Well, here we are again. Big thanks to flirtykuki and Riobella, who have been extremely loyal. You guys are awesome. Also, thanks to omegared9(or whatever the hell is screen name is) for the great suggestions he gave me from the prequel, Revolution, and thanks to Skiiranlord, who's put this on his favorites list, apparently. Now, on to the story.
Chapter 2: "I'll Try My Best Not to Kill You"
It was the day of the meeting. Wally and the Aussies had just arrived in Sector V, much to his despair. His heart was racing. How am I going to avoid Numbuh 3 and the others? And how the hell am I going to take on Crow without anyone noticing? As he landed he made a promise to himself. He was going to do this right, or he wasn't going to do it at all.
"We've landed, Wally," announced Walker.
"All right then, I'm leaving," announced Wally.
"We'll give you an escort, boss," said Dingo.
They were headed to the staff meeting room of Gallagher Elementary. It wasn't a very big place, but it would be just enough to fit everyone. Hopefully. As Wally and his crew moved to the entrance, they were approached by two security guards, who glared at them suspiciously.
"Look punks," said the closer security guard, "this is for KND operatives only, not a bunch of greasers." He gave Numbuh 4 a gentle push. "Come on, a leather vest and no shirt?(Wally had long since abandoned his orange hoodie) You look like trash."
"Trash?" asked Numbuh 4, a mock incredulous look on his face. "Well, I never. Did you hear that, mates, he called us trash. The uttah nerve. Jackknife, would you mind...?"
"Certainly, Wally," replied Jackknife, a grin on his face. He approached the loudmouth security officer, and, smiling all the while, gave him a punch that sent him flying. Before the other security guard could respond, Silo grabbed him roughly by the shirt.
"Listen, you dipstick! We're the most decorated team in Australia, and if you think we're gonna take that crap from you, you've got anotha thing comin'!"
The security guard, who was now very close to wetting his pants, nodded. "G-g-go right ahead, sirs!"
"Now, that's more like it!" smiled Silo. "Well, see you around, boss. Call us if you need us." Numbuh 4 nodded. He walked past the double doors and into the school building, and entered the staff room. There was a large, rectangular table with one seat open. At one end of the table sat Crow, who had Cree Lincoln and Chad Dickinson on either side of him. At the other end of the table sat Numbuh 362, with Numbuh 1 and 5 sitting next to her.
"Number 4!" greeted Crow. "I was hoping you'd arrive. So good to see you again." Numbuh 4 merely glared at him, barely containing his rage. Crow could almost feel his anger. He frowned. Why was the kid so angry? Sure, he had beaten him in combat, but was he so proud that he couldn't stand being beaten?
Numbuh 4 took the empty seat. Kuki was sitting right next to him. She had an excited look on her face, and opened her mouth to speak when Numbuh 4 said, "So what's this meeting about, boss?" He refused to look at Kuki or even acknowledge she was there, and stared directly at Crow. Kuki reeled back, stunned at his behavior.
"We don't know yet. Crow wanted to wait until you had arrived. So what is this, Crow? What is it that you want from us?" asked Numbuh 362.
"It's a somewhat complicated issue, Number 362. First off, let me be open and honest by saying that I'm not here looking for us to all become bosom buddies and never fight again. I'm not going to insult your intelligence by saying I've turned pacifist." Numbuh 362 turned a little red, not enough for anyone to notice. Except for Numbuh 1. If I'm not mistaken, our leader may have just developed a crush, he thought to himself. While he was pretty sure that 362 would put the KND before her new crush, he made a note to keep an eye on her.
If he wasn't careful, 362 might lead them right into a trap.
"However, I do want a truce. A temporary alliance. Not a very long one, mind you, just until this new threat we've discovered comes to pass," finished Crow.
"And what threat would this be?" asked Numbuh 362, the red tinge from her face gone.
"A new world war, with the very likely possibility of nuclear holocaust."
"What!" shouted Numbuh 1. "You've got to be kidding me! What gives you the idea that the world is on the brink of war, much less a nuclear holocaust!"
"The world is always on the brink of war, you fool!" spat Crow. "What type of war merely depends on the resources the world has at its disposal. But to answer your question, I've received intelligence that somebody is manipulating several countries to war. Now, that could be anybody. I would immediately suggest Father, if I hadn't blown him to pieces." Wally clutched the table, barely containing his hatred. Being a leader's given me a little patience, thought Wally.
"Father had strong ties to dozens of countries, including this one," said Crow. "But as I said, it can't be him. So who else would have this kind of power?"
"His kids!" answered Numbuh 5, suddenly realizing what he was suggesting. "The Delightful Children From Down the Lane! But, how could they pull off something like this? They're just..."
"What? Kids? So are you. While you've never ushered countries to war, that's no reason to suggest that Father's offspring couldn't pull it off. Although I must admit, even I'm a little surprised. I never really thought of the Delightful Children as anything more than Father's lapdogs," laughed Crow. "But I guess they've learned something from him after all."
"But we don't even have any proof that the Delightful Children are causing this," interjected the spokesman of France. "Father can't have been the only one who had strong ties to other countries."
"But this does sound like something they would do," pointed out Numbuh 362. "I can see the Delightful Children being evil enough to start a nuclear holocaust that wipes out half the planet. I just don't understand why."
"I'm not sure of that either," said Cree. "I've looked at every possible angle to determine why. My only guess is that their doing this to get to Crow." This caused some muttering around the room.
"And how do you conclude that, sis?" asked Numbuh 5, skeptical.
"Because I'm already mobilizing to stop them, and I'll do whatever it takes. I think they expected that. So whenever they make their move, they're expecting me to be there, trying to stop them. And then they'll kill me and avenge Father's death," answered Crow. "That's why I've come here for an alliance. If we combine our forces, we should be able to stop them, and, consequentially, I stay alive."
"So you're doing this for yourself," spat Wally, the anger in his voice plain.
"I'm doing this for the good of the world. If I happen to stay alive in the process, then what's the harm in that?" he smiled. "No need to be so hostile, Wally."
Wally chose not to answer. As soon as he leaves, he thought to himself. As soon as he leaves the building and all the other KND's backs are turned, then I'll attack.
"I think it's time for a vote," announced Numbuh 362. "All sector leaders, raise your hands if you believe we should enter an alliance with Crow and the teenagers."
All but three of the sector leaders present immediately raised their hands, those three being Numbuh 4, Numbuh 1, and Numbuh 77, the representative of Denmark. After a brief moment, they too raised their hands, though Numbuh 4 did so very slowly.
"Then it's settled. We will enter a brief alliance with the teenagers, until this new threat, whoever it may be led by, is vanquished. Kids Next Door, dismissed." She rose from her chair, glanced briefly at Crow, who smiled at her, and then exited. Numbuh 1 noticed another reddish tinge in her face. One by one, the other KND left as well. Wally remained seated, staring at Crow. Kuki got up from her seat and didn't so much as glance at Wally, though she did have tears in her eyes.
"Well, I guess I'm the only person left in the room," announced Wally.
"In case you didn't notice, Crow, Cree and I are still here," glared Chad, a touch of anger in his voice.
"Yeah, but you three don't count as human beings," mocked Wally.
"Why you son of a–!"
"Calm yourself, Chad," said Crow gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. Chad jerked back, rage on his face.
"Get your hands off me!"
"Oh, not too much brotherly love going on, eh Crow?" noticed Wally.
"If I'm not mistaken, you blatantly ignored your friends' many attempts to talk to you during the entire meeting. All you did was stare at me. I'm flattered, really, but I just don't swing that way."
"That's it!" shouted Wally. "I'm going to end this right now, Crow. You and me, one on one. Whoever gets killed is the loser."
Crow chuckled. Then the smile vanished from his face. "My god, you're serious! What the hell do you want to kill me for? I could have killed you back at the Mantra, and I chose to let you live!"
"Because of you, Dizzy is dead!" roared Wally. "You killed him, you son of a bitch!"
Crow simply sat there, stunned. "Who's Dizzy?"
"The kid with the blue mohawk! The escape pod you tossed him in was faulty, and he was killed when you blew up the Mantra!"
"If you expect me to take blame for that, then forget it. I could have killed every last one of you idiots with my bare hands, and instead I did my best to save you! I'm sorry you're friend was killed, but have you ever considered that it might actually be your fault? If you had defeated me, then this would have never happened."
The color drained from Wally's face. He got to his feet, rage seeping into his voice. "I can't kill you now, not with this truce we have. But I can still beat the crap out of you!" Cree and Chad looked like they were about to interfere, but Crow rose to his feet.
"Fine," he said, sweeping his long black hair out of his eyes. "Let's take this outside, you and me, one on one. Maybe I can knock some sense into you."
Numbuh 4 gave a terse nod. Wordlessly, he stepped outside, and Crow, Chad and Cree followed him. Once they were outside, Numbuh 4 pulled off his leather vest and tossed it to the ground, entering into a battle stance. Crow nodded to Chad and Cree, and they both moved back.
"Well, Wally, I'll try my best not to kill you, but I can't make any promises," he said, pulling off his black T shirt and tossing it over his back.
Wally grimaced. "Same here."
Meanwhile, Numbers 1 and 5 were comforting 2 and 4, who were both crushed at Wally's indifference.
"I must have tried to get his attention fifty times during that meeting," sighed Hoagie. "And he completely ignored me."
Kuki was in tears again, her head buried in Abby's shoulder. Abby gave a sigh. "I guess he's left us for good."
"Nonsense, Numbuh 5!" exclaimed Nigel. "We'll get him back, we'll, we'll...say, isn't that Crow and Wally?" Nigel asked, pointing to them. "Great Scott, what the hell are they doing!"
They were putting on a hell of a fight. Wally was on the offensive, leaping and kicking and punching, and while Crow was blocking all of his attacks, he knew he was wearing him down. They were both sweating profusely, and both had determined, bitter looks on their faces.
Shit! thought Crow. He's gotten better! As if to prove his point, Wally finally landed a blow, a tremendous punch against Crow's jaw. There was a sickening crack, and Crow cried out in pain.
Yes! I've got him! thought Wally. But as he went in for the final blow, Crow grabbed his hand, crushing it in his own. He then punched Wally in the stomach with all his might.
"Urk!" cried Wally, as the wind was knocked out of him. He looked over Crow's arm, and saw that Nigel, Hoagie, Kuki, and Abby were running towards him, screaming their heads off.
"Heh heh, hi guys," he muttered, his voice weak and almost inaudible. Crow chopped him on the back of his head, and everything went black.