Codename: Kids Next Door Operation: RETRIBUTION

by Crimson49

An alternate future, where Numbuh 1 declined to join the GKND and stayed on Earth. 3 years have passed since Sector V were blamed for the destruction of the KND C.O.D.E.M.O.D.U.L.E. The five fugitives, now notorious Teen Villains, are reunited in the Arctic Base as they wait for Decommissioning. Now, they must find out what really happened, with the Earth's future at stake.

3. Sector V, Back in Action

Transmission 3: Sector V, Back in Action

Back at the Arctic Base, Numbuh 402 runs to the main hangar, where Rachel, Fanny and their teams are waiting. "Numbuh 362!"

"What is it, soldier?"

"The submarine has dropped its ballast and slowed down. It's probably headed towards an island nearby."

"Good. Alright everyone, get in the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. and prepare for takeoff. Numbuh 501, where's Numbuh 60?"

"He went on leave after he brought two of the prisoners here, Ma'am."

Rachel lets out a sigh as Fanny becomes very angry from the news. "Argh, that stupid boy. I told him to stay with us until those traitors where decommissioned. Just shows how stupid boys can be!"

"It doesn't matter. Numbuh 402, was it? Send a request to get a S.K.Y.C.L.A.W for us. We'll need it to fish that sub out of the sea. Team 2, you're under my command now, understood?"

"YES MA'AM!"

"Good, now let's move it." The members of the Decommissioning Squad under Rachel's command board the C.O.O.L.B.U.S.'s and the hangar doors open as the three transports fly out.

…

Back in the sub, the reunited Sector V plans their next move. "Numbuh 2, how much do we have fuel left?"

"Just enough to land on that island, Numbuh 1." Hoagie says as he looks out of the periscope.

"Um, guys, there's something on the radar." Kuki points at the radar screen.

"Numbuh 5, can you recognize what they are?"

Abby looks over Kuki's shoulder and takes a look."All right lessee here, three C.O.O.L.B.U.S.'s and a S.K.Y.C.L.A.W."

"Perfect. This is going exactly as I planned."

"What kinda plan do ya have, Numbuh 1?" Wally leans against the hull of the submarine with his arms crossed.

"It's very simple really. We need an alternate form of transportation and they've just given it to us on a silver platter. All we need to do is commandeer one of those C.O.O.L.B.U.S.'s and fly away."

"But how are ya gonna do that? We're outnumbered 10 to 1."

"I'll leave that up to you Numbuhs 2 and 5. Numbuhs 3 and 4, you're with me."

"Okidoki."

"Got it."

"So how do you expect us to sneak in?"

Hoagie asks as Nigel walks towards the seat that Kuki sat in before. "There is a secondary escape hatch right behind this seat. They'll most likely drop us on to the frozen beach with our backs to the sea. While the three of us will keep the Decommissioning Squad busy, Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 5 will sneak out of the second hatch and secure the transport."

"How do you know they'll do exactly as ya say?" Abby crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow.

"Our opponents are Numbuh 362 and Numbuh 86. We've known them for a long time and this is a textbook Decommissioning Squad operation. You can tell just by looking at the formation they're flying in and the fact that they have a S.K.Y.C.L.A.W. with them. If they wanted to take us back without entering the submarine, they would've taken a more heavy-duty transport to carry it. They want to get us personally."

…

Behind them, the Decommissioning Squad transports fly in formation above the ocean as they close in on the submarine. Inside the first C.O.O.L.B.U.S. Fanny briefs her team. "Now listen up! Once they've been lifted out of the sea, the sub will be dropped on to the beach and they'll have nowhere to run, unless they want a cold swim. Just make sure you leave Matador to me. I've got unfinished business with him!"

"YES MA'AM!"

"Numbuh 86, the submarine is now within range." The co-pilot reports.

"Good, tell the S.K.Y.C.L.A.W to start fishin'!" The S.K.Y.C.L.A.W. moves above the sub and lowers its large claw. The sub shakes violently as it is lifted from the ocean.

"Oh man, why do they have to shake this thing so much!? I'm gonna be sick." Hoagie complains as he tries to keep his balance.

"Stop whining boy! Numbuh 5 didn't hear you complain when you drove this thing around like a nut."

"But I was in control!"

The submarine falls on to the beach with a powerful thud. Everyone inside are thrown upwards and fall back on to the floor as the C.O.O.L.B.U.S.S.'s land in front of the sub in a half circle while troops pour out and point all of their weapons at the main hatch. Nigel quickly regains control of the situation. "Okay team; let's put our plan into action. Numbuh 4, how many troops do they have waiting for us?"

Wally scans the submarine exterior and moves in front of the main hatch. "32. 30 troops and Numbuhs 86 and 362. Damn, they've got us surrounded."

"Just as I thought. All right, you all know what to do. Numbuhs 3 and 4, follow me. Make sure you have your communicators on."

"Leave Numbuh 86 to me."

"Are you gonna be okay, Wally?"

"I'll be fine, not my first time fighting Fannypants."

"Ok Numbuh 2, let's get this show on the road!" Abby shouts as they huddle in front of the escape hatch. "Now listen up. Don't open this till Numbuh 1 and the others are outside, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." Hoagie jokingly salutes, receiving a firm smack on the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Bad time for jokes Mr. Comedian."

Outside, Rachel jumps out of the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. as Fanny starts shouting. "IF YOU'RE SMART, YOU'LL SURRENDER RIGHT NOW! WE'VE GOT YE SURROUNDED SO THERE'S NO WAY TO ESCAPE! BUT I PERSONALLY DON'T MIND IF YOU TRY TO RESIST! I ENJOY PUNISHING TRAITORS LIKE YOU! COME OUT HERE NOW!"

Like on cue, the airlock hatch slowly opens up as Nigel, Kuki and Wally walk out of the submarine. Inside it, Hoagie starts to slowly open the second hatch. As they step outside, Kuki immediately starts to shiver and shake because of the cold. "Brrrr, it's cold out here!"

"Then maybe you should've taken different clothes."

"Shut up Wally! They didn't give me a chance to change my clothes!"

Nigel stops their argument with a glance and halts a few meters in front of Rachel. He can sense only animosity coming from her brown eyes. "I didn't know you'd be this desperate Nephew. Turning on your own allies, just so you could get a few miles away from the prison."

"Allies? There's no way I would betray my team. So please enlighten me."

"I'm talking about the Ninjas!"

"Well for your information, they weren't my allies in the first place, Rachel."

Rachel's expression immediately turns to pure anger as she activates her turquoise Battle-Ready Armor. "You have no right to call me by that name. You lost the right to use it years ago!"

"Very well, I guess the negotiations are over already. I really didn't want to resort to using this." He pulls out the Stupefier that he took before he left the submarine and points at an operative on his right. "I think I'll start with you." He fires at the operative and stupefies him. while Kuki pulls two Stupefiers from her top pockets and shoots at the operatives on her left. Wally does the same with his shoulder-mounted Stupefier-cannon. The operatives are thrown in chaos as Rachel pulls out her signature weapon, The Yield Staff: A long yield sign made of steel with a small, spiked boxing glove on the other end.

Fanny also deploys her armor and orders an attack. "GET THEM!"

An enraged Rachel charges at Nigel and just as she's about to hit him, he teleports behind her. She counters immediately by using her momentum to turn around and swing her staff at him but Nigel blocks the attack rather easily with his left hand. "The last time we fought like this was a year ago. You've really gotten rusty since then."

"I'm just getting warmed up, Nephew!"

Meanwhile, Fanny attacks Wally at close range, deploying her own weapons: two retractable electrified claws from her wrists. She dives on him and he counters with his energy shield. "Where are the other two!?"

"None of your business!" Wally holds his ground as Fanny applies more thrust from her jet boots.

"What's wrong Matador? Can't fight properly cause yer too busy with yer girlfriend?" she sneers at him.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Oh really? Then you won't mind if I take her out first!"

"Don't even think about touching her!" Wally swings his right arm to the side; pushing Fanny backwards with his shield. She performs a somersault in mid-air and charges again but this time she flies past him and goes after Kuki.

"KUKI!" Wally shouts and tries to intercept the attack. Alerted by Wally, Kuki turns around and sees Numbuh 86 flying right at her. Her medallion activates and her eyes start to glow purple. She then unleashes a powerful burst of lightning from her hands. Fanny is caught completely off guard and the blast hits her head on.

"Raaargh! she flies in an arc and lands on a snow bank, the heat from the lightning attack melting the snow and causing her to sink in to the slush.

Wally can't do anything else except stare blankly at Kuki. "You didn't tell me you could do that."

"Of course not, silly, only an idiot would tell everyone about their secret weapon." She says cheekily. Somehow Wally feels like she is indirectly messing with him but before he can respond, an enraged Fanny stands up and prepares to attack again.

"YOU! You were supposed to only use those stupid hamsters. How did you do that?!"

"Magic, duh" Fanny becomes even more enraged and extends her claws but before she can electrify them, Kuki interjects. "Um, I don't think that's a smart idea." She points at Fanny's feet, prompting the Irish girl to look down and realize that she is still standing in the pool of slush and her armor is also soaked. Rather than risk self-inflicted electrocution, she activates her jet boots and flies up.

"Let's see how ya like this!" She opens fire from her two wrist-mounted heat laser cannons, subjecting Kuki and Wally to a hailstorm of laser fire but because of Fanny's enraged state, her aim is off. This allows them to easily dodge the shots but then they also come under fire from the now reorganized Decommissioning Squad members.

"Numbuh 3, can you deal with those guys!?"

"Okidoki!" She unleashes a powerful telekinetic pulse towards the attackers, causing them to fly backwards, temporarily stopping the attack.

"Nice one Numbuh 3!"

Kuki blushes a bit from Wally's compliment. "Hehee, thanks Numbuh 4."

"Argh, your flirtin' is makin' me sick!"

Fanny resumes her laser barrage as Wally protects Kuki and himself with his energy shield. "You take care of those operatives and I'll keep Fannypants here busy."

"Gotcha, Numbuh 4." Kuki flies towards the dazed operatives and Wally confronts Fanny.

"I HEARD THAT!"

She keeps firing at Wally who easily dodges the blasts. "Is that all ya got, Fannypants?" He taunts her and dodges a direct hit. "You're a worse shot than my uncle Lou, and he's the Toilenator!"

"Go back to target practice, Fannypants!" Now she fires more frantically until her right-hand cannon overheats. "What's wrong, can't hit a guy?"

This last taunt strikes a chord and Fanny snaps. "RAARGH!" She dives on him while firing her left-hand cannon. She extends the claws on her right hand and drives it right at Wally, who dodges it and positions himself above Fanny who turns around in response.

"Now it's my turn, Fannypants!" He opens fire from his gauntlet-mounted twin barrel laser cannon. As the weapon fires similarly to a machine gun, he gains the upper hand in firepower. Fanny barely dodges the burst and flies up after him as they engage in a high-speed dogfight in the airspace above.

Down on the ground, Kuki gets surrounded by the Decommissioning Squad operatives.

"All right old hag, surrender!"

"Old hag…" Suddenly Kuki snaps and starts to hover as she becomes visibly enraged by the insult. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN OLD HAG!?" She fires blast after blast of lightning at all directions, causing the operatives to run away in fear. "I'M NOT AN OLD HAG!"

As the battle rages on, Hoagie and Abby begin to crawl out of the hatch and up the snow bank. Their thin clothing is not helping in the freezing temperatures. "Aw man. It's bad enough that we have no winter clothes on but crawling through this deep snow is the worst!"

"Shut up Numbuh 2. We can't let them notice us:" They slowly make their way towards the nearest C.O.O.L.B.U.S. "We're almost there." Abby whispers as the finally reach the transport and take cover behind it before starting step two. "Okay Numbuh 2, you stay here and cover me. Numbuh 5'll go in an' take care of anyone inside."

"Roger that."

Hoagie pulls a Stupefier from his pocket as Abby goes in through the right rear door. "Only the pilot huh? This is gonna be easy." She thinks as she sneaks behind the unsuspecting pilot, swiftly knocks him out and drags him out through the rear door. "Alright Numbuh 2, the C.O.O.L.B.U.S is yours."

"Oh boy, it's been so long since I've flown one these puppies." Hoagie's famous manic grin appears on his face as jumps onto the pilot's seat and starts up the bus.

…

Meanwhile, Nigel continues his heated battle with Rachel. "Getting a bit tired, Rachel?" he asks calmly as he easily dodges her attacks one after the other.

"Not by a long shot, Nephew!" She tries to land a hit with her Yield Staff but Nigel simply becomes intangible and the attack goes through him. He has held the upper hand throughout the fight without attacking once.

On smarts and abilities alone, the two are evenly matched but because of Nigel's Silhouette Suit, Rachel is slowly losing ground. "We can stop at any time. We both know that I hold the advantage."

"Take off that suit and we'll see who has the advantage!" Rachel replies angrily and begins to get frustrated by Nigel's defensive fighting. "Why don't you try attacking me!? You talk big but I don't see any proof of your so-called advantage."

"As you wish." Nigel somersaults backwards and readies his next move. Rachel uses the chance and charges at him. He claps his hands together, creating a powerful heat explosion that throws Rachel against the submarine's hull. Though her B.R.A protects her from any serious injuries, her stamina is low and she is fatigued from the fight. As she struggles to get up, Nigel teleports in front of her. "Was that good enough?"

"Haah…you sound just like Father." She pants and tries to continue the fight.

"Don't compare me to him! I am myself! Gah, this fight is pointless, so why won't you just stop already?"

"NO! I can't stop. I've been hunting all of you for three years. There's no way I'll let you get away now!"

"Three years that you could've used to do much better things."

"You're the one to talk! You've served Father for the same amount of time. You are the last person in the world who can criticize my choices, traitor!"

"I don't remember ever betraying you, Rachel."

"Don't play dumb! The moment you ran away and joined Father was the moment you betrayed not just me but every KND operative who looked up to you!"

"You think I joined him just because I felt like it?" Nigel becomes visibly furious as he starts walking towards Rachel who readies her staff. "Have you forgotten what happened three years ago? What was the cause of all this? Or do I have to remind you?" He comes even closer to her as she takes few steps back. "The only reason I joined Father's side was because I wanted to find the culprit; the one who framed MY team for the destruction of the C.O.D.E.-M.O.D.U.L.E. The one who destroyed our future, took away my friends and worst of all, turned us into villains. You have no idea how much we've had to suffer these past 3 years."

Nigel stands right in front of a stunned Rachel. In all her years having known Nigel, she has never seen him so angry. Suddenly she realizes that her legs are about to give away. She is afraid, of Nigel Uno, who's suit starts spewing embers from the sheer anger. In panic, she tries to swing her staff but he grabs it effortlessly and she loses her balance. She falls on her back as he bends down, staring directly in to her eyes. "You couldn't possibly imagine how we felt. We were branded as traitors when we were innocent!"

"Innocent? You had no proof." Rachel's reply only makes Nigel even more furious and he starts applying pressure on the staff that keeps the two separate. "We didn't, but we knew we didn't do it! But nobody believed us! They just said things like 'you deserve to be decommissioned' or 'it runs in the family.' Everyone turned their backs against us. Even you, the one person I thought would definitely help us, said: 'There's nothing we can do so you should just accept the facts and go to the decommissioning chamber.' You of all people said that!"

Rachel becomes horrified and realizes that in her blind rage, she had completely blocked all the memories connected to the incident. It had gone to the point that she believed that Sector V where branded as traitors because Nigel joined Father, not because of the failed mission.

"For the past three years, I've seen myself do things that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Just so I could find the truth, but you, you've been blinded by hatred and anger towards me so much that you became no better than the adults we fought against. I didn't betray anyone Rachel, you betrayed yourself." Nigel lets go of the staff and turns his back on her. "We WILL find the one who did this to us! Mark my words!"

Suddenly, the third C.O.O.L.B.U.S. rises up and turns towards Nigel. One of the officers tries to contact the pilot. "Numbuh 501, you haven't been ordered to takeoff! Land immediately!"

"I'm not the pilot! It's those teenagers, they stole it!" The pilot contacts the officer, having regained consciousness. The C.O.O.L.B.U.S. then lowers its underbelly mounted laser turret.

"Let 'em have it, baby!" Abby shouts excitedly.

"Eat laser, punks!" Hoagie opens fire in the general direction of the battle and provides cover for Kuki so that she can retreat.

Abby then contacts everyone with her communicator. "Alright, ya'll better not miss the buss."

In the sky above, Fanny overhears the radio communications from her side and dives down towards the hijacked C.O.O.L.B.U.S., abandoning her fight with Wally. "Yer not goin' anywhere, traitors!"

He dives after her and the targeting reticule on his helmet's HUD locks on to her. "Hah, I win this round, Fannypants." He fires a short burst from his gauntlet and the shot hits Numbuh 86's right jet boot. She loses control and lands head-first in to the cold ocean. Wally meanwhile lands on top of the transport as it picks up Kuki and Nigel. But as they go inside, Rachel struggles to stand up and can only shout at him.

"Nigel! Stop running away!"

He stops and looks back at her. "And you should see past the lies you've been fed for the past three years."

Rachel sprints towards Nigel and manages to catch up to him. "NIGEL!" She punches him but it simply goes through an imitation as the real Nigel is already standing inside the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. He removes his Silhouette Suit, giving her a distant and cold glare as the door closes. Then the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. flies away.

Rachel immediately gathers her troops as Fanny is pulled from the freezing water. She is already showing signs of hypothermia as her B.R.A short-circuited when she hit the water. Rachel quickly takes command. "Teams 2 and 3 get Numbuh 86 and all those who've been stupefied back to Arctic Base. Team 1, we'll take off on the other C.O.O.L.B.U.S. and pursue them. And give me a P.I.P.E.R. I'll inform Numbuh 1000 myself. Move it!" As Teams 2 and 3 stay behind, Team 1 and Rachel take off in pursuit. She then begrudgingly contacts Numbuh 1000.

"Ah Numbuh 362. You wanted to give your report personally. I'm expecting good news."

"Unfortunately, we failed. Nephew predicted our plan to the letter and got us with the oldest trick in the book. They stupefied numerous operatives using weapons we suspect they took from the Ninjas and escaped in a C.O.O.L.B.U.S. I engaged Nephew but because he didn't have the collar, I was defeated. Numbuh 86 is suffering from hypothermia after being shot down by Matador and Witch injured many operatives. Dread Pirate and Shogun hijacked the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. and all five are fleeing in it."

A small thud is heard as Numbuh 1000 slams his fist onto his desk in frustration. "And what's your current status, Numbuh 362." He says angrily.

"Team 1 and I are currently in pursuit of Sector V. They have a slight lead and they're heading south-west."

Numbuh 1000 takes a deep breath and calms down. "Alright, I'll ask Global Command to send support. They won't get far."

"Understood." Rachel replies sternly as Numbuh 1000 hangs up the call and dials in a new number on his P.I.P.E.R.

"Global Command, this is Numbuh 1000, head of the Decommissioning Squad. The five traitors are fleeing in a C.O.O.L.B.U.S. and are headed north-west. Numbuh 362 is pursuing them as we speak. Send every possible flying unit you can, after them!"

"Everyone?" The liaison officer on the other end of the line asks.

"EVERYONE!" Numbuh 1000 shouts and hangs up. "Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have trusted 362 to take care of them. She is still too attached to those traitors. They must be captured no matter what! I can't afford them to run at large at this crucial point in time. They are a threat to the future of the Kids Next Door…but at least I got the data Nephew stole from Father…" He thinks as he opens the 2x4 computer on his desk.

…

Meanwhile, aboard the stolen C.O.O.L.B.U.S., Hoagie steers the ship in a north-west direction. Abby and Wally are standing behind him, scanning the sky for any threats while Kuki and Nigel have sat down and Nigel has his face buried in his hands.

"What's wrong Numbuh 1?" Kuki asks with a worried expression.

"It's nothing Numbuh 3. I just got bit emotional fighting Rachel…but enough about that. Numbuh 4!" He says as he stands up and walks where Wally is.

"What's up?"

"I've been meaning to ask you about something."

"About what?"

Nigel takes a deep breath. "It's about that B.R.A. you're wearing. Something the Ninjas said has been nagging at me. That B.R.A. has an in-built Stupefier. I know for a fact Father's first prototype was installed into an experimental B.R.A. The Ninjas said that you stole that armor from Father. Do you understand where I'm getting at?"

Wally huffs and turns around towards Nigel. "Yeah, I took it from Father's mansion. You got a problem with that?"

"No, I'm just puzzled about how you got it in the first place. If you were in Father's mansion, I would've known about it."

Wally's face contorts slightly under his helmet as he turns his back on Nigel. "Hmph, what, did serving Father make ya blind or somethin'?"

Nigel becomes irritated by the comment, but before he can continue, Abby stops them. "Will you to quit it?! We got bigger problems!" She points at the radar screen which shows two hostiles approaching.

"Alright, we'll continue this later." Nigel glares at Wally, who refuses to look back at him. "Sector V, Battle Stations! Strap yourself in." Nigel sits down on the captain's chair in between Hoagie and Abby. Wally sits down on the office chair that is connected to an arcade cabinet while Kuki sits down on another office chair behind Wally with her back facing his back. "How many enemies are incoming?" Nigel asks Abby.

"Two at the moment, Numbuh 1." She replies as two KND E.S.C.A.P.E.R.'s appears behind and above the transport.

"This is Gumball Flight; we've located the rogue transport. We'll shoot them down." The flight leader says as the two fighters dive down towards the C.O.O.L.B.U.S.

"Numbuh 2, evasive action!"

"Roger!" Hoagie banks and puts the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. into a steep right-hand dive, followed by the E.S.C.A.P.E.R.'s.

"Shoot 'em down Numbuh 4." Abby shouts.

"I'm on it!" Wally presses the red button on the arcade cabinet and two double barreled laser cannons pop out from both sides of the ship. Wally then takes aim using the joystick. "Eat this!" He opens fire at the fighters, causing them to break off the attack run and climb. They then turn and dive again as Hoagie pulls the control stick in to his gut and the transport starts to sharply climb.

"How the heck does that guy fly a C.O.O.L.B.U.S. like that!?" The other pilot shouts they overshoot their target and begin to climb as well. Wally turns the turrets backwards and fires on the pursuers, who are forced to split the flight and lose airspeed. The C.O.O.L.B.U.S. then levels up above the clouds.

"Did we lose them?" Kuki asks.

"Nuh uh, they still comin'." Abby replies as the two fighters reach the same altitude.

"Hold on tight!" Hoagie shouts as he turns to the right and applies thrust. The transport starts to turn at high speed, causing everyone to feel the g-forces. Because the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. is slower than the fighters, it can turn tighter. The fighters try to follow Hoagie's move but they can't stay inside the C.O.O.L.B.U.S.'s turn.

"Take the shot Numbuh 4!" Hoagie shouts as Wally locks both cannons on to the leading aircraft and fires a long burst. The lasers hit their mark and the lead E.S.C.A.P.E.R. is shredded into pieces, though the pilot bails out of the intact cockpit section. The other fighter pulls away from the fight while everyone aboard the transport makes a sigh of relief.

"So, did we lose them NOW?" Kuki repeats her question.

"I hope so Numbuh 3. This thing is not designed for dog fighting. But those guys made the mistake of challenging ME to a dogfight."

Abby suddenly freezes as she looks at the radar screen. "Um guys, I think we've got a problem." A massive number of blips are showing on the radar, too many to count.

"How many did they send out?" Hoagie asks fearfully.

"Don't ask me, Numbuh 5 ain't gonna count."

Nigel realizes the grim situation they are in. "Damn, they must've sent every possible ship they could spare. Must be Numbuh 1000's doing."

"That guy really doesn't like us." Abby shakes her head.

"So, what do we do now? I don't wanna be decommissioned after all the trouble we went through to get out of that place." Hoagie says.

A general feeling of defeat settles in to the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. A few kilometers behind them, another C.O.O.L.B.U.S. appears. "Numbuh 362, we've caught up to the traitors." The pilot says as Rachel looks out of the cockpit screen.

"Finally. Increase speed. We'll catch up to them in no time."

"Yes ma'am."

"This time I will bring you in Nigel." She thinks as the transport accelerates.

Back in the C.O.O.L.B.U.S., Kuki breaks the silence. "Hey I have an idea! I could teleport us somewhere." Everyone stares blankly at her. "What!?"

Nigel immediately takes it into consideration. "What the heck are ya talkin' about girl? How can you possibly do that?" Abby asks in disbelief.

"I told you guys I have magic powers!" She replies as if everyone had forgotten about that.

"I say we take the chance Numbuh 1." Wally says, causing Kuki to smile while Nigel nods.

"I agree Numbuh 4." He walks towards Kuki. "Numbuh 3, how accurately can you teleport us?"

"Well, I can go anywhere I've been before but I've never teleported anything this big."

"That's more than enough." He then whispers something in her ear and she nods.

"Okidoki! But I need to concentrate so don't shake this thing too much. Otherwise, my aim will be off."

"I'll try Numbuh 3." Hoagie says and takes a firm grip on the stick. Kuki then closes her eyes and puts her hands together as her medallion glows in a pink hue as Nigel then addresses the others.

"Alright, while Numbuh 3 is preparing, we have to buy some time. Numbuh 5, keep calling out any enemy that gets close. Numbuh 4, shoot down any ship in your reach. Coordinate with each other to maximize our chances."

"Right."

"You can count on me, baby."

"And Numbuh 2, you have to increase our distance to them as much as possible."

"Don't worry; I got a few tricks up my sleeve."

Just then, two S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s appear from the cloud layer below them and open fire. "Here they come!" Abby shouts.

"Bring it on!" Wally activates the underbelly-mounted turret and fires with all cannons.

Hoagie meanwhile applies more thrust and fiddles with the switches on the dashboard. He the grabs the large lever with his right hand. "Hold on to your underwear!" He pushes the lever and activates the ships emergency hyper acceleration booster, causing the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. to fly at an extreme speed. Everyone inside is pushed against their seats as Kuki keeps her focus.

"Hyper acceleration booster activation confirmed ma'am!" says the pilot of Rachel's C.O.O.L.B.U.S. as they fly past the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s

"So, they're trying to outrun us? You have permission to use our booster." Rachel tells the pilot.

"Yes ma'am." The pilot pushes the same lever and they begin a high-speed pursuit.

"How much longer?!" Hoagie struggles to speak as the g-forces push him and everyone else.

"Keep going!" Nigel shouts as warning lights appear on Hoagie's dashboard.

"She can't take the strain much longer!"

"I said, keep going!"

"The Decommissioning Squad's right behind us!" Abby yells as Wally tries to reach the joystick to shoot at them but even in his armor he can't due to the g-forces. Then suddenly the booster engine overloads and shatters in to pieces. Due to the high speed, the debris immediately smashes in to the pursuing C.O.O.L.B.U.S., sending it into a dive as the pilot temporarily loses control. Sector V's ship suffers damage to its main engine, cutting its speed in half. Hoagie barely manages to keep it steady as the two S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s appear on their left and right. Then two Megaone-ships rise from the cloud layer and form a blockade in front of them. Lastly, the Decommissioning Squad's ship recovers from its spin, climbs back up and blocks their rear.

"Alright, ready the S.U.P.E.R.- K.L.A.U.N.C.H.E.R.'s!"

Panic consumes everyone inside the stricken C.O.O.L.B.U.S. "They've got a lock on us!" Abby points at her radar screen.

"This is it! We're goners!" Hoagie shouts in despair.

"Numbuh 3, get us out of here!" Nigel shouts, in a mixture of anger and fear. She however doesn't reply while the pursuing transport lowers two launchers from its hull.

"Now, fire!" Rachel shouts as two anchors are fired at the fleeing ship. Then Kuki opens her eyes, which are glowing purple. Just as the anchors are about to hit, the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. vanishes into thin air, causing the anchors to simply clamp at nothing and hang down on ropes below the ship, leaving the pursuers are dumbfounded. "Wha...? Where did they go? WHERE ARE THEY?!" Rachel shouts in disbelief. Her subordinates are equally confused.

"I don't know! They've disappeared from radar."

"Contact all the others! They couldn't have disappeared just like that!" She orders the radar operator and slumps down on her seat, burying her face in to her hands. "This can't be happening! I was SO close to finally putting an end to all this!" She thinks in despair.

…

The C.O.O.L.B.U.S re-emerges in a dark place. Everyone inside groan and feel dizzy from the teleportation. "Ow my head." Hoagie complains.

"Aw man, it feels like somebody squeezed Numbuh 5 through a REALLY tight space." She says while holding her head.

Then, Kuki's eyes stop glowing and she falls to the floor. "Kuki!" Wally manages to grab her before her head hits the floor.

She is exhausted from the effort and just manages to speak."Did we make it?" She says weakly.

"Yes, you did an excellent job Numbuh 3." Nigel says.

"Yeah, you're the best Kuki." Wally's compliment causes her blush a bit.

"Hihih, thanks Wally."

Hoagie looks out of the window, unable to see anything. "So, where are we?"

"The only safe place for us. Come on, I'll show you." Nigel says as he opens the side door while Wally helps Kuki on her feet.

"This is the second time today you've saved Numbuh 5's behind, Numbuh 3." Abby gives her a hug.

"It was nothing." She manages to smile a bit as Abby helps her out of the transport.

They step out into some sort of a hangar, but they can't make anything out if without all the lights. Hoagie's eyes widen. "Hey Numbuh 1, are we where I think we are?" He asks excitedly.

"Yes, we are Numbuh 2. Welcome home everyone!" Nigel turns on the lights and everyone recognize that they are inside their old Treehouse's main hangar.

After three years, they'd finally come back home.

End of transmission 3.