Operation: R.O.S.E
Disclaimer: I do not own KND nor the song, 'Who's that girl' from Hilary Duff.
There were places we would go at midnight
There were secrets that nobody else would know
There's a reason but I don't know why
I don't know why
I don't know why
I thought they all belonged to me
ALLEYWAY
Number One raced down the alleyway. They had to be SOMEWHERE. Just as he turned the corner, he heard a scream. And it sounded familiar.
Who's that girl?
Where's she from?
No she can't be the one
That you want
IN ABBY'S HOUSE
"Great. I'm in her house and I actually feel nervous." Hoagie groaned as his knees buckled. He fell to the ground.
"So this is her house… cool…"
He looked around at the simple decorations. Obviously her family liked the color blue, because everything in sight was in shades of blue, even the family dog. The small little puppy sniffed his foot. Hoagie picked it up.
"Oh… Who's the little cutie? Huh? Huh?"
The puppy looked at him with big cute eyes… then bit his finger.
"O AHHHHHHHH! YOU HORRID DOG…"
Then he realized he was not the only shouting.
"Hoagie? SOMEONE???"
"Who…"
He gulped. Who was that? Somehow the voice sounded very familiar.
"HELP!!!"
Numbah Two jumped. He had to find her. Following the sound, he walked closer and closer… and arrived before the basement door.
"Help me… PLEASE!"
He placed his hand on the doorknob.
"HURRY!"
That has stolen my world
It's not real, it's not right
It's my day, it's my night
By the way
Who's that girl living my life?
Oh no, living my life
And jerked it open.
"O my…" he gasped.
BACK IN THE ALLEYWAY
"Sheila!" Numbah One cried uncharacteristically. "Must have lost my senses… Why did I split the team? What if one of us needs back-up? Like me right now for an instance…"
In front of him were two girls. One sprawled on the floor, obviously knocked out and the other holding a knife, struggling to get up.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?"
The area was all in a mess. Red bricks fell from the walls and the bins were toppled over. She herself was in a total mess. Obviously there had been some sort of commotion here. She smiled, standing unsteadily, her eyes flashing wildly. Her lower lip quivered and a single teardrop fell from her eye. Then, she collapsed. Nigel pounced forward and softened her fall, though he didn't know why he would care for someone who would kill one of his subordinates.
Seems like everything's the same around me
When I look again and everything has changed
I'm not dreaming so I don't know why
"Numbah One!" cried a voice from behind.
Nigel turned around immediately and found Hoagie carrying a huge bundle over his shoulder. He placed the bundle on the ground and Nigel immediately recognized 'the bundle'. Hoagie breathed in heavily before saying, "Numbah One, you sure have a heavy girlfriend. I found her in Abby's basement closet."
"Lizzie?" Nigel prodded the bundle with his foot. Lizzie stirred and stared blankly at Numbah One with her big eyes. Then Numbah One jumped backwards, startled. Hoagie sighed and said, "Don't know which monster did that to her, no surprise someone would snap."
Lizzie had been horribly disfigured.
She's everywhere I wanna be
Who's that girl?
Where's she from?
No she can't be the one
That you want
IN THE PARK
Numbah Four had been fed up with searching for the snobbish Numbah Five. He had settled down with an ice cream on a bench hours ago. Wally grinned. It's good that Sheila is gone. No one can replace Abby. That girl is just too good to be true. Just to admit. He ate the last bit of his ice cream before setting off to look for the rest of the team.
"Wait, Numbah Four!" someone shouted from behind.
"Who?" He turned around and faced an Asian girl, looking very much like Numbah Three.
"Gen gno lei!" she said in obviously, another tongue.
"What are you saying?"
"O I'm sorry, I not used to English. That was Cantonese."
"Where are you from?"
"Hiung Gong… Sorry, Hong Kong."
"What? Who are you?"
"Numbah Twenty Three"
"Ah… And what do you want?"
"Where is Numbah One? KFD in huge danger, need him in China."
"CHINA?? So the whole team comes along?"
"Yes if the team wants to."
"Definitely!"
That has stolen my world
It's not real, it's not right
It's my day, it's my night
By the way
Who's that girl living my life?
IN THE ALLEYWAY
"Who did this?" Nigel swept her tears away. There were red scars across her face that scarred her image. Her predator had used a sharp knife to cut those marks on her face. Her hair had been cut off in random areas and left a few shabby patches which had no hair at all.
Lizzie pointed at the girl Nigel had caught in his arms a few moments ago. "She did."
I'm the one who made you laugh
Who made you feel
Who made you sad
"Abby? She couldn't have…"
"She said that both her and I like the same person and she knocked me out then she… NIGEL UNO DO I LOOK UGLY?"
Numbah One fell silent. Numbah Two sniggered. Lizzie slapped Nigel across the cheek then kicked Numbah Two squarely in the jaw.
"I HATE YOU!" She struggled to get up and took a few uncertain steps before crumbling to the ground.
Nigel had many things running through his mind. Abby had done all this because of him? Disfigured Lizzie, almost succeeded in killing Sheila and… attempted to kidnap him? He knocked his head against the brick wall, trying to clear his head. Had Abby lost her mind? Numbah Two grabbed hold of his shoulders and pulled him back.
"Don't do that, you'll crack your head open before you crack under stress."
"Let GO!"
I'm not sorry
For what we did
And who we were
I'm not sorry
I'm not her
"NUMBAH ONE!" Someone else cried.
"NOW WHAT?"
Numbah Four skidded across the road and landed in his face in front of Numbah One's feet… with someone standing behind him.
"This is?" Numbah One asked.
"Ai! Gno hai Hon Xiu Ping!"
"What?"
"O no… You don't know Cantonese, no?"
"No."
"Then how can you help?"
"Help what?"
"China problem with KND."
"China? Problem? Who are you?"
"Numbah Twenty Three at your service, sir!"
"I see…" Numbah One raised a brow. Hoagie sniggered.
"What do you need me and my team for?"
"My captain said to bring you to Hong Kong HQ… Nothing else. You do agree that we do not question our captains right?"
"Captains? What is…O... Yes… of course…"
"Let's go then, I've got a plane over at your headquarters."
"You mean at the tree house?"
"Yes."
"Wait, I can't go yet. One of my team members is currently not in the condition to go."
"Then leave her here."
"WHAT? Of course not, who am I to leave her with?"
Numbah Twenty Three shrugged and said, "That's your problem. I'm just here to bring you to Hong Kong. Don't put me in a difficult position."
Numbah One sighed.
Who's that girl?
Where's she from?
No she can't be the one
That you want
HALF AN HOUR LATER
"WHAT? WHY DID NO ONE TELL US HE HAD TO GO TO HONG KONG AND BRING HIS WHOLE TEAM THERE?"
"I'm sorry but I got the information from our contact and she was knocked out."
"Bring her here."
"We'll make sure she knows the consequences of letting our target escape."
"Definitely… Nobody fails us."
The Delightful Children laughed. The messenger turned and moved towards the door before stopping. He turned around and said:
"Um there is someone outside waiting to see you."
"Bring him in."
"Immediately."
"We can't let them wait can we?"
"Of course not, sister."
The messenger left.
That has stolen my world
It's not real, it's not right
It's my day, it's my night
By the way
Who's that girl living my life?
Oh no, living my life
OUTSIDE THE TREEHOUSE
"Oh… How did the KND get enough cash to stash into this…?" Numbah Four gaggled. In front of the team is a flawless shiny jet plane. The metal shone in the bright sunlight, adding to its magical appearance. Numbah Twenty Three smiled. She took out a remote control from her pocket. There were a huge number of buttons but she pressed the red one in the center. The jet plane's wings folded inwards and the nose of the plane shrunk inwards. A glass pane covered the opened top and a set of propellers.
"A helicopter? I want that real cool jet plane!"
"I don't like helicopters…" Numbah Three whined.
"Get on the helicopter, team."
The four members and Numbah Twenty Three boarded the helicopter. Twenty Three started the metal monster and slowly ascended into the air. Numbah Three giggled as the wind threw her hair around. Numbah Four still missed that jet plane.
"This is too small for five of us!" Numbah Four complained.
"O why so foolish? Get into the back… Open that door." Numbah Twenty Three pointed to a handle. Numbah One wrenched the door open and stepped into a small carpeted room. It contained a small coffee table and four chairs.
"Ok, better than nothing."
"Ok, Numbah One, we will arrive in Hong Kong in approximately eight hours."
"EIGHT HOURS?"
"O yes, eight hours."
"It's going to be one long trip…"
Numbah Twenty Three shut the door and sat down on the pilot's seat. She smirked.
"Yes… it's going to be one long trip and a one way trip…"