Author's Notes: I think I need to add an addendum to my disclaimer, so let's take it from the top.
1. I don't own any characters or 2x4 technologies. Those are property of Mr. Warburton and Curious Pictures.
2. If, while reading this story (or any story) you feel embarrassed or offended, please, stop reading. There's nothing I like less than upsetting my readers. Except maybe, being accused of plagiarism.
Okay! Done with that. Once again, thanks for the reviews! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
connection re-established
Numbuh Four and Numbuh Three arrived to find the treehouse empty.
"Numbuh One? Numbuh Five?" Numbuh Three shouted, peeking into various doorways. "Numbuh Two?"
"Looks like nobody's home," Numbuh Four said to the girl as she danced from door to door.
"That's strange. Where did everybody go?"
"Relax. They'd've signaled us if there was a mission, right?"
Numbuh Three frowned. "Maybe." She looked around the room again. "Oh, I know! Maybe they went to get some more ice cream."
Numbuh Four sent her a sheepish smile. "Yeah, maybe they did."
"Wanna try out that jump pack now?" Numbuh Three grinned.
"Uh, that's okay." Numbuh Four backed away as Numbuh Three's grin had taken on a slightly evil cast. There was a ding! that sounded almost ominous.
"Numbuh Five!" Numbuh Three jumped back from the elevator as Numbuh Five stepped out.
"Goodnight, y'all." Not stopping, she headed straight for her room.
"Now, wait a—Numbuh Five!" Numbuh Four yelled after her, only to be answered by the slam of her door. "Aw, I'm gonna—cruddy dictionary!" Numbuh Four brought his fist down hard on the surface of the table on which Numbuh Three had precariously placed the dictionary. The heavy book fell to the floor, scattering its contents across the room.
"What the—" Numbuh Four knelt and grabbed one of the foil-wrapped, pebble shaped things that had fallen and rolled near his foot.
"Candy!" Numbuh Three screamed. She began gathering them. "Ooh, look, Numbuh Four. Isn't this your favorite?"
Butterscotch. Premium, ultra-smooth Sugar Dairy butterscotch. It had been crammed inside the dictionary which, Numbuh Four now realized, had been hollowed. Sugar Dairy Butterscotch. It'd been impossible to get your hands on it since Stickybeard and his cruddy band of pirates had seized control of the dairy and looted it. Numbuh Four couldn't remember the last time he'd had a piece of Sugar Dairy butterscotch. No wait. He'd been six. It was just after he'd moved from Perth. On a wide playground, full of kids, he was an island. And then, a girl came over to him. "My dad always packs too much in my lunch bag," she'd said. "You want this piece of candy?"
"So that's where she went that time," Numbuh Three said suddenly.
Numbuh Four looked at her, waited for her to continue.
With a thoughtful expression and a half-smile on her face, Numbuh Three dumped a handful of butterscotch into the shell of the dictionary. "Oh well. 'Night, Numbuh Four!" She flounced off to her room.
Numbuh Four gathered the last few pieces of candy, dropped them atop the pile and closed the book. Then, on impulse, he opened it again, grabbed one perfect piece and unwrapped it reverently. It was beautiful. It looked so creamy and good. He popped it into his mouth and suddenly felt warm and happy. A satisfied smile spread across Numbuh Four's face. Just then, Numbuh One and Numbuh Two entered the common room.
"Numbuh One, Numbuh Two! Where've you guys been?"
"Nowhere!" Numbuh Two blurted. "What's in your mouth?"
"Nothing!" Numbuh Four tried to say around the ball of butterscotch on his tongue. He swallowed it whole in one gulp and then, snapped the huge book shut and clutched it to his chest. "Yeah, I'm just gonna...get my stuff outta here and go to bed."
Numbuh One looked around and caught sight of Numbuh Four's presents, discarded and scattered around the room. "Right."
"All right then," said Numbuh Four, inching his way out of the room. "'Night."
Numbuh One and Numbuh Two exchanged a look. "Briefing room," said Numbuh One, and they headed to a room adjacent to Numbuh One's bedroom. As Numbuh Two set up the L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S., Numbuh One locked the door.
"It's too bad we couldn't get audio. It might take a while to figure this out." Numbuh Two frowned at the screen as alphanumeric symbols scrolled horizontally.
"Understood. Let me know when the results come up." Numbuh One paced around the room. Actually, he was glad to have something else to think about. Part of him was still trying to come up with the perfect thing to say to Lizzie. The thing that would make her forget that she was mad at him. The thing that would make her forgive him. But there was another part of him that forced him to consider other things. Like, why was he even trying? Like, would it really be that hard to get Lizzie on his sweet side again? Like, did he even want to? Numbuh One shunted those thoughts to the recesses of his mind for later perusal and instead, focused on Numbuh Five. She'd gone home to talk to Cree. Or had she been summoned? Or lured? Or blackmailed? A memory popped to the fore of his mind—that time the delightful children had blackmailed him into leaving the team with an embarrassing photograph. The team had really come through for him then but in the end, it was Numbuh Five's sneaky plan that got the job done. Was he going to have to return the favor now? She'd seemed angry; he could tell from what he and Numbuh Two had been able to see. She'd also seemed really, really sad. That was odd. And very unexpected.
"Uh, Numbuh One, you might want to have a look at this."
Numbuh One hadn't realized he'd stopped pacing and was staring at the door. He turned away and walked over to where Numbuh Two was printing out the results of his search.
"I did a search of the 2x4 technology database and got zip, so either it' not a weapon or it must be top-secret classified stuff."
"What about the L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S.?"
"Well..." Numbuh Two dragged the word out. "It could be one of three things." He glanced at his printout. "It could be Pre-Adolescent Destruction Sequence—"
"I think we can rule that out. Why would Cree give Numbuh Five something like that?"
"Okay, then there's Professional Adult Defense System—"
"But would that be a professional system defense system foradults or a defense system against professional adults?"
"You mean, like a means to take down the mayor? I don't think so." Numbuh Two shook his head.
"You're right, it's doubtful." Numbuh One agreed. "Again, why would Cree give either of those to Numbuh Five?" Numbuh One stroked his chin with his finger. "What's the third possibility?"
Numbuh Two looked at the printout again. He hesitated for a moment.
"Numbuh Two?"
"It's...Personal Automatic Decommissioning Suit. But she wouldn't...that's—that's like suicide! She wouldn't do that."
Numbuh One's mouth was set in a grim line. "We are not going to say anything about this. Don't tell anyone what we saw tonight."
"But Numbuh One, if Numbuh Five really—"
"I will talk to her. You're dismissed, Numbuh Two. Goodnight."
Numbuh Two looked at his leader as if he wanted to say something more but then, decided against it. He packed up the equipment, unlocked the door and left Numbuh One alone in the briefing room.
Numbuh One waited until he could no longer hear Numbuh Two's footsteps echoing off the walls of the treehouse. Then, he sat down at the table and, with his head in his hands, stared into the night.
transmission interrupted