Author's Notes: Ah... truths are being revealed at last. It was fun making
Part 4, but I felt it was the "weakest" out of the others. Let's hope I do
better on this one, eh? By the way, who else here wants to see new K.N.D.
episodes made? What's the hold up? I sure hope there aren't any problems
behind the scenes. It's only been the first season after all and I'm pretty
sure that it has a large enough fan base to constitute some new episodes,
am I right? Just to let you know, this fic is nearing it's end. I'm trying
to keep it down to about 6 or 7 chapters. But don't worry. I have an idea
for a new fic involving the Common Cold and a genetically altered flu bug
gone horribly, horribly wrong... doesn't that sound fun? Just don't steal
my idea, or Ginsu will have to hunt you down and give you one doozy of a
papercut.
CODENAME: Kids Next Door
"OPERATION: N.I.N.J.E.R.K."
Nearly Invincible Ninja Joins Enemies Rivaling Kids
Part 5: "Ghosts of the Past"
The following afternoon at the K.N.D tree house, 1:00 pm.
"Alright everyone, listen up." Numbuh 1 spoke in a raised voice. The entire room had his attention. "We have one more hour to prepare for our mission to rescue Numbuh 3, defeat the Delightfuls and their ninja friend, and escape all in one piece. Before we head out, we MUST look over the situation once more." said Numbuh 1 as he brought up a holographic image of the Delightfuls' house in the mission briefing room. Numbuhs 4 and 5 gathered around the hologram projector while Numbuh 2 looked on from his seat near a computer station, which was in the process of performing a search. The image of the Delightfuls' house fizzled and spun in a slow circle as Numbuh 1 continued. "While we have visited the Delightfuls' home on numerous occasions, we are still not fully aware of what kinds of booby traps and other surprises they have prepared for us. The situation is made even more dangerous as the Delightfuls already know that we are coming." Numbuh 4 scratched his head. "How do you know that, 1?" "Simple. An apparently trained individual such as this Ginsu would never drop something like that business card so carelessly. We must assume that we are walking into a trap." Numbuh 1 replied matter-of-factly. "So, why we can't we just found ourselves a secret entrance, grab Numbuh 3, and get our butts outta' there?" suggested Numbuh 5. Numbuh 1 sighed depressingly. "I'm afraid we can't do that Numbuh 5. The Delightfuls' security system is just as advanced as ours, if not more so. If those Delightfuls' were to discover that we were trying to sneak Numbuh 3 out of there, they would do something dreadful to her. No... I'm afraid we just can't take that risk. We must comply with whatever they say until we can manage to get close enough to take Numbuh 3." "But what makes you so sure those Delightful brats won't destroy all of us anyway? Or make us tell them where the Kids Next Door homebase is??" Numbuh 4 snarled with his fists tightly clenched. Numbuh 1 folded his arms and gazed at the holographic house, his sunglasses hiding the frustration in his eyes. "... we cannot allow any of our operatives to be sacrificed in this manner, even if it meant revealing the location of our homebase. I won't ever allow such a thing to happen." Numbuh 2 looked down at the floor with a sad expression on his face, guilt gnawing at his heart. He almost didn't notice that the computer had finished its search and had printed a data file until the printer beeped, signifying the completion of the printed file. Taking the papers off of the printer, Numbuh 2 looked over them carefully. His eyes widened like saucers. "N-N- Numbuh 1??" he stammered as he ran over to the group leader, nearly tripping over his own feet along the way. "You'd better take a look at this Numbuh 1... you're not going to believe what I've found!" Numbuh 2 said as he handed the data files over to Numbuh 1. The British boy's eyebrows rose up from behind his sunglasses. "You know what Numbuh 2? ... I think I can believe it."
An hour later, the four Kids Next Door operatives walked through the front doors of the Delightfuls' house, which immediately slammed shut and locked once they entered. The lights dimmed to the point where the only things keeping the house from being pitch dark were electric lamps which hung from the sides of a long corridor. Everywhere else the Kids looked was blanketed in total darkness. "I think they want us to follow the lights." said Numbuh 1 in a low voice. As they traversed the long and winding hallways of the Delightfuls' house, organ music could be faintly heard in the distance. That and the old-fashioned architecture of the house created a sense of foreboding that none of the four K.N.D. members could shake. "Geez, this place is givin' me the creeps." whispered Numbuh 2. "Just try ta' ignore it, Numbuh 2. They're tryin' ta' scare you." said Numbuh 5. "Well, they sure are doing a good job." murmured Numbuh 2 under his breath. On and on the hallways went, the organ music getting louder and the lamps growing dimmer with each step. Just when the four of them thought that the house would never end, they were proven wrong when they hit a dead end... literally. Gathering themselves off of the red carpeted floor, the four children found themselves looking at a white door. "Well, I guess this is it." said Numbuh 4 as Numbuh 1 turned the knob and went through, followed by the others. What greeted them on the other side made the winding corridors seem cozy.
"Salutations, Kids Next Door. We meet again." chorused the familiar voices of the five young Delightfuls, sitting on a blue couch in the center of what looked like a laboratory of sorts. Blocky machines and giant tubes filled with colorful liquids surrounded the Delightfuls and the Kids Next Door. Aside from the man-sized tubes, everything was covered by blue hued metallic panels. Across from the seated Delightfuls was a red couch similar in design to theirs. "Please, come and sit down. The walk here must have been exhausting." they said in a strangely friendly voice. "Oh yeah? And what if we don't want to?" snapped Numbuh 4. The Delightful child wearing a red football helmet picked up a remote control from the arm of the couch next to him and pushed a blue button, which immediately shown a spotlight onto a section of a steel catwalk high up on the wall behind the Delightfuls. In the spotlight was Numbuh 3 tied to a metal pole. Ginsu, with his arms crossed, stood in front of her to the right.
"NUMBUH 3!!!" shouted a panic-stricken Numbuh 4. "Numbuh 4!! Help!! I don't like it up here!! I'm scared!!" Numbuh 3 cried as she wriggled against the thick wires holding her tightly to the pole. The Delightfuls snickered as they watched the horror in Numbuh 4's face take over. "Now now, Mr. Beatles. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your little friend, do you?" The helmet-clad Delightful then pushed a green button on his remote. Suddenly, Numbuh 3 was crying out in pain as waves of electricity passed from the wires into her body, shocking her. Numbuh 4 clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut as Numbuh 3 yelped in pain. The others stared furiously at the Delightfuls as they took pleasure in torturing their friend. Ginsu stood unmoving and indifferent. "Stop it!! Stop it, I said!! I'll... I'll.... do whatever you want! Just... don't hurt Numbuh 3!" cried Numbuh 4. After looking at one another for a moment, the Delightfuls pressed the blue button again, cutting off the flow of electricity in Numbuh 3's wires. Shivering in pain, Numbuh 3 began to cry silently to herself. "We insist that you come sit down. After all, you are our guests." the Delightfuls said with fiendish grins on their faces. Defeated, the four Kids Next Door obeyed as they sat down in the big red couch. "Wonderful. Now that we are all comfortable, how about we have a little conversation?" the Delightfuls said in their friendliest tone. Numbuh 1 raised an eyebrow. "What kind of conversation did you have in mind?" he replied. "Well... we have always been curious as to where all of you Kids Next Door meet and have all of your little missions made. There must be someplace where your 'superiors' dwell and run things." the Delightfuls spoke. "Now, just where would such a place be located? We look forward to visiting sometime." The four young secret agents looked at each other, their eyes and faces mirroring their frustration. Finally, Numbah 5 spoke up. "If ya' havta' know, the Kids Next Door homebase is-" "No!! Don't tell them anything Numbuh 5!!" shrieked Numbuh 3. The Delightfuls scowled and looked back up at the Asian girl. "Quiet, or else we'll make you regret ever opening that big mouth of yours!" they shouted as they waved the remote control. It was then that Numbuh 4 took his chance and dove for the remote.
"Got it!!" the short blonde boy cried as he gripped the remote control, which was then crushed in his fist. Enraged, the Delightfuls gave a signal to Ginsu who then folded a paper sword and held it up to Numbuh 3's chin. Numbuh 1 bounded to his feet. "WAIT!! You don't have to do this!" he shouted. Ginsu looked down at Numbuh 1 and pointed the tip of his sword in his direction. "That has already been tried. It won't work, Nigel Uno." "At least think about what you are doing!" cried Numbuh 1. "If you go through with this, then you'll be betraying kids everywhere!" "I have had a long time to think about what I'm doing. You can't possibly understand what position I am in. I have been waiting for this for a long time and I will NOT let anything stand in my way! Not you, not your friends, not even my own feelings!" Ginsu shouted as he held the paper blade back up to the whimpering Numbuh 3's chin. Numbuh 1's patience was wearing thin now. "Listen to me! No matter what the Delightful Children tell you, no matter what kind of grudge you have against Numbuh 3, hurting people like this is wrong!! Do you hear me, Numbuh 000?!"
The whole room fell silent. The Delightfuls and the other three K.N.D. operatives who were hitting and clawing at each other stopped dead in their tracks. Even the low hum of the surrounding machinery seemed to stop as Numbuh 1's words echoed throughout the laboratory. Numbuh 3's fear was replaced with confusion as she looked at Ginsu, then at Numbuh 1. "What... what did 'ya just say, Numbuh 1??" said Numbah 5 with an eyebrow raised, loosening her grip on the throat of the tall Delightful with brown hair. Just then, Numbuh 2 got up from underneath the tangled pile of kids. "Tell them, Numbuh 1." he said solemnly. Numbuh 1 nodded and glared up at Ginsu. "The young ninja you see up there is not just some goon hired by the Delightfuls to do their dirty work." said Numbuh 1. "The fellow you see up there is an operative of the Kids Next Door Japan branch, Numbuh 000!"
Ginsu looked down at the stunned group below him and dropped his sword. With a sigh, he let his arms hang loosely at his sides. Numbuh 3 stared at the ninja in total silence. "... that's Numbuh 3-0 to you." said Ginsu in a melancholy voice.
TO BE CONTINUED...
CODENAME: Kids Next Door
"OPERATION: N.I.N.J.E.R.K."
Nearly Invincible Ninja Joins Enemies Rivaling Kids
Part 5: "Ghosts of the Past"
The following afternoon at the K.N.D tree house, 1:00 pm.
"Alright everyone, listen up." Numbuh 1 spoke in a raised voice. The entire room had his attention. "We have one more hour to prepare for our mission to rescue Numbuh 3, defeat the Delightfuls and their ninja friend, and escape all in one piece. Before we head out, we MUST look over the situation once more." said Numbuh 1 as he brought up a holographic image of the Delightfuls' house in the mission briefing room. Numbuhs 4 and 5 gathered around the hologram projector while Numbuh 2 looked on from his seat near a computer station, which was in the process of performing a search. The image of the Delightfuls' house fizzled and spun in a slow circle as Numbuh 1 continued. "While we have visited the Delightfuls' home on numerous occasions, we are still not fully aware of what kinds of booby traps and other surprises they have prepared for us. The situation is made even more dangerous as the Delightfuls already know that we are coming." Numbuh 4 scratched his head. "How do you know that, 1?" "Simple. An apparently trained individual such as this Ginsu would never drop something like that business card so carelessly. We must assume that we are walking into a trap." Numbuh 1 replied matter-of-factly. "So, why we can't we just found ourselves a secret entrance, grab Numbuh 3, and get our butts outta' there?" suggested Numbuh 5. Numbuh 1 sighed depressingly. "I'm afraid we can't do that Numbuh 5. The Delightfuls' security system is just as advanced as ours, if not more so. If those Delightfuls' were to discover that we were trying to sneak Numbuh 3 out of there, they would do something dreadful to her. No... I'm afraid we just can't take that risk. We must comply with whatever they say until we can manage to get close enough to take Numbuh 3." "But what makes you so sure those Delightful brats won't destroy all of us anyway? Or make us tell them where the Kids Next Door homebase is??" Numbuh 4 snarled with his fists tightly clenched. Numbuh 1 folded his arms and gazed at the holographic house, his sunglasses hiding the frustration in his eyes. "... we cannot allow any of our operatives to be sacrificed in this manner, even if it meant revealing the location of our homebase. I won't ever allow such a thing to happen." Numbuh 2 looked down at the floor with a sad expression on his face, guilt gnawing at his heart. He almost didn't notice that the computer had finished its search and had printed a data file until the printer beeped, signifying the completion of the printed file. Taking the papers off of the printer, Numbuh 2 looked over them carefully. His eyes widened like saucers. "N-N- Numbuh 1??" he stammered as he ran over to the group leader, nearly tripping over his own feet along the way. "You'd better take a look at this Numbuh 1... you're not going to believe what I've found!" Numbuh 2 said as he handed the data files over to Numbuh 1. The British boy's eyebrows rose up from behind his sunglasses. "You know what Numbuh 2? ... I think I can believe it."
An hour later, the four Kids Next Door operatives walked through the front doors of the Delightfuls' house, which immediately slammed shut and locked once they entered. The lights dimmed to the point where the only things keeping the house from being pitch dark were electric lamps which hung from the sides of a long corridor. Everywhere else the Kids looked was blanketed in total darkness. "I think they want us to follow the lights." said Numbuh 1 in a low voice. As they traversed the long and winding hallways of the Delightfuls' house, organ music could be faintly heard in the distance. That and the old-fashioned architecture of the house created a sense of foreboding that none of the four K.N.D. members could shake. "Geez, this place is givin' me the creeps." whispered Numbuh 2. "Just try ta' ignore it, Numbuh 2. They're tryin' ta' scare you." said Numbuh 5. "Well, they sure are doing a good job." murmured Numbuh 2 under his breath. On and on the hallways went, the organ music getting louder and the lamps growing dimmer with each step. Just when the four of them thought that the house would never end, they were proven wrong when they hit a dead end... literally. Gathering themselves off of the red carpeted floor, the four children found themselves looking at a white door. "Well, I guess this is it." said Numbuh 4 as Numbuh 1 turned the knob and went through, followed by the others. What greeted them on the other side made the winding corridors seem cozy.
"Salutations, Kids Next Door. We meet again." chorused the familiar voices of the five young Delightfuls, sitting on a blue couch in the center of what looked like a laboratory of sorts. Blocky machines and giant tubes filled with colorful liquids surrounded the Delightfuls and the Kids Next Door. Aside from the man-sized tubes, everything was covered by blue hued metallic panels. Across from the seated Delightfuls was a red couch similar in design to theirs. "Please, come and sit down. The walk here must have been exhausting." they said in a strangely friendly voice. "Oh yeah? And what if we don't want to?" snapped Numbuh 4. The Delightful child wearing a red football helmet picked up a remote control from the arm of the couch next to him and pushed a blue button, which immediately shown a spotlight onto a section of a steel catwalk high up on the wall behind the Delightfuls. In the spotlight was Numbuh 3 tied to a metal pole. Ginsu, with his arms crossed, stood in front of her to the right.
"NUMBUH 3!!!" shouted a panic-stricken Numbuh 4. "Numbuh 4!! Help!! I don't like it up here!! I'm scared!!" Numbuh 3 cried as she wriggled against the thick wires holding her tightly to the pole. The Delightfuls snickered as they watched the horror in Numbuh 4's face take over. "Now now, Mr. Beatles. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your little friend, do you?" The helmet-clad Delightful then pushed a green button on his remote. Suddenly, Numbuh 3 was crying out in pain as waves of electricity passed from the wires into her body, shocking her. Numbuh 4 clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut as Numbuh 3 yelped in pain. The others stared furiously at the Delightfuls as they took pleasure in torturing their friend. Ginsu stood unmoving and indifferent. "Stop it!! Stop it, I said!! I'll... I'll.... do whatever you want! Just... don't hurt Numbuh 3!" cried Numbuh 4. After looking at one another for a moment, the Delightfuls pressed the blue button again, cutting off the flow of electricity in Numbuh 3's wires. Shivering in pain, Numbuh 3 began to cry silently to herself. "We insist that you come sit down. After all, you are our guests." the Delightfuls said with fiendish grins on their faces. Defeated, the four Kids Next Door obeyed as they sat down in the big red couch. "Wonderful. Now that we are all comfortable, how about we have a little conversation?" the Delightfuls said in their friendliest tone. Numbuh 1 raised an eyebrow. "What kind of conversation did you have in mind?" he replied. "Well... we have always been curious as to where all of you Kids Next Door meet and have all of your little missions made. There must be someplace where your 'superiors' dwell and run things." the Delightfuls spoke. "Now, just where would such a place be located? We look forward to visiting sometime." The four young secret agents looked at each other, their eyes and faces mirroring their frustration. Finally, Numbah 5 spoke up. "If ya' havta' know, the Kids Next Door homebase is-" "No!! Don't tell them anything Numbuh 5!!" shrieked Numbuh 3. The Delightfuls scowled and looked back up at the Asian girl. "Quiet, or else we'll make you regret ever opening that big mouth of yours!" they shouted as they waved the remote control. It was then that Numbuh 4 took his chance and dove for the remote.
"Got it!!" the short blonde boy cried as he gripped the remote control, which was then crushed in his fist. Enraged, the Delightfuls gave a signal to Ginsu who then folded a paper sword and held it up to Numbuh 3's chin. Numbuh 1 bounded to his feet. "WAIT!! You don't have to do this!" he shouted. Ginsu looked down at Numbuh 1 and pointed the tip of his sword in his direction. "That has already been tried. It won't work, Nigel Uno." "At least think about what you are doing!" cried Numbuh 1. "If you go through with this, then you'll be betraying kids everywhere!" "I have had a long time to think about what I'm doing. You can't possibly understand what position I am in. I have been waiting for this for a long time and I will NOT let anything stand in my way! Not you, not your friends, not even my own feelings!" Ginsu shouted as he held the paper blade back up to the whimpering Numbuh 3's chin. Numbuh 1's patience was wearing thin now. "Listen to me! No matter what the Delightful Children tell you, no matter what kind of grudge you have against Numbuh 3, hurting people like this is wrong!! Do you hear me, Numbuh 000?!"
The whole room fell silent. The Delightfuls and the other three K.N.D. operatives who were hitting and clawing at each other stopped dead in their tracks. Even the low hum of the surrounding machinery seemed to stop as Numbuh 1's words echoed throughout the laboratory. Numbuh 3's fear was replaced with confusion as she looked at Ginsu, then at Numbuh 1. "What... what did 'ya just say, Numbuh 1??" said Numbah 5 with an eyebrow raised, loosening her grip on the throat of the tall Delightful with brown hair. Just then, Numbuh 2 got up from underneath the tangled pile of kids. "Tell them, Numbuh 1." he said solemnly. Numbuh 1 nodded and glared up at Ginsu. "The young ninja you see up there is not just some goon hired by the Delightfuls to do their dirty work." said Numbuh 1. "The fellow you see up there is an operative of the Kids Next Door Japan branch, Numbuh 000!"
Ginsu looked down at the stunned group below him and dropped his sword. With a sigh, he let his arms hang loosely at his sides. Numbuh 3 stared at the ninja in total silence. "... that's Numbuh 3-0 to you." said Ginsu in a melancholy voice.
TO BE CONTINUED...
