room, the teenager cradling an acoustic guitar while strumming a few chords as the small boy watched attentively. They didn't even glance up as Numbuh 5 stormed into the room.
"That's pretty much all I know," .19 was saying, "I'm sure you could figure the rest out-"
"Hey!" yelled Numbuh 5. .19 scrambled to keep the guitar, which she'd been holding out to Numbuh 4, from falling onto the hard mat.
"Yeh, Numbuh 5?" 4 said once he'd blinked some adrenaline from his brain, "What's the problem?"
So many answers to a simple question... Numbuh 5 groaned inwardly. She went for the one that would make sense to him, "New mission," she said and held up the paper, which was slightly crinkled from 5's incensed scrunching.
"Ah, man!" whined Numbuh 4, "Can't somebody else 'andle it? Ah'm busy 'ere!"
"Dis a MISSION, Numbuh 4! Ya' can't jis blow it off!" Numbuh 5 was getting madder by the second at her teammates' behavior, "Kids are in trouble, 'n you 'n Numbuh 1 don' seem ta' CARE! 'What's da problem' you ask? Numbuh 5 thinks YOU da problem!" With that she stalked from the room and promptly slammed the door of hers without another word.
She slumped against the door, suddenly very tired. She hated it when she had to yell, particularly at her own teammates. She was the Quiet One, for goodness sake! She wasn't good at yelling, it wasn't her job! She heaved a great swallow of pity for the kids they were supposed to save, since that probably wouldn't happen. Those poor kids, they were counting on the Kids Next Door to help them, save them from whatever torture they were enduring. They didn't have a prayer without the Kids Next Door, and that made Numbuh 5 hurt all the more.
"What's goin' ON here?!" she whispered with a shaky voice, "Seems like everythang's fallin' apart! What's changed?" She racked her brain for the culprit, and the answer sent ice water through her veins, "Numbuh .19..."
:::
Night fell with its purple-black blanket of dark and stars and 5 smiled as she watched the last of the sunset disappear. Now 's Numbuh 5's turn, she thought as she crept silent as a cat along the outside balconies of the treehouse. Long ago she'd memorized each and every way in and out of the headquarters, just in case, and her preparedness was coming in handy now. Within three minutes of her exit via window of her room she balanced on a branch just outside .19's simple quarters. Everything about her was silent and invisible, from her watchful eyes to her slow, even breathing. She was a professional, and she loved her job.
She didn't have to wait long. Around 11:30, the girl watched .19 crawl fully-clothed out of bed and begin rummaging through her room. Amateur, Numbuh 5 almost chuckled before sinking into the shadows as .19 climbed out of her window. With barely a glance to see if she was being followed, the teenager climbed down the tree and started walking down the sidewalk, Numbuh 5 not ten steps behind the entire time. 5 shadowed .19 along the sidewalk, then through some dark trees, into town, then out of town. The girl hoped she'd remember the way back after the trip was over.
The teenager finally stopped in a valley between two particularly highway-riddled mountains. The moon was at high noon now, and it lit the rocky area like a delicate, silver spotlight. 5 was hard-pressed to find a deep enough shadow, but eventually crouched underneath a rock over-hanging and watched .19 with keen eyes.
.19 merely stood in the valley, still and silent. Numbuh 5 quickly decided the teenager was waiting for something, or someone, but unlike back at the treehouse, this time she DID have to wait. 5, half-asleep, jerked up and hit the low rock ceiling at .19's contact's arrival.
"You always gotta make an entrance, don't you?" .19 grumbled as the gleaming hovercraft folded into itself again and again, until it was nothing but a metal cube in one of its former occupants' hands.
"Yes," came the various tones of a single reply, "Why did you call me, Danica?"
.19 couldn't help but shiver at the sound of the five different voices blending into one, not to mention the use of the singular case and her name, but this was no time to get squeamish, "I thought you deserved an explanation."
"Yes, I had a very delicate trap laid for today, why did you fail?"
.19 flinched under the five identical, accusing glares, "The plan's working too well! They're practically at each other's throats, but it's so bad they didn't even bother going on the mission!"
Numbuh 5 let her head sink onto her folded arms. Of course, .19 had been behind everything the entire time. She let her mind run over the course of events since .19's arrival. The botched mission, Numbuh 1's distraction, Numbuh 4's new obsession, all of it was .19's doing, under the direction of the Delightful Children From Down the Lane.
"You've followed my orders, Danica?" The Children didn't bother to disguise the threat behind their conjoined voices.
"Yes, yes, to the letter, I swear," .19 quickly assured them. Numbuh 5 cringed at her pathetic fear, "I think, maybe, we should-"
"I'll give the orders around here!" the Delightful Children cut her off viciously, "And I think the time for well-laid orders is over." The tallest boy suddenly whipped out a weapon of some sort and .19 ducked in horror. The boy aimed and fired, but instead of ending .19's pitiful life, it released a silver cable with a claw at the end that shot underneath the rock over-hanging and clamped around Numbuh 5's waist. With a cry the dark girl was dragged out of her hiding place as the boy pressed a button on the weapon that retracted the cable.
"Numbuh 5?" .19 said incredulously, then glanced back at the Children with mortal fear in her eyes, "I didn't know she followed me! Please believe me!"
"I believe you, Danica," the Children answered in their mingling, sticky sweet tones, "But, as I said, the time for well-laid plans is over. Drastic measures must be taken to secure our victory and destroy the Kids Next Door. You still have a part to play, however, and as such I will not destroy you."
"You a sick girl, .19!" 5 growled as she tried to pry off the metal claw, "Sellin' out ta DAT scum!"
.19 lowered her head as if she was made extremely weary by Numbuh 5's biting words, "You'll understand someday..." she whispered.
"Enough talk!" declared the Children, "The new plan goes as thus: Abigail is now bait. You, Danica, shall go to back to the Kids Next Door headquarters and tell them their teammate has been kidnapped. They will come for her, and that is when I will spring the trap and relieve myself of their insufferable meddling once and for all."
"You can't do dat!" 5 passionately protested, then changed tact, "You think da Kids Next Door'll fall for dat lame-ass plan?" she scoffed, "Please."
"Oh, they will come for you, Abigail," the Children replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "And their capture will be simple, due to Danica's efforts to weaken the team. Be assured, the Kids Next Door's days are numbered." Their laughter echoed in Numbuh 5's head as a syringe was plunged into her arm and she lost consciousness. The last thing she saw was .19's face in the moonlight, a single tear blazing a trail down one cheek.
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A/N: Shock, it's another Delightful Children screwing with the KND fic. Dun, dun, duuuun **dramatic reverb**... Welcome to cliffhanger city, my dear readers! Looks like this fic will be done earlier than I thought. Hope I see a few more reviews before it's over!
