Fun fact: Hoagie's van horn has the same sound as the car horn from Ed, Edd 'n Eddy
Transmission 4: Upside Down
Inside the TND Cleve base, Rachel has gone to her quarters and now she sits in-front of her desk, staring at a computer screen. It's Saturday and she had spent the previous night at the Moonbase along with Patton though it was only after Eliza had insisted. "Commander?" Angeline contacts her via a small pop-up on Rachel's screen.
"Yes?" Rachel replies with a slightly tired tone.
"I just wanted to tell you that the report from Friday's raid on the ice cream factory just arrived. You should take a look at it."
"Send it here, I'll read it myself." Angeline nods and then the report shows up on the screen. "Hmm…so it was another dead end…" Rachel frowns as she glances at the report.
"Pretty much. Numbuh Pi-2's teams did find traces of S.I.N. in the lower levels, but all of them led to a collapsed tunnel under the factory. The Ninjas knew we were going to attack and covered all their tracks."
"And left a skeleton crew to make it seem like it was still important. How are they getting the better of us? A year ago, they were basically done for but now, the Ninjas are almost back to their former strength…" Rachel laments as she throws her arms in the air in frustration.
"It wasn't a total waste though. Read the highlighted part."
"Hmm?...WHAT?!" Rachel jumps up as she stares at the bold text near the end of the report.
"Numbuh Pi-2 found a shipping list the Ninjas left behind."
"'Deliver the final batch to these locations for distribution…'" Rachel reads the text aloud until her she sees the final location, which is highlighted as priority. "Cleve…they're trying to bring that poison here?!" she shouts angrily as Angeline nods.
"Yeah. Numbuh Alpha authorized force recon in those locations and she wants the local Sectors to work together with the KND to find and destroy any S.I.N. they find."
"Damn those Ninjas…Why do they have to keep doing this? There's no way I'm letting a single drop of S.I.N. end up here."
"I'm with you on that. Knowing the Ninjas, they'll target Hendry Middle School and McClintock High School sooner or later. Even though we pretty much kicked them out of town."
"We'll need to get agents out there, Numbuh Psi. Inform the Point to use stricter screening measures as well."
"We already received a message from Numbuh Sigma about that. He said he would handle the Point."
"Hmph, I figured. Alright, relay the Supreme Commander's orders to the rest of our agents in this Sector. But leave McClintock Highschool to agents like me who are students there. I don't want the Ninjas to get suspicious."
"Roger Ma'am, over and out." Angeline hangs up as Rachel leans forward against her desk and glares at the report.
"Omnius…you're the one behind this, aren't you? *sigh* without Numbuh Gamma here, we're handicapped, and that alien knows it…"
…
The weekend goes by without incident as Hoagie repairs Wally's motorcycle, keeping his new friend updated constantly, though Wally finds the constant messages awkward, having never really chatted with anyone on his old flip. And Hoagie isn't the only one; Kuki has also spammed him with messages, half of which are emotes his phone can't even render.
The boy has a dream: He is sitting in a large hangar, surrounded by machines. He feels perfectly at home here, but he's not alone. Someone else is there too but he can't tell who it is. All he knows is that this person is making him feel happy.
Hoagie's phone alarm goes off as he rolls out his large bed. "OW!" he yelps and stands up, the Monday morning sun shining from behind his curtains. Scratching his back, Hoagie then takes the yellow pilot's goggles from his nightstand, puts on his clothes and goes to brush his teeth. Wandering sluggishly downstairs and still half asleep, Hoagie sits down at the table while his mother, Betty Gilligan, quickly gives him a plate with two eggs, toast, bacon and sausages.
"Eat up Hoagie, or you won't last until lunch time." she sits down next to her son and watches as he slowly begins to eat. "You stayed up late again, didn't you?"
"Huh? Oh…nah not really…" Hoagie yawns loudly.
"Yes, you were. I heard you making a racket in the garage at midnight. Sweetie, you need to keep a stable sleeping rhythm, otherwise you'll get sick."
"I'm fine mom. I finished fixing my new friend's bike already, but I had to add more heavy-duty locks to the…" His head slumps forward but his mother swiftly snaps her fingers.
"Hoagie!"
"Ah sorry…"
"Here, drink some coffee. It'll get you going."
"Oh right…" 10 minutes later, Hoagie, still yawning loudly, enters the large garage, where his van sits, surrounded by an assortment of trash and tools. As he passes by the van, he taps its hood gently. "Good morning Betsy 3." Hoagie says as hops onto the driver's seat and looks through the back window into the van's rear compartment, where Wally's fixed motorcycle sits, firmly fastened in place. "Okay, let's go find your owner." Hoagie then turns the key and the van's engine springs to life, humming gently as Hoagie taps his smartphone which opens the garage door and then, he backs out.
…
Meanwhile, at the Beetles residence, Wally is eating breakfast with his parents while his brother Joey has already left to catch the school bus. As he silently takes a sip from his coffee, Wally's parents look at each other before Sydney lowers his newspaper and gestures to Wally. "So uh…Wallabee, how are ya feeling after your first of week at your new high school?" Sydney asks cautiously as Wally puts down his cup and fidgets slightly in his seat.
"Erm…fine I guess…apart from those cruddy bullies." Wally clenches his fist as he is reminded how the football team broke his brand-new motorcycle. He had explained everything to Sydney on Friday, who had immediately tried to pay for the repairs, but Hoagie had insisted that he didn't need any money. Despite knowing his father isn't angry at him, Wally can't help but feel guilty over what happened.
"Ah, don't worry about them. Besides, you're getting it repaired for free. Be sure to thank your new friend, okay?"
"Of course, I will…" Wally mutters as he gulps down the rest of his coffee and stands up. Then, out of nowhere, Wally hears a loud, peculiar sound coming from outside, startling him and his parents.
"Crickey, what was that?!"
"I don't know but it's comin' from the front yard, dad." As father and son rush out of the front door, Wally recognizes the van sitting on their driveway. "Ho…Hoagie?"
"Sorry about that." Hoagie jumps out of the van and walks up to Wally. "I didn't know if your cell phone was on or not."
"Well, well, why don't you introduce your friend Wallabee?"
"Ehm…he's…"
"Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr. Nice to meet you, Mr. Beetles. I brought the bike, fixed and ready to go, though I got lost twice before I found this place."." Hoagie taps the side door of his van as Sydney walks over to him shakes his hand.
"Why that's just swell! I'm so glad Wally's made friends like you. Honestly, we were pretty worried he'd end up alone again. Thanks again for doing this." Sydney explains as he vigorously shakes Hoagie's hand, causing his cap to nearly fall off.
"It's the least I could do, Mr. Beetles, Wally saved my butt twice from bullies on the first day."
"What?! Wallabee, why didn't ya tell me?" Sydney looks over his shoulder towards an embarrassed Wally, while still shaking Hoagie around. "That's my boy, Wallabee! You've done your old man proud!"
"Yeah, yeah…dad, stop shaking him."
"Huh? Oh, right, right. Sorry about that, Hoagie." Sydney let's of the goggle-headed boy, who adjusts his titled cap.
"It's fine. My dad used to do that too." Hoagie replies as Sydney walks over to Wally and pats his shoulder.
"You keep up the good work, Wallabee. I've gotta hunch this year's gonna be different already."
"But dad…"
"Oh right, you better get your gear, young man, or you'll be late." Sydney then turns around and waves at Hoagie. "All Wally's friends are welcome here, so come on over anytime."
"Dad!"
"Hah, I'll keep that in mind." Hoagie replies as Sydney chuckles and back into the house, leaving the two boys alone on the yard. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go."
"Just leave the bike here…I'll go to school by myself." Wally mutters but Hoagie is having none of it.
"No can do, buddy. I came to give you a lift.
"Lift? I've got my bike."
"Dude, if you're gonna keep parking that bike on the parking lot, those punks will attack it again."
"…"
"Yeah, that wasn't the first time he's done that. Ernest likes to send freshmen and sophomores to sabotage cars and bikes of people he doesn't like. Trust me, he did that to my old bicycle too last year. That's why got this van." Hoagie grins proudly as he knocks on the van's side door. "I made some modifications so now it's unbreakable! The hood and doors have internal reinforcements, windows are reinforced glass and I've got spare tires, a tool kit and a tire jack in the back in-case they're popped. Yesterday evening I made some last-minute additions so you can store your bike in it."
Wally is so impressed by Hoagie's enthusiasm that he can't find the words to reply. "I…uh…"
"You can use my van as mini garage when we're at school. I'll give you my 3rd spare key so you can get it out if we don't leave at the same time…argh, dammit, I left it at home. Sorry, I give it to ya tomorrow, okay?"
Hoagie apologies to Wally, who still can't believe Hoagie, a total stranger who he only met a week ago was willing to go so far for someone like him. But then, he lifts his head and gives his new friend a confident nod. "Okay. I'll just get go get my stuff. Gimme one sec."
"Roger that." Hoagie salutes jokingly and climbs back onto the driver's seat as Wally runs back inside the house and then quickly returns with his backpack, helmet and jacket. As their son hops inside the blue and yellow van, Wally's parents watch on from the kitchen window.
"I'm so glad that our little Wally has made friends. He was so lonely back in Australia…"
"I know Helen, but we had no choice back then. Thinking back, moving to Australia didn't help him at all."
"Remember when he was in elementary school? He would always play with his friends in that treehouse in the suburbs."
"Oh, I remember. He used to spend weeks in that place." Sydney replies but then, he squints his eyes as he takes a closer look at Hoagie. "Hmm…that boy sounded familiar…Gilligan…Whoa! Now I get it! He's Betty's kid."
"Oh, Betty Gilligan? Your old coworker?"
"Yeah! Wally played with that boy all the time as a kid. Hah-hah, looks he's come a full circle." Sydney lets out a hearty laugh as the van drives away.
…
The girl has a dream: She is floating in what appears to be space. She is embracing someone from behind but she can't tell who it is but as they float in the weightless void, she feels warm inside and a voice in her head tells her to never let go, no matter what.
Abby wakes up hugging a pillow. She lets out a loud yawn as she sits on the side of her bed and for a moment, Abby stares blankly at the window before standing up. Then, Abby goes to the bathroom and takes a shower before slipping on her clothes and braids her long black hair. Lastly, she puts on a red cap and flips it around. As she walks down the stairs, the door opens and an African American man walks in, wearing a brown coat, underneath which is a colorful sweater and he's carrying a black briefcase with a stethoscope hanging from it. "Mornin' Daddy."
"Good mornin' Abigail. Did ya sleep well?" Abby's father, Dr. Lincoln greets his daughter as he closes the door behind him and hangs up his coat.
"Yeah. How was your shift?"
"Well, night shifts are really crazy, you know with the patients and the diagnosis and the operations and the coffee and the…" Her father's absentminded rambling makes Abby chuckle.
"I get it Daddy. You going to bed?"
"Absolutely. Well, good night."
"Sleep well Daddy." Abby's father climbs up the stairs but stops and quickly goes back down before Abby can go eat her breakfast.
"Oh yeah, before I forget: Be careful out there on the roads. I've seen an orange motorcycle speedin' past here with the screeching and the revving and the loud noises and the…"
"It's okay Daddy. I know that bike."
"Alright then. Nighty night." Abby sighs and looks around the kitchen. On the wall there are pictures and one of them, is a family photo. In it are Abby's parents, her older brother, 10-year-old Abby and finally, her older sister, 16-year-old Cree Lincoln. The sisters are sitting next to each other and have very hollow, almost forced smiles.
"Hm…did we really hate each other that much...?" Abby mutters as she begins eating breakfast. The only sound she hears is the snoring of her father in the room directly above. After finishing her food, she takes her bag and heads out to the driveway, but she steps outside, Abby feels the gentle early autumn breeze hitting her face.
"Mmm-mm, baby, Abby's gotta feelin' today's gonna be good." Abby thinks as she jumps to the driver's seat of her blue convertible, backing quickly out of the driveway and drives towards Kuki's house. As Abby approaches the Sanban residence, she sees a smiling Kuki standing on the sidewalk, who waves at her as Abby parks her car by the side of the road. Kuki then jumps in, and they drive away. "So, what's got you all cheery this early in the mornin'?"
"Abby, guess what?"
"Well, what?"
"I'm gonna get a motorcycle when I get a license next year!" Kuki shouts excitedly, startling Abby.
"Huh? A motorcycle? Girl, you said you was gonna get a convertible like this."
"I changed my mind! When Wally took me home from school last week, it was really cool!"
"Oh yeah, he did, didn't he…so, how was it? Ya didn't spill the beans about it last week so let's hear it." Abby looks at her friend slyly as Kuki starts vividly describing the experience.
"… and it was so much fun. I felt the wind and everything!" Kuki explains excitedly.
"Aw…did you hold on to him and everything?"
"He told me something about the handles, but it was my first time riding a motorcycle, so I had hold on to him."
"That's cute. You're hitting on him already. Abby's so proud of you." Abby nudges her friend, who immediately goes on the defensive as her face turns red.
"Wha…I wasn't hitting on him! I just…felt safer…"
"Heh, you ain't foolin' me. I saw him turn red on Friday when ya looked at him with those puppy-dog eyes of yours."
"Come on, it's not like that!" Kuki playfully hits her friends' right shoulder.
"Whatever you say…" Abby smiles slyly again when suddenly, a van passes by her car at high speed. "Whoa, what the heck was that?!"
"That was Hoagie's van!"
"Huh? That boy never drives over the limit. Come on, let's catch up." Abby floors the convertible and gives chase, unaware what is happening inside the van.
"SLOW DOWN!" Hoagie screams as he holds on for dear life while Wally drives the van as if he was being pursued.
"Ah, quit screaming! I'm gonna slow down once we clear that turnpike!"
"I SWEAR, IF THE POLICE PULL US OVER, I'M GONNA…OW!" Hoagie bites his tongue mid-sentence as Wally turns aggressively into a corner and then drives up the ramp that leads to the turnpike. Then, three minutes later, the van exits the turnpike and Wally slows down as promised, joining the line of cars climbing up the hill where the high school sits while a pale, motionless Hoagie leans against the window, clearly shaken by the experience. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Wally sees a teenager wearing a red bicycle helmet and a dark gray backpack cycling vigorously up the hill and Wally blows the van's peculiar horn, startling the teenager so much, he nearly falls of his bike but manages to keep his balance. But when the teenager looks out to see who did it, Wally speeds past him and doesn't make eye contact.
A few minutes later, Abby and Kuki also drive up the hill, where they see an exhausted Nigel leaning against his red bike near the bicycle racks. "Man, Abby's never gonna understand how that boy can ride a bike up this hill."
"And he never wants a ride either…"
"Nigel's stubborn as heck, that's why…hmm? Look." Abby points at the parking lot, where Hoagie's van sits near the far corner. Parking her car next to it, Abby notices a drained Hoagie sitting in the passenger's seat while Wally is standing near the hood. "Yo, what the heck is goin' on here?"
"Hmm? Uh…mornin'…" Wally says cautiously as a big smile appears on Kuki's face.
"Hi! Did Hoagie give you a ride here?!" Kuki asks while Abby takes a closer look at the zoned out Hoagie.
"By the looks of it, he got taken for a ride instead. Were ya drivin' this thing?"
"Yeah." Wally replies bluntly as Hoagie wobbles out of the van.
"I never knew she had it in her…the dealer told me she'd only go 60…how did we go 90…"
"Boy, you don't look good."
"He was screaming the whole time. We would've been late if I wasn't driving." Wally says nonchalantly and leaves the trio behind as Abby rolls her eyes.
"That guy is still trynna act cool. Come on, Kuki, let's swing by the lockers before the first period starts."
"Okidoki!" Kuki nods as a shaken Hoagie tries to keep up with the girls.
"Wait up guys…I'm coming too…"
At the main hall, Wally has gone to his locker, which still has a dent in it, courtesy of the Football Team. As he opens the metal door, he sees Nigel approaching him from the main entrance behind him. "Ah there you are. Morning."
"Mornin'…" Wally replies as Nigel opens the locker two lockers to Wally's left.
"Hoagie told me he repaired your motorcycle."
"Yeah, he did…said I could use his van to store it at school."
"Heh, that's just like him. Hoagie has modified his van so much it's almost unrecognizable. He bought it from a junk dealer a year ago you see, even though he didn't have a license yet."
"Right…"
"…I hope this doesn't feel forced for you."
"What?"
"I just want to make it clear; we didn't want to become your friend for convenience's sake. Kuki mentioned that you felt familiar to her and I kind of agree."
"Familiar? What the crud do ya mean?"
"You lived here before, right? Who's to say we didn't know each other in middle school or elementary school. I can say for a fact that I've seen your face before." Nigel says from under his black sunglasses, surprising Wally.
"Huh? I don't remember ever seeing you or those three before."
"And I don't remember seeing you either, but yet I still recognized your voice."
However, before Wally can reply, Hoagie arrives and opens his locker, which is next to Nigel's, leaving a single locker between Hoagie and Wally. "Urgh…that was…so crazy…I'm gonna need a pick me up right now." Hoagie pulls out a wrapper out of his backpack and unwraps it, revealing a chilidog inside but Nigel immediately becomes incensed by it.
"Hoagie, how many times have I told you not to eat those things here?!"
"Give me a break, I nearly threw up my breakfast on the way to school. I need this!"
"The school offers healthy food every day, yet you still have to eat that!"
"Nothing's gonna separate me from my favorite food." Hoagie replies while Nigel points at his left-hand wristwatch, of which there are three in total.
"We're going be late if you eat that now!" Wally chuckles silently as their argument seems nostalgic for some reason. Then he hears a familiar voice from the main entrance.
"Is Hoagie eating chilidogs again?" Abby and Kuki walk to the lockers with Kuki carrying a tennis racket.
"You should listen to Nigel. It's not good to eat that all the time, or you'll get fat." Kuki says as she opens the locker between Hoagie and Wally, while Abby opens the one to Wally's right.
"Fat chance…get it? FAT chance?! HAHAHAH!" Hoagie cracks up at his own joke while Nigel and Abby sigh. Kuki however finds it hilarious, but she accidentally slams her locker door fully open, hitting Wally just as he is about to put his helmet inside his locker. A loud bang is heard as the steel door slams on his face.
"OWWWW CRUD!"
"Ohmigosh I'm sorry! It was an accident! Sorrysorrysorry!" she rambles but Wally brushes it off.
"It's fine!"
"Are you sure?" Kuki leans forwards and again stares at him with her brown eyes.
"I said its fine!" Wally turns away from her and hides his reddened face inside his locker while Abby chuckles along with Hoagie, who takes another bite out his chilidog.
"You know, now that Wally's here, our lockers are right next to each other." he says with a mouth full of food.
"Yes, that is quite peculiar." Nigel puts his red bicycle helmet into his locker.
"I think it's like destiny or something."
"Nah, just a total coincidence, Kuki" Hoagie remarks as he finishes his cold chilidog.
"Yeah, but it's easy for us. We don't need to run around the school, lookin' for each other." Abby takes her books out of her locker and the four friends begin leaving while Wally stands in-front of his locker.
"Hey, you coming? We're all going to the same classroom, right?" Hoagie and the others have stopped to wait for Wally, who hesitates but then closes his locker.
"Eh, sure." He sticks his hands into his pockets and joins them as they head towards the stairs.
"Tell me again Nigel, why do you still ride a bike? You know I could give you a ride in my van?" Hoagie asks as they pass a group of teenagers wearing the hall monitor's arm band.
"Oh no, this is good exercise. I like to stay fit at all times."
"You should take some notes from his book, Hoagie. Ya could use some exercise yoself." Abby nudges Hoagie while they reach the second floor, but Hoagie is not amused.
"I'm perfectly fine with the way I look! I'm a thinker, not a jock. Besides, I get plenty of exercise when I'm working on my van. Do you have any idea how much an engine block weighs?"
"Usin' a crane doesn't count." Abby smirks, prompting Hoagie to huff.
"Shows how much you know." he lifts his nose up slightly but his annoyed expression only amuses Abby.
"Heh, sure thing, Gearhead." she says with faint smile as the five teenagers enter the biology classroom.
…
Halfway through the 3rd period, the literature class attended by Abby, Kuki and Wally is interrupted by the school's intercom. "Wallabee Beetles, please report to the principal's office." Everyone's eyes turn towards Wally who begrudgingly stands up and leaves, mumbling to himself.
"Stupid janitor, wasn't my fault the cruddy door was locked…stupid…" he slams the door shut behind.
"Man, it's only his first week and he's already goin' to the principal's office. Must be about that fight on Friday."
"Or it's about Thursday." Kuki whispers to Abby, who sits in-front of her.
"Thursday? What you talkin' about?" Abby replies but then, both girls fall silent as the teacher eyes them.
"I'll tell you some other time."
2 hours go by and lunch break standing in line with the girls, Hoagie rubs his hands together excitedly as he eyes the menu. "Man, I'm so glad I had some spare change. Otherwise, I'd have to wait until after school."
"No doubt getting' chilidogs again." Abby nudges Kuki who giggles.
"Hey…how did you know?" Hoagie smirks as he puts sausages and mashed potatoes on his plate. Kuki and Abby have also taken their lunch from the menu, and they sit down on a round table.
5 minutes later, the cafeteria door slams open and a furious Wally marches in. He orders the same sandwich as before and heads towards the table where his friends are sitting, all the while mumbling to himself. "Stupid principal…why do I hafta fix the stupid door… stupid cruddy…" he angrily sits down in the empty seat next to Hoagie.
"Looks like the principal really chewed you out." Hoagie says while stuffing his mouth.
"Argh, that old man wants me to stay after school to help the fix the stupid door! I'm the cruddy victim."
"What's this about a door?" Abby nudges Kuki who explains the events as she heard.
"Duuude! You broke a toilet door?! That's crazy." Hoagie says as Abby chuckles.
"Boy, you coulda just crawled under or climbed out."
"No way was I gonna crawl on that cruddy floor." Wally mutters as Hoagie looks at him.
"How did you break that door anyway? Those things are made of stainless steel." Hoagie asks.
"I kicked it."
"You kicked it?"
"Yeah?"
"No never mind, I don't wanna know." Hoagie replies as Wally silently chews on his subway sandwich. "Dude, you really like that sub, don't you?"
"It's the only thing I can afford. You got lucky last week when I had that 5-dollar bill."
"Oh right…now that I think about, your neighborhood looked kinda…run down, no offense."
"None taken…"
"Ooh, you live further from the suburbs right?" Kuki asks and Wally nods back.
"Yup. That's why I forced Captain Slow to let me drive."
"Captain Slow…That's a good one." Abby nearly chokes on her food while Kuki lets out hearty a laugh.
"Hey, I'm not slow, I'm just cautious. Anyway, you drove pretty well apart from the speeding. Have you driven a van before?"
"…Nah."
"Do you…have a license to drive a van or a car?"
"No…" Hoagie stares at Wally silently before he snaps.
"You don't have…a license…YOU DROVE MY VAN WITHOUT A LICENCE!"
"Stop screaming! I know how a stick-shift works at least."
"WHAT IF THE POLICE STOPPED US! MOM WOULD'VE KILLED ME!" Before he can continue ranting, Abby smacks him with her hat, bringing him back to reality.
"You're yellin's makin' Abby's head hurt!" she shouts angrily but then, Nigel and three other teenagers approach the table. With him is a blond-haired girl, a ski cap wearing, black-haired boy and a red-haired girl with freckles and a serious expression on her face. She is also wearing a dark green strapless shirt, a black top under it, an orange skirt, black socks and brown boots.
"Hi guys, mind we join you?"
"Do ya even need to ask? Siddown already." Abby replies and Nigel sits next to her while the cap wearing boy goes next to Hoagie, the blond-haired girl goes next to Nigel and the freckled girl next to Kuki.
"We just had a meeting with the vice-principal. It was about the fight on Friday." Nigel says, causing Wally to freeze up while Abby leans her elbows against the table.
"So? We gonna get punished for standin' up for him or somethin'?"
"No. I presented Hoagie's video as evidence so only the perpetrators will be suspended for two weeks."
"And Ernest gets to walk out scott free because he wasn't a part of it, right?" Hoagie asks, prompting Nigel to nod.
"He's the captain of the Football team and his step-father has given the school donations, so no, not even if he was caught red-handed…" Nigel replies while clenching his fist before turning his attention to Wally. "Oh right, I haven't introduced my fellow council members to you. This is Rachel T. McKenzie. She's the vice-president and treasurer." Nigel points at the blond girl next to him, who waves.
"Pleased to meet you."
"The boy next to Hoagie is Patton Drilovsky, head of the hall monitors."
"Howdy."
"And lastly, Francine Fullbright, our secretary."
"It's Fanny, ya dolt." the freckled girl replies bluntly. "I hate being called by my full name." she hisses at Nigel, who isn't deterred at all.
"Yes, of course…"
"Don't mind Fanny, she might look tough but she's a big softy underneath those freckles." Patton jokes, earning an angry glare from Fanny.
"Patton, don't piss her off more." Rachel eyes Patton, who shrugs while Abby nudges Rachel.
"What's up with her? She's lookin' meaner than normal."
"Some freshmen from the Football team talked trash about her this morning. She decked them in the face."
"Yikes."
"They deserved it, for calling my hair a crummy mop." Fanny says as she starts eating her lunch while Nigel changes the topic.
"*cough* Anyway, we heard the announcement. What was it about, Wally?" Nigel asks and Wally briefly explains Thursday's incident and his punishment.
"The vice-principal didn't mention anything about Thursday to us."
"Probably because she wasn't told about it. The principal likes to micromanage the school way too much." Rachel replies as Patton hits hands together.
"That's just like him. Ernest really has it out for you now."
"You said it, Patton. Let's hope this doesn't become a daily thing." Rachel nods while Abby adjust her backwards facing cap.
"Nah, it's a bit late for that. The only reason those football punks haven't shown up today because Wally's with us."
"They'll know what's comin' to them if they mess with me again. That bike was a cruddy gift." Wally mutters angrily as Hoagie is reminded what happened last Monday.
"Oh yeah, you guys weren't there when it happened, so, wanna know what he did to Ernest?" Hoagie asks excitedly.
"Sure, fire away." Nigel nods.
"Alright, it went like this:" Hoagie stands up and acts out the whole of Monday's altercation. While Abby finds it funny, it's more about Hoagie doing it so well that cracks her up.
"Man, when he gets going like that, he's actually really funny."
Once Hoagie finishes his story, the others are smiling, chuckling or laughing. "Heh, served him right." Rachel says while covering her mouth slightly.
"I wouldn't want to be in his shoes." Patton adds, but Fanny is not impressed.
"Bah, I could've done that with me eyes closed."
"Sure ya could Fanny…" Abby says silently as Wally lifts an eyebrow at Fanny.
"Ya do realize ya could've just climbed out of that stall?"
"Huh?"
"Just goes to show how stupid boys are sometimes!"
"Fanny, stop that!" Rachel tries to intervene, but Fanny's comment has incensed Wally already.
"What's yer problem?" Wally eyes her angrily but Fanny is not intimidated.
"If yer as strong ya say, let's put that to the test!" she puts her arm on the table, challenging Wally to an arm-wrestling match.
"Oh, it's on, zit face!"
"They're freckles!" As the two lock hands, Nigel tries to intervene.
"Guys!" Abby stops Nigel before he can say anything else.
"Come on Nigel, let 'em be. Ya know Fanny loves challenging guys like that."
"Yes but…"
"I know. That's just how she is. Let's go, 4th period starts in 10 minutes." Rachel gestures to Nigel and the council members leave while Abby, Hoagie and Kuki stay behind to watch Wally and Fanny arm-wrestle. Meanwhile, from a table further away, two members of the Football team glare at Hoagie.
"That's the nerd who filmed our boys…"
"We're gonna hafta show him his place now…"
…
After the last period ends, most of the student's head to their after-school clubs, Abby, Hoagie and Kuki included. While Hoagie is a member of the Science club, Kuki plays tennis. Abby meanwhile stands silently in the Karate Club's training room. She joined the club on the first day of high school and back at Hendry Middle School, she was a member of their Karate Club. When she was younger, she became interested in martial arts through her older sister Cree, who taught her everything she knew and even recommended her to the middle-school Karate Club. However, during her last year of middle school, the relationship between Abby and her big sister was shattered by an event which Abby can't recall. It all feels like a massive blur, yet she gets sad every time she thinks about it.
Abby takes a deep breath and performs a series of strikes and kicks against an imaginary enemy. In her mind, the enemy counters every move she makes, forcing her to try even harder. However, she stops at the very moment her enemy's face turns in to that of Cree. "Raargh! Why does it always have to be her!"
"Hey, Lincoln!" The Club president interrupts her routine. "Everyone else is already leaving. If you're gonna keep practicing, make sure to lock up the place when you're done.
"Haah…Okay…" Abby pants as the Club president nods and closes the large sliding doors. Abby again takes a deep breath, but her concentration is ruined. "Ah screw it, Abby's outta here." She makes her way to the showers and takes off her martial arts clothes. While showering, her thoughts wander back to her sister.
"No matter how many times I try, she still keeps showing up. And Abby can't even remember why she hates me!"
She changes back to her normal clothes, grabs her bag and locks the dojo's doors behind her. As she makes her way through the courtyard, she notices Wally wandering around. "Hey Wally, whatcha doin' out here?"
"I'm done fixing the door, but have you seen Hoagie anywhere? I need to get my bike from his van. I asked Kuki but she hasn't seen him either."
"Huh, did ya ask the science club?"
"They said he never showed."
"What?! Okay, let's go find Goggleboy right now!" Abby starts running towards main building's rear entrance, followed by Wally. They go to the lockers where Abby uses her phone's flashlight and peeks through the small slits in Hoagie's locker. "His backpack is still there. So, he's still at school."
"Kuki said she'd look around the third floor."
"Did ya ask Nigel?"
"He went home already."
"Argh, okay, you check this floor and Abby's gonna look for him outside, got it?"
"Right!"
The teenagers split up and Abby goes outside. She goes past the tennis court, the baseball stadium and arrives at the football field when suddenly, Abby hears a faint cry. "…help…"
"Huh?!"
"…anyone...help me…"
"Hoagie?! Where are ya?!" Abby looks around frantically but can't tell where the sound is coming.
"…over here…"
"Where?!"
"…hello?"
She stops to listen and then walks around the field until finally she sees an odd sight: a pair of hands and legs sticking of out of a cylindrical trash can in the eastern corner of the field. She takes a closer look at the trash, and it is indeed Hoagie stuck inside. "Hoagie?!"
"Hi Abby. How's it going?" the goggle-wearing boy replies sheepishly while giving her a thumbs up.
"What are ya doin' in a trash can?"
"Well…two guys from the football team threw me in here and took the keys to my van…"
"What?! Hold on, Abby's gonna getcha outta there." She puts the can upside down, allowing Hoagie to stand up and the she pulls while he pushes with his hands. Once he is free, Abby pulls out a handkerchief and starts to clean Hoagie's dirty face.
"Hey, you don't have to…"
"Stand still." Abby says firmly and Hoagie does as he's told.
"Man, she's WAY too close…" he thinks with a reddened face.
"You okay Hoagie?"
"Ah…yeah I'm fine…guess they overheard me during lunch."
"Those creeps are gonna pay! Nobody hurts Abby's friends and gets away with it!" Hoagie is surprised by Abby's anger but feels happy at the same time.
"I've got a hunch where they are. Follow me!" They run to the parking lot where the culprits are trying to break into Hoagie's van. "Hah, looks like my modifications worked." Hoagie smirks as Abby goes to face the bullies.
"Hey, give those keys back!"
"Heh, look, it's Lincoln." The bullies turn towards her. "So, you pulled Gilligan out of the trash. Too bad, he fit in perfectly."
"Yeah, it's his own fault for makin' fun of Ernest and filmin' us! And if you want these, you're gonna hafta beg on yer knees!"
"Oh that's it. Abby's gonna show ya what happens when you mess with MY Hoagie!" Abby shouts furiously as she cracks her knuckles.
"My WHAT?!"
Hoagie's face flares up as Abby easily beats the bullies to a pulp. After a few more well-placed kicks, they start running away, towards the bike racks. "Yeah, that's right, RUN!" she huffs and goes to Hoagie, who stares into space with a dumb grin. "Hey, quit spacin' out. Here's your keys."
"Wha…oh right." As Abby hands him the van keys, Wally and Kuki arrive.
"Hi Hoagie!" Kuki waves.
"Where the heck where you? We were lookin' everywhere."
"Some of Ernest's goons stuffed me in a trash can and took my keys."
"What?! Where are they? I'm gonna give 'em an ass kickin'!"
"Calm down sport, Abby already sent them packin'."
"Aw crud. Well, at least I get to go home now." As Wally is about the put on his jacket, Kuki walks up to him.
"Hey Wally, can I ride on your bike again?" her question reminds Wally about Thursday. While he has hidden it from the others, Kuki had squeezed him so hard it left bruises around his abdomen, and he does not want to go through that experience again.
"Wha…NO!"
"But it was so fun ."
"NO!"
"Please?"
"NO!"
"Pretty please?"
"I said NO!"
"Please, please, oh please?"
"NO!" As the two argue, Hoagie goes closer to Abby who is adjusting her hat.
"Uhm…thanks again for helping me." Hoagie scratches the back of his neck as Abby huffs.
"It's fine. That's what friends do, right?"
"Yeah…by the way, what did you mean by "My Hoagie"?" his question causes Abby to completely lose her normally cool demeanor and she begins to blush.
"Wha…I…I…Well I…You know…I…Eh…Friends! Yeah, that's what Abby meant!" she flips her cap around and hides her embarrassment under it.
"Oh…right…" Hoagie's shoulders hunch down as Abby heads towards her car.
"Let's go home Kuki!" she shouts as Kuki still tries to get Wally to give her a ride.
"Come on Wally! I promise I'll use the handles!"
"NO!"
…
"Mayday, mayday! This is Recon Team 89! We're being pursued by the Ice Cream. Ship damaged…can't…hold on…mu…longer…repeat…"
"And that was the last message we got from Recon Team 89." Herbie explains to Rachel through a video link the following evening.
"And when did you get this message?"
"2 hours ago. KND's satellite picked up their distress signal near Nova Scotia shortly after that."
"Nova Scotia? What were they doing there? I thought RT 89 was supposed to be stationed near KND Sector G in the mid-west." Rachel leans forward on her chair as Herbie adjusts his glasses.
"They were, but we spotted an unknown ship sailing along the North American east coast and RT 89 was the only one available to investigate it. Commander Numbuh Epsilon, we need you to gather a rescue team and find them. RT 89 is carrying valuable information and the fact they were attacked by Ice Cream Men is not sitting well with the TND Global Command."
"The Splinter Cell hunted most of them down within the first month after their coup…First the ice cream factory in India and now this…okay, I'll handle it."
"Their distress signal is still active, but it has stopped moving. A local TND unit has already prepared a portal for you, so you won't have to fly there."
"Roger that. Anything else?"
"I'll send a detailed report of the area to the Switchboard shortly. Get your team ready and depart ASAP. We don't know how long RT 89 will last. Numbuh Iota-3 out." Herbie hangs up as Rachel gets off her chair and marches out of her quarters.
"Numbuh Psi, are you there?" she contacts Angeline at the Switchboard, who answers immediately.
"Yes Commander, what is it?"
"We just received an order for a rescue mission. Tell Numbuh Tau-6 to gather 4 agents from the Combat Force and have them gather at the Portal Hub at once. Same goes for Numbuh Pi-2 and call Numbuh Eta-4 and Numbuh Nu-5 to the Switchboard. Global Command will send you a mission briefing."
"O…okay, roger that. Are you going as well, Commander?"
"Yes. I'm heading to the Hub right now. Numbuh Epsilon out." Rachel hangs up as she runs to the nearest elevator that takes her to the 37th floor of the base, where Science Lab is located. As she steps out, she bumps into a confused Ted, the base's Science Chief.
"Oof…ah, sorry Commander."
"No time for that, Numbuh Eta-4. Did you get Numbuh Psi's message?"
"Uh, yeah, I did."
"Good, then get going. Numbuh Psi will explain everything at the Switchboard." Rachel replies quickly and runs off while Ted takes the elevator up. Rachel then dashes through the Cleve Sector's science lab, saluting the agents stationed there and enters the Portal Hub, formerly known as the test hangar, where the TND's powerful T.S.-W.R.A.S.L.E.R. was constructed. Now, it is apart of the TND's secret transport system, utilizing portals that allow the TND to instantly move from one place to another.
"Commander!" the teenage boy working as the Hub operator salutes Rachel as she descends down the stairs.
"Numbuh Phi-90, is the portal ready?"
"I just got the coordinates from the Switchboard. It's ready when you are."
"Good." Rachel nods as she pulls back her sweater's sleeve and presses a button on her 2x4 wristwatch, activating her customized B.R.A., colored in aqua, turquoise, gray, orange and purple. It shares a similar design and the same weapons as Eliza's armor, but it has a samurai helmet, unlike the face guard Eliza had. Rachel performs a few kicks and chops to warm herself up before Charles and Kimberley arrive, along with four members of the Combat Force, all donning B.R.A.'s as well.
"Commander, we came here as fast as we could." Kimberley says she and the boys line up before Rachel.
"So what's the big emergency?" Charles asks and Rachel explains their mission to them. "Oh, a rescue job? Heck yeah, bring it on!"
"Remember, out priority is to get RT 89 out of there, that's all. So don't waste your energy and time on the Ice Cream Men."
"But weren't they all taken down by the Splinter Cell?" Kimberley asks.
"That's what Global Command thought too, but now, I'm not sure we can be certain about anything anymore. Keep your wits about you in there. Numbuh Phi-90, open the portal!"
"Yes Ma'am!" the Hub operator replies and with the push of a button, the large cannon-like device suspended from the ceiling with an hydraulic arm fires a blue beam into the arch-shaped object in the wall, creating a swirling, blue portal.
"Okay, let's move out!" Rachel shouts and enters the portal, followed by the rest of her team. On the other side, the teenagers arrive to the eastern tip of Cape Breton Island and are immediately struck by the powerful fall winds of the Atlantic.
"Yeesh, are we gonna find anyone in this storm?" Charles complains as two TND agents wearing large wind- and waterproof jackets arrive.
"Commander Numbuh Epsilon, Numbuhs Xi-13 and Theta-Phi reporting." the girl wearing the brown jacket salutes Rachel, who salutes back.
"What's the situation?"
"We were tracking the distress signal and it stopped near a bay a kilometer from here. There's a crashed S.C.A.M.P.E.R. at the shore but also multiple Ice Cream Trucks approaching from the ocean."
"Have you established contact with them?" Kimberley asks Numbuh Theta-Phi, who shakes her head.
"No. The Ice Cream Men are using a radio jammer to block all transmissions around the bay. Whatever RT 89 is carrying, they really want it."
"Then we can't waste anymore time. Numbuh Pi-2, you'll act as a liaison and hang back with Theta-Phi and Xi-13. Tau-6, you and the rest are with me."
"Roger that, Commander."
"Let's do this, I'm itching for some action." Charles slams his fist together as Xi-13 gestures to Rachel.
"Commander, the bay is surrounded by steep cliffs, so you have to be careful. The waves here are so strong they can sometimes reach the cliff face and cover the entire beach. So keep an eye out for rogue waves."
"Rogue waves? What are those?" Charles tilts his head slightly while Kimberley explains.
"They're abnormally large waves that show up from nowhere. Even if with our B.R.A., we wouldn't survive something like that."
"Exactly. Okay, let's move it. We're wasting precious time." Rachel turns on her B.R.A.'s stealth cloak and takes off towards the bay, followed by the others. Then, as they clear a pine forest, they see the U-shaped bay, lined with massive, near vertical walls.
"I see the Ice Cream Men!" one of Charles' subordinates shouts, pointing at the white Ice Cream Trucks approaching the bay. Rachel orders everyone to land near the edge and hide in the bushes.
"2…3…4, 5, 6…I'm counting 7 trucks. No doubt all of them are filled with Ice Cream Man." Kimberley reports to Rachel who quickly comes up with a battle plan.
"Numbuh Tau-6, you and Numbuhs Tau-77 and Eta-60 come with me to the beach. Numbuhs Kappa-20 and Xi-15 stay with the others and provide us with cover fire. Numbuh Pi-2, you're in charge up here, understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Kimberley replies as Rachel stands up and draws her personal weapon, the Twin Laser Lance.
"Teens Next Door, Battlestations!" Rachel sounds the battle cry and the teenagers get to work. While the others position themselves around the bay to give Rachel and Charles cover fire, she leads the rest down into the bay and they land on the short sandy beach, quickly reaching the downed S.C.A.M.P.E.R., which is half buried in the sand. "Tau-6, Eta-60, recover the crew and the ship's computer core. Tau-77, we'll stand guard."
"Roger!" Charles replies and runs over to the down ship with the blond-haired, freckled Eta-60, who notices the cracked side hatch.
"Boss, that hatch isn't buried."
"Alright, then let's pry that thing open." However, just as Charles is about to rip the hatch off, faint whistling sound is heard before something hits the beach, creating a small crater of ice nearby. "Augh, what the heck was that?!"
"Soft-serve to ground missiles incoming!" Kimberley shouts from above the cliff as multiple ice cream cone shaped missiles fly towards the bay.
"Shoot them down!" Rachel yells as she unleashes a hail of laser fire from her gauntlet's twin barreled heat laser cannons while the others follow suit. Then, the lead Ice Cream Truck accelerates and passes the bay's mouth, firing its hull-mounted freeze rays.
"Keep firing. I'm going out to say hello." an orange haired teenager wearing violet gloves and boots, a black and violet bodysuit with a large T emblazoned it and yellow framed, violet lensed glasses says to the Ice Cream Man piloting the truck and jumps out of the rear door. Rachel recognizes him instantly as he starts spinning in mid-air, turning himself into a twister.
"Teen Tornado…how is he…?" she grits her teeth and activates her lance. "Help the others, leave him to me!" she orders Tau-77 to pull back to the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. as Teen Tornado lands on the beach, his glasses being the only recognizable part of his body while spinning. Not waiting for him to make a move, Rachel fires lasers at the Teen Villain, who evades and tries to ram her, but Rachel rolls to the side as while Teen Tornado stops and smirks at Rachel.
"Hah-hah, how sweet, you came to save your buddies. Too bad because that ship and it's crew are coming with us!" Teen Tornado declares and charges at Rachel, who splits her lance into two laser swords and strikes them at the villain, who is knocked back but doesn't suffer any damage, because he is spinning so fast.
"You're not taking them! I'll make sure of that!" Rachel puts her other sword into a reverse grip and prepares to attack again as Tornado laughs and instead of attacking Rachel, he starts running circles around her.
"Let's see how you handle this! A sand twister!" Spinning ever faster, Teen Tornado creates a vortex that sucks in sand, trapping Rachel inside.
"Urgh…dammit." Though her mask protects her from the dust, Rachel can't see and the rocks picked up by the twister hit her from all sides.
Meanwhile, Charles and his teammates have managed to break inside the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and they quickly find the 5 crew members, all unconscious. "Okay, let's get'em outta here, ASAP." Charles shouts as they start moving the crew outside, but upon looking through a window, he sees not only a trapped Rachel but also four Ice Cream Trucks hovering above them. "Damn, that doesn't look good."
"What do we do Boss? We're kinda trapped in here."
"Don't worry, our backup's gonna handle 'em." Charles replies confidently.
Above the cliff, Kimberley and the remaining members of the rescue team have seen what is happening and quickly take action. "Good thing we brought these. Kappa-20, Xi-15, ready?" she says as she pulls out a handle from her utility belt and presses the handle's red button, causing a large bazooka-like weapon to deploy from it.
"Shrinkified EMP Launchers, ready!" the Middle-Eastern Numbuh Kappa-20 shouts as they point their weapons at the Trucks.
"Fire!" the trio fire their weapons at the same, blasting the trucks with Electro Magnetic Pulses that instantly shut them down, causing the trucks to fall harmlessly into the bay waters.
"Alright!"
"Hah-hah, your girlfriend really showed them!" Tau-77 shouts jokingly, causing Charles to turn slightly red under his mask.
"Gah, she's not my…whatever, let's just carry our friends out!"
Outside, Rachel is still trapped inside the sand vortex and now, the Teen Tornado starts closing the twister. "I'm gonna grind you down!"
"Urgh…*cough*…*grunt*…no…you…DON'T!" Rachel slams her palm into the ground, creating a horizontal shockwave from her gauntlet, shattering the vortex and knocking Teen Tornado off his balance.
"Gah, hey, what the…UARGH!" Before he can regain his momentum, Rachel slashes his shoulder, tearing off a piece of his suit.
"Get up, we're not done yet." Rachel says menacingly as Teen Tornado vaults backwards and starts spinning again.
"Hah, nice trick, but it's useless if ya can't hit me!" Teen Tornado begins moving erratically, trying to confuse Rachel, but she's not having it.
"You say you're the fastest teenager on Earth? I guess you haven't faced me or Numbuh Alpha yet." Rachel crouches forward slightly and then, using the same Acceleration Boots that Eliza has, instantly matches Teen Tornado's speed, much to his horror.
"What?! You can't do that!"
"Watch me!" Rachel replies and in the blink of an eye, kicks Teen Tornado at the very root of his twister form, causing him to lose control and spin right into the cliff.
"WAAAAAAHHH! URGH!" Tornado screams as he leaves a top-shaped imprint on the cliff wall upon hitting it. While he has remained on his feet, he has to lean against the wall to do so. "Damn you…TND bitch…I can't lose to you!" he declares and spins with everything he's got, cloaking himself into another sand vortex but now, he intends to simply ram Rachel with enough force to break every bone in her body. "YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"
"No, you are!" Rachel quickly puts away her swords and readies her hands as the vortex, now almost twice as high as the cliffs themselves bores down on her.
"RAAAAAHHH!"
"Eat this!" the red crystals on her gauntlets start glowing and then, Rachel blasts Teen Tornado with a fully charged, successive shockwaves, stopping the vortex. As her feet dig into the ground and alert messages fill her helmet visor's HUD, Rachel holds her ground. Then, Teen Tornado starts to weaken as the shockwaves emitted by Rachel's gauntlets start to affect his body.
"…Guh…No…I can't…this…isn't…HAPPENING!" unable to handle the shockwaves, Teen Tornado's twister shatters and he falls back first into the sand as an exhausted Rachel draws her lance in combined form and points it at her foe.
"It's over…*pant*…now you either run back to you friends or I make you."
"Ghh…heh…not…yet…" noticing Teen Tornado reaching for his belt and realizing what he's about to do, Rachel dashes forward just as the villain pulls out a black vial from his belt. However, before he drink from it, Rachel kicks his hand, knocking the vial into air and destroying it with a single laser blast. But, her kick has also injured Tornado. "AAARRRGHHH!" He screams while holding his hand in pain. "You…you broke my hand…" he glares furiously through his glasses as Rachel glares back with twice the fury.
"A broken hand is a lot better than drinking that poison. Don't you know what that does to you?!"
"It's what makes us powerful! You can't stop us from using it, never!"
"Why do you insist on fighting anymore? Father was defeated!"
"Yeah, but our cause isn't! We don't wanna live 'happily ever after' with dumb kids!"
"That's exactly why you lost last year! You can't let go of your hate!"
"Now it's a different ball game! Especially since we've got our new leaders!"
"Leaders?!" But before Rachel can question Tornado any further, her radio crackles to life.
"Commander, the jamming is gone, and we've recovered the crew and the computer core. Let's retreat."
"Wait, I…" seeing his chance now that Rachel is distracted, Teen Tornado escapes towards the remaining Ice Cream Trucks hanging outside the bay. "Gah, no!" Rachel shouts as the villain flees, his words still echoing in her head. "What did you mean by that?!" a scary thought crawls into her mind but Rachel quickly brushes it aside. "Roger. Destroy the ship, now." Rachel replies and flies out of the bay using her jetboots while Kimberley has the agents blow up the scrapped S.C.A.M.P.E.R. However, when Rachel rejoins the others and lands, her legs nearly give away.
"Woah there!" Charles manages to grab her arm before Rachel falls on her back as the exhaustion from the fight finally hits her.
"Urgh…thanks…" Rachel says as Charles let's go while Kimberley and the others join her. "Status report. How is RT 89?"
"They're still unconscious but their conditions are stable."
"You should take them to your Sector to recover. The Ice Cream Men are definitely going to come back if we hang around here for too long." Numbuh Theta-Phi tells Rachel, who nods.
"I agree…*groan*…it's…not…safe…here…urgh…" suddenly, Rachel's head starts spinning before her vision blurs and everything goes dark.
End of Transmission 4
Note: This chapter saw the debut of one-off KND villain, Teen Tornado, who originally appeared in Operation: A.W.A.R.D.S. I'd been wanting to use him in some capacity in RETRIBUTION but by then it was too late so this was a good chance to use him properly. Also, some scenes from this chapter were inspired by hendocrinogeno's KND fanart, namely the arm wrestling match between Wally and Fanny and Hoagie being stuck in a trash can.