Transmission 7: The Battle-Ready Armor.
Abby dives down at the Ninjas, who notice her and open fire but she easily dodges the lasers and fires back with her own heat lasers. "Try this on for size!" she lays a barrage around them, making sure not to hit Hoagie. As the Ninjas fly up to evade and regroup, Abby lands next to Hoagie. "Hey, you okay!?"
"Never been better Numbuh 5." Abby helps him up and notices that his face is slightly smudged from the dirt. "Man, why am I getting a weird de ja vu from this?" Seeing Abby wearing a B.R.A. reminds Hoagie of the time he accidentally turned himself in to a teenager 5 years ago. He had somehow ended up dating Cree during his time as a teenager and every time he saw her afterwards, he flirted with her. "You look just like Cree!"
"Don't compare me to her! Now get movin'!" Abby shouts, pointing at the stack of pipes where they left the box and her shoulder bag. Hoagie nods and starts running again while Abby turns towards the Ninjas, who have not tried attack them for some reason. "Hey, whatsa matter Ninjas? You too scared or something?"
"How's this possible? What are you doing here Cree Lincoln?"
Their confusion infuriates Abby, who immediately flies up and swiftly lands a devastating punch on the said Ninja. "Wrong Lincoln bub!" she shouts as the Ninja is knocked out and he falls to the ground. Abby then turns her attention to the remaining two.
"How did you get your hands on Cree Lincoln's Battle-Ready Armor?!" The team leader shouts as he draws his combat staff.
"Who do ya think gave me that box in the first place?" Abby replies calmly, as the leader's eyes widen in disbelief.
"This can't be…she would never give her equipment to her greatest enemy."
"Oh, so ya did your history homework, but that don't matter now. So, are you freaks gonna fight or not?" She gestures the Ninjas to continue the fight.
The leader becomes incensed by her confidence. "You think you can actually fight against us? Then let me tell you a secret: we were all trained by Cree. You have no chance!"
"Great, you guys are members of her fan-club. Guess Numbuh 5's gotta teach ya how to treat yer superiors!" Abby deploys her laser cannons and opens fire, forcing the remaining two Ninjas split up and she flies after their leader. They exchange laser fire but neither lands a hit. Then, the other Ninja rushes at her from behind using the combat staff, a standard weapon used by all Ninjas.
"You're wide open!" The Ninja shouts but Abby quickly turns around and grabs the staff before it hits her.
"And you're too loud!" Abby kicks the Ninja in the stomach, which leads him to temporarily losing control of his jet boots and he ends up landing face first into a pile of loose dirt. Abby, now holding the Ninjas staff, spins it around, using the staff as a makeshift shield to block the lasers fired by the leader.
Down on the ground, Hoagie reaches the stack of pipes, grabbing the box and the shoulder bag. As he is about run towards the northern exit, he looks to his left where Abby is fighting the Ninjas, which make him mentally slap himself. "Come on, pull yourself together Gilligan, be a man for once!" Hoagie picks the Stupefier from his pocket and looks around for anything useful. "I gotta find something to make this thing have better range." Hoagie notices the manager's hut right next to the exit and starts running towards the hut but when he gets there, he notices that it's locked. "I hope they won't be coming here yet." He throws the box through the window and struggles to get inside, where he spots a roll of duct-tape, a long plastic tube and a flashlight on the table.
"Perfect!" With grin on his face, Hoagie drops the bag and puts the Stupefier on the table. He then takes a Swiss Army knife that he had gotten for his 13th birthday, removes the lens from the flashlight and carefully tapes it to the other end of the plastic tube. Then he tapes the Stupefier into the other end of the tube. Glancing outside, Hoagie sees that Abby has been forced on to the defensive. Spurred on, he finishes his new weapon by putting a thumbtack right above the lens, to act as a sight. "Now let's see if this'll give it some reach." Hoagie points the new "Stupefier Rifle" through the window and takes aim. At first, Hoagie aims at the leader but then he notices the other Ninja charging at Abby from behind. "Stay calm, lead the target…" he whispers and pulls the trigger. The longer barrel and the flashlight lens quadruple the reach of the Stupefier and the Ninja takes a direct hit. The stupefied enemy falls to the ground, right next to the other Ninja that was knocked out earlier. "Stay down, bird boy!" Hoagie shouts with a bad German accent. "Man, I've always wanted to say that."
The sudden attack shocks the leader. "What was that!?" He shouts as Abby also looks around. She notices a feint flash coming from the manager's hut.
"That Hoagie, always there to cover Numbuh 5's back…" She smiles gently under her face-plate.
"Now the other one…" Hoagie takes aim and fires at the leader, who dodges the blast but after a few more dodged volleys, the leader panics.
Then, he sees that the Ninja knocked out previously by Abby is regaining his conscience. "Hey, pick him up and follow me! We need to retreat!" The leader howls as the other Ninja notices the stupefied Ninja next to him and quickly takes a hold of him. He lifts his comrade up and follows the leader, who is already flying away from the construction yard.
"*sigh*, finally. I thought they'd never give up." A relieve Abby then flies to the manager's hut, where Hoagie had just climbed out of the window, carrying his new weapon, the box and Abby's shoulder bag.
"Oh, hi Numbuh 5! Everything okay?"
"Yeah, but this thing needs a bit more getting used to." She spreads her arms around, showing off the Battle-Ready Armor, which makes Hoagie grin slyly.
"But you know, it looks pretty cute on you." Abby responds in kind and slaps him to the back of his head.
"OW! That was a compliment!" He yells holding his head as Abby huffs.
"I know, but Numbuh 5 didn't like the way ya looked at me while sayin' it. Anyway, how did ya shoot the Ninja all the way from here?"
Hoagie then proudly shows her his modified weapon."I upgraded it a bit. I call the Stupefier Rifle. Its range is 4 times longer than the normal one."
"And how did ya come up with that on the fly?"
Hoagie puffs his chest and grins. "Well you know, I wasn't gonna let you get hurt out there."
"Yeah, yeah, now pick up the stuff and let's go." Abby replies bluntly while rolling her eyes. Hoagie's shoulders slump down and he nods but before he can walk out of the exit, Abby grabs him from behind and they start flying towards the Treehouse.
"Hey, why are we doing this?" Hoagie asks in confusion as Abby blushes a bit under the face plate.
"Cuz I ain't gonna let ya walk back there. What if those Ninjas come after us again? Consider this payback for helpin' Numbuh 5."
"Oh, okay. Thanks."
…
Meanwhile, Wally has finally reached the Sanban house. The Ninjas have already arrived and are crouching under the window next to the front door. Wally stops and hides behind a bush next to the sidewalk but as he tries to listen in, he notices that the Ninja's armor is colored gray. The Ninja with yellow horns on his helmet uses hand gestures and the other two, who look unnaturally short for teenagers, go to the door, positioning themselves on both sides of it. The yellow horned Ninja goes between them and aims his right-hand heat laser at the door but before he can open fire, Wally jumps out of the bush and faces the Ninjas. "Hey! If you cruddy Ninjas plan on gettin' inside that house, you're gonna have to get past me first!"
The Ninjas turn towards him and the leader gestures the other two to ready their laser cannons. All three aim at Wally, who pulls back his left-hand sleeve to reveal his wristband. As they open fire, Wally activates his Battle-Ready Armor and blocks the attack with his energy shield, counter attacks and charges at the Ninjas. "Raaaaargh! They fly up and Wally moves in front of the door. He uses his own double laser cannons to keep the Ninjas at bay with a barrage while the Ninjas also return fire, laying waste to the Sanban front yard.
Inside, Kani Sanban is brought back from his depression by the noise coming from outside. "What is that racket!?" He shouts angrily and walks to the door but as he opens it, he sees the firefight going on in his front yard. "Hey, what are you doing!? This is private property!" He shouts and walks out of the door to the front porch but as he does so, one of the Ninjas and Wally notice him. The female Ninja immediatly aims her laser cannon on Kani.
"Get down!" Wally shouts as he tackles Kuki's father just as the laser hits the porch, leaving a hole on the stairs.
"Who are you?! What is going on here!?"
"You need to get back inside the house, Mister Sanban! They're after Kuki!"
"What!?"
"Yeah, hurry up and go! I'll take care of these clowns!" Wally stands up and uses his shield to protect them from the Ninja's lasers. "What are ya waitin' for?! Go!"
Kani Sanban nods and quickly runs back in to the house, locking the door. He then takes a deep breath and leans against the door. "This is pure madness! What have you gotten yourself into, Kuki?" Kani stands up and tries to call the police on his cell phone but he can't get any reception. "How is this possible? Why isn't there any reception?!" Kani shouts as he runs upstairs and knocks on the bathroom door. "Kuki!? Are you still there?!" He calls out to her frantically.
Kuki, who has just finished her shower, puts on her bathrobe. "What do you want?" she replies coldly.
"Why are those people outside after you?!"
"What people?"
"I have no idea! They are flying around the house and destroying everything!"
"Flying around? Now that's just silly…" Suddenly she hears an explosion from outside. She quickly runs to the bathroom window and sees three Teen Ninjas engaged in a firefight with Wally. "Wally?! Where did those Teen Ninjas come from?"
Outside, Wally continues his battle against the Ninjas. The yellow horn gives a signal to one of the Ninjas and he proceeds to dive on Wally, deploying his combat staff. The yellow horn and the other Ninja fire at Wally to pin him down. Under fire, he manages to pull out his heat sword and takes it with both hands. Just as the Ninja is about to hit him, he counters with the sword, cutting through the staff and slashing the Ninja's back. The attack damages the Ninjas B.R.A. and he loses control, landing head first in to the hedge fence on the right side of the door. As a consequence, the Ninja's armor shuts down.
The yellow horn again signals the last remaining Ninja to attack Wally, this time swooping down from the direction of the garage while the yellow horn fires at him. Wally quickly responds by dodging to his left and as the Ninja passes him, he grabs her by the foot. Using the Ninja's momentum against her, he swings the Ninja straight at the yellow horn, who is caught off guard. The two Ninjas hit each other and land on the pavement while Wally again positions himself in front of the door. The yellow horn immediately pushes the unconscious girl off of him and flies up again, confusing Wally. "What is up with these guys? Normally they wouldn't shut up about beatin' me or something but these guys seem like they're…robots…" The yellow horn dives on him on but just as Wally is about to hit him, he rolls and flies past him, directly at the door. He fires both heat lasers at it, shattering the door instantly as Wally realizes what he's planning and gives chase.
Upstairs, Kuki has opened the bathroom door to her father, still wearing her bathrobe. "Dad, they didn't hurt you right?"
"No, some guy in a mask is fighting them. Do you know anything about all this?!" Kani grabs Kuki's shoulders.
"Maybe…"
"What are you not telling me? Who are they?!" Kani shouts.
"I can't say…you wouldn't believe me anyway…"
"It's a bit late for that now!" Just at that moment, the yellow horn flies up the stairs and heads to towards the bath room. Kani sees this and slams the door shut, locking it in the process. It doesn't stop the Ninja, who simply blows the door apart and walks in, with his laser cannon pointing at Kuki. Kani immediately goes between his daughter and the assailant.
"You will not touch my daughter!" He shouts defiantly and tries to tackle the Ninja, but the yellow horn quickly punches Kani in the stomach, knocking him out completely.
"DAD!" Kuki gets a hold of him before he falls to the ground but now, she's a sitting duck and she can't use her magic as her medallion is on the other side of the room, in a basket behind the Ninja, who pulls out his combat staff and prepares to capture Kuki in an electro-web when Wally appears behind the Ninja.
"RAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" He shouts as he rams the Ninja from behind and they both fly through the bathroom, landing on the front yard. The attack knocks the Ninja unconscious as he lies on his back while Wally has already stood up. He snaps the combat staff in half and stomps on the yellow horn's right wrist, destroying his laser cannon. He then holds the Ninja at gunpoint with his Stupefier Cannon but before he can unmask the Ninja, he comes to his senses and kicks Wally in the stomach, before flying away using his jetboots, leaving behind the other Ninjas without hesitation.
In the bathroom, Kuki puts on her medallion but before she can move her father, Kani wakes up. "Ugh…wha…what happened?! Where did that fiend go?!"
"Dad, it's okay. It's over…"
"Huh? Kuki! Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine Dad. I…I'm sorry..."
"What are you talking about? All that matters is that you're safe!" Kani gets up and hugs his daughter, causing Kuki to break out into tears.
Outside, Wally turns off his armor and go to check on the unconscious Ninjas. He grabs the Ninja lying in the hedge but before he can turn him around to see his face, he notices a microchip connected to the back of his neck. Wally takes a closer look and removes the chip but as he does so, wires connected to the chip are pulled from the Ninja's back and his head. Once he fully removes the chip and the wires, the Ninja lets out a grunt. Wally then quickly puts the chip in to his pocket and turns the Ninja around, recognizing his face.
"No way…Numbuh 84?"
The boy groans and regains his consciousness. Numbuh 84 a.k.a Lee, the Tactical Yo-Yo Specialist of Sector W, had been one the cadets trained by Patton at the Arctic Base. He, along with his fellow cadets Numbuh 83 and former Numbuh T where instrumental in protecting the KND C.O.D.E.-M.O.D.U.L.E. from being stolen by Father five years ago. He is not wearing his signature hat, a brown ushanka which would normally cover his short dark brown hair. He instead is wearing a gray Teen Ninja body suit.
"Where…where am I?" he asks as Wally helps the 12-year-old boy out of the hedge.
"Numbuh 84, you okay?"
"I don't know…I can't remember anything." The boy looks around in a daze.
"What where ya doin' with the Ninjas?"
"I don't know…"
"Okay, calm down mate. You'll be fine." Lee takes a look at his surroundings.
"Where are we?"
"Kuki Sanban's house. You guys really did a number on this place."
"What? But I…what happened?" his behavior puzzles Wally.
"You don't remember what ya were doin'?"
"No…" Lee notices the other Ninja lying unconscious next to the sidewalk. He recognizes the person immediately. "Sonia...!" He points at the Ninja.
"What?"
"It's Sonia!" Lee tries to walk but he is too weak to lift his leg.
"Hold on mate, I'll take a look." Wally carefully lowers Lee to the ground and runs to the other Ninja. He quickly removes the microchip and wires but she does not respond in any way.
"Is she…alright?" Lee asks weakly as Wally listens for a pulse.
"Yeah, she's knocked out..." Lee nods weakly but loses consciousness. "Oh man, this gonna be tough…" Wally sighs.
Upstairs, Kani and Kuki leave the bathroom, Kuki carrying her laundry in a basket. "I'm going to my room for a bit."
"Understood."
"Dad, please don't be angry at Wally." Kani scratches the back of his head and walks downstairs. Kuki goes to her room and changes in to a clean set of clothes. She takes another green sweater from her closet to replace the older one. She then starts packing things in to a large holdall. Right before she closes the bags zipper, she notices the orange Rainbow Monkey on her nightstand. She immediately grabs the stuffed animal and stuffs it in to the holdall.
Outside, Kani inspects the front yard and sees Wally moving the two unconscious 12-year-olds next to each other. "Who are these two?"
"Old friends. They didn't know what they were doin', because they were mind controlled." Wally replies as he shows Kani the microchip.
"This is…most intriguing. I've never seen such an intricate microchip in my life. Who made this?"
"Benedict Wigglestein, I think."
"That mass-kidnapper? Why would he be doing something like this?"
"I dunno, but he's the one behind this attack."
At that moment Kuki walks out of the house, carrying her full holdall. "Kuki, what are you doing with that luggage?"
"I'm going to live at the Uno's for a while, dad."
"What!?"
"Dad please, if I stay here, those people will come back. It'll be safer if I go there."
"You don't feel safe in your own house?"
"Don't take it the wrong way dad; it's got nothing to do with you or mom. If I'm not here, they won't come here either." She pleads but Kani is having none of it.
"Out of the question! You're still 14, you can't just run around town!"
Kuki sighs and her medallion starts glowing. "Dad…I'm sorry I have to do this." Before Kani can reply, Kuki summons a ghost hamster and fires it at her dad, knocking him out but also shocking Wally.
"Wow, why the crud did you…?"
"I can use my hamster friends to make people forget things…Dad won't remember anything after he…hit you…" Kuki says with visibly pained expression and levitates her father back into the house. Then she turns her attention to Wally, still taking care of the two kids. "Wally, who are they?"
"Two of those Ninjas and you're not gonna believe who they are." Kuki takes a closer look and is shocked by their identities.
"Numbuhs 83 and 84?!" She kneels down next to them and her medic's training kicks in. "We have to get them to the Treehouse! I'll go on ahead." Kuki takes hold Lee's and Sonia's hands and teleports back to the Treehouse, while Wally activates his B.R.A. and flies after her. But as he flies above the rooftops, he notices Abby carrying Hoagie a bit higher than him.
"Hi Numbuh 4! Where's Numbuh 3?" Hoagie shouts.
"She left already! I'll explain later, let's just hurry to the Treehouse!" Wally replies and accelerates.
"Hey stop speedin'! Numbuh 5's got stuff to carry!" Abby shouts angrily as Wally flies further away. Once they reach the Treehouse, the main hangar doors open slightly to let the three operatives in as Nigel comes to greet them.
"Welcome back everyone."
"Hi Numbuh 1. Did Numbuh 3 already get here?"
"Yes, she's in the infirmary taking care of our visitors. She said you'd explain everything, Numbuh 4." Wally nods and explains how the Ninjas attacked Kuki's house.
"And you are saying they had no memory of attacking the house?"
"Yeah, I think they were controlled by these."
Wally takes the microchips from pocket and hands them to Nigel, who looks at the chips in disbelief. "Impossible! How could he have made these in such a short time?!"
"What are ya talkin' about Numbuh 1?"
"When I stole data from Fathers computer, I noticed something among them that shocked me. They were only in a blueprint stage back then. These microchips are based on a prototype made by Chester four years ago."
"Chester? That mustached freak who tried to sell kids as food for sharks?"
"Yes Numbuh 5, it was his last project before his ehm…past actions were made public. You all know that he is sitting in jail for all the things he did. He was working on a newer version of the Happy Headband. That newer version would've made children completely obedient, kinda like what Father's Delightfulization Chamber does. He must've gotten his hands on Chester's blueprints after he was taken to jail. But to think that he actually managed to perfect it in only 2 months…This is going to change everything." Nigel looks at the others sternly. "I'll go to the infirmary and check if those two are alright. We might learn something useful from them. You three head to the armory and start working on weapons, upgrades and that data disc I gave you, Numbuh 5."
Wally, Hoagie and Abby salute him in response and Nigel salutes them back, before he starts running towards the infirmary while Abby and the boys head to the armory. She however stops in front of her room. "Hold on a sec, guys, Numbuh 5 needs to change clothes real quick." A sly grin appears on Hoagie's face and immediately Abby smacks him.
"Ow!"
"If you two get any ideas, I'm gonna pound yo faces in, ya got that?!" She glares angrily at the boys, who freeze.
"Yes, Ma'am!" They reply in fear as Abby huffs and closes the door. Right as Wally and Hoagie try to catch their breath, she opens the door.
"And no peekin'!" She slams the door shut, startling both boys.
"*sigh*, that's few years taken from my lifespan…" Wally sighs in relief and looks at Hoagie, who stares blankly at the door. "Uhm…Numbuh 2? Hello? Anyone there?" He waves his hand in front of Hoagie's face but he only mumbles in response, forcing Wally to grab him by the collar and starts violently shaking him. "Snap out of it mate, you're gonna get us both killed!"
"Oh, sorry Numbuh 4, I just uhm…"
"I don't wanna know." Wally cuts him off and sits down while Hoagie stands next to him and leans against the wooden wall before adjusting his cap and asks Wally a question.
"So, who were those to Ninjas you two captured?"
"They are…Numbuhs 84 and 83."
Hoagie is stunned by this revelation. "What?! But…but those guys are only 12, why would they join the Ninjas? They're too young."
"I know mate. I don't think they had a choice, cuz they were mind controlled." Wally says grimly as they stare silently at Abby's door for a while until Hoagie puts his hands together.
"I got it! Operation Father's Day! He must've captured them 2 months ago and used them as test subjects for the microchips." Wally angrily smacks the wall with his fist.
"That sick bastard. First he tortures kids for information and then he turns 'em into slaves!"
Hoagie nods in agreement. "Yeah, makes you wonder what else he's got in his sleeve. Oh yeah, you said the leader got away, right? Did you see who it was?"
"Nope but the next time I see 'em, I'll beat the crud out of 'em." Wally shakes his fist as Abby walks out of her room carrying Cree's box, startling the boys again. She is now wearing a blue and white unbuttoned shirt over a white t-shirt, brown shorts and white and black sneakers. Her hat is still there but she has reduced the number of her ear-rings to 1 per ear.
"I heard what ya'll were talkin' about. That guy is really messed up."
"Oh, nice choice of clothes Numbuh 5." Hoagie grins and Wally facepalms.
"Why thank you Numbuh 2. Now let's go you two." She starts walking and the boys follow her but Hoagie is dumbstruck.
"Did you see that Numbuh 4? She didn't hit me!" Before Wally can answer, Abby cuts in.
"You where this close to getting' a good smack, but ya didn't look dumb enough." Hoagie's smile fades a bit and Wally smirks.
"There's your answer Numbuh 2."
"Man, I'm never gonna catch a break…" Hoagie mutters as shoulders slump down while Abby adjusts her hat and smiles a little.
"If only ya knew Numbuh 2…"
They reach the armory and Hoagie tries to open the door. Again, he can't make it budge. "Damn, why does this thing have to be so tight?" Wally approaches the door.
"Let me do it mate." He easily spins the massive lock and the door creeps open. Hoagie looks at Abby in embarrassment.
"Eheh…I guess I need some more exercise…"
Abby puts her hand on his shoulder. "Nah, you're just rusty, Numbuh 2." She smiles at him and walks in to the armory. "Man, I don't remember this place bein' so…dirty."
"Trust me Numbuh 5; this place was way dustier when we came here last night. So where do we start, Numbuh 2?" Wally says as he sits on a box that's lying on the floor.
The large room has a small table right next to the door used for tinkering. Next to it is the D.E.F.E.N.S.E.-G.R.I.D. computer and opposite to it is the door to the main room, which is now filled with the junk Wally and Hoagie brought from the junkyard. Hoagie sits on the D.E.F.E.N.S.E.-G.R.I.D.'s monitor's chair and Abby sits on the tinkering table. "Well first, I guess we should take a look at the box Cree gave us."
"Got it baby" Abby puts the box on the table and the trio gather around it as Hoagie grabs the small black device connected to the side and cuts the wires holding it in place.
"This must the distress beacon…" As Hoagie examines the beacon with the magnifying glass from his Swiss Army knife, Abby frowns and kicks the floor.
"I still can't believe Cree gave it to me without tellin' about that stupid beacon…"
"Maybe she wanted to test you."
"Yeah right, Numbuh 2. She just wanted to mess with me. When I see her next time, I'm gonna give her a few words about that."
"Okay, I've nullified the beacon. We should be safe from any future attacks now." Hoagie gestures Abby to come closer. "I think you should open it. Cree did give it you after all."
"Whatever." Abby casually opens the white box and they look at its contents. Inside, they find 4 standard sets of Teen Ninja B.R.A. as well as some spare parts and equipment modules, such as the green underwater use .B.R.A. Then, Abby notices a stack of blue paper at the bottom of the box. "What the heck are these?"
"Let me see…Wow! Now way!" Hoagie shouts and starts jumping up and down around the room.
"Hey, stop actin' like a clown and tell us what those papers are!" Abby shouts as Hoagie calms down and starts explaining enthusiastically.
"These aren't just any pieces of paper Numbuh 5; these are blueprints for Battle Ready Armor!"
Both Abby and Wally are stunned. "No way mate, there's no way Numbuh 5's sister would just give us those."
"You better believe it! Not only are there instructions on how to make armor, but also about repair, upgrading weapons and changing armor color."
"Wait a sec; did ya just say changin' color?"
"Yeah?"
"Then you better change Numbuh 5's armor color pronto. There's no way I'm gonna be mistaken for Cree ever again."
"Oh, I can do a lot more to it than just change color. Wait here; I need to go pick up Betsy Mk II. I'm gonna mod it and yours once I come back. Why don't you two start working on that data disc?" Abby nods as Hoagie runs out of the room.
…
In the upper floors of the Treehouse, Nigel arrives to the infirmary, where Kuki is treating Sonia and Lee. While Sonia is still unconscious, Lee has already woken up, but is too weak to move. "How are they doing, Numbuh 3?"
"They're just exhausted, but I think Numbuh 83 needs to go to the hospital. She's not responding to anything and I'm not a doctor. I just know first aid."
"That's alright Numbuh 3. I'll tell my father to take them to the hospital once I'm done with my questions."
"Don't take too long, he's really weak at the moment."
Nigel nods and goes next to Lee's bed. "How are you doing Numbuh 84?"
The 12-year-old immediately recognizes Nigel. "Nigel Uno!? Wha…what are you doing here?! Where am I?" He panics and tries to move but he doesn't have the strength.
"Calm down Numbuh 84. We are not your enemies. You should be thankful to Numbuh 3 and 4. They were the ones who freed you from Fathers control."
"Father…That's right…he captured us when we were on patrol…what day is it?"
"It's been 2 months since you were captured."
"Two months! I can't remember anything that's happened since…"
"What did he do to you and Numbuh 83? That's all I need to know."
"He…locked us in to cells and tortured us…Sonia was screaming so loud it hurt…" Lee looks at Sonia and grits his teeth.
"I couldn't do anything…All I could do was listen to it…"
"I understand. Did he do anything else?"
"I'm not sure…I remember being strapped to a table with my back pointing upwards…that's all. The next thing I remember is waking up in that hedge…"
"That's all I needed to hear Numbuh 83. I'll make sure you two are taken to hospital for proper treatment."
"Did we really work for the Ninjas? Did we do all those things?"
"You were being controlled by these." Nigel says slowly and shows him the microchip.
"No way…"
"Don't worry. You don't have to go through something like that ever again. I promise you." Lee tries to smile but loses consciousness again. Then Nigel leaves Lee's side and goes over to Kuki, who is watching over Sonia. "I've never felt so disgusted in my life…" he says while clenching his fist, which is shaking from anger.
"I know, Numbuh 1…He's willing to torture and brainwash 12-year-olds…" Kuki says whistfully as she looks down at Sonia.
"This only strengthens my resolve Numbuh 3. I can't allow this sort of thing to continue." Nigel says and heads to the door.
"Where are you going Numbuh 1?"
"Down to the house. I need ask my father to take those two to the hospital. Or I'll call an ambulance."
Kuki nods and continues to watch over them while Nigel leaves and takes the elevator down to his own room but as he reaches the stairs, his father is waiting for him. "Ah Nigel old bean, just the person I was looking for! There's someone waiting for you at the door."
"I'm sorry dad, but I'm busy. Tell whoever it is to come some other time." As he tries to walk past his father, Monty grabs him by the arm and drags him to the door.
"Now, now, we can't have that fine young lady waiting." Monty ignores Nigel's protests and pushes his son front of the door before walking back to the living room.
Nigel sighs and opens the door. "I am busy right now, please come again later…" He stops mid-sentence and stares in shock at the person waiting for him. It's Rachel. "What are you doing here?!" Nigel shouts and grabs the Stupefier from his pocket.
"Wait, wait, I'm not here to fight Nigel!" Rachel spreads her arms and frantically tries to stop him from firing.
"Why should I believe you? You seemed pretty intent on doing that yesterday." Nigel says coldly as he steadies his aim.
"Look, I've been ordered to not engage any of you in combat or capture you. Those where direct orders from the Supreme Leader herself."
Nigel lowers his weapon and looks at Rachel with suspicion. "Is that so? Well, we have nothing to talk about, so if you'll excuse me, I have an urgent call to make." but as he tries to close the door, Rachel jams her foot between the door.
"Please, I want to talk to you Nigel. To all of you." She looks intensely at Nigel who still stays wary.
"Unfortunately, this is not a good time for talking. I'm really in a hurry, and I doubt the others want to talk to you either." Rachel woefully looks at the ground but before she can say anything, Nigel's communicator goes off. "Yes, what is it Numbuh 3?"
"Numbuh 1, did you make that call already!? Their condition is getting worse!" Kuki shouts in panic.
"Hold on for a bit longer Numbuh 3, I'll make the call." He hangs up and crosses his arms. "I guess I have no other choice, I'll have to call the ambulance."
Nigel's words immediatly alarm Rachel. "Ambulance? Why do you need an ambulance?" Sensing that her concern is genuine, Nigel eyes Rachel for a second and something in his head clicks.
"Wait here for a moment." He runs to the phone and calls the emergency number, followed by a call to Kuki.
"Numbuh 3, I've called the ambulance. Bring them down to my room and ask someone to help. You can't levitate them in front of the medics."
"Okay!"
Nigel hangs up and goes back to the door. "Alright I'll try to make this brief as possible." he proceeds to explain how Wally and Kuki were attacked by Lee and Sonia who were under mind control.
"Numbuh 84 and 83 where brainwashed?! So that's why they'd been missing for two months." Rachel shakes her head in disbelief as Nigel nods solemnly.
"Not only that, but Father tortured them pretty badly to say the least. They are in danger unless they receive proper treatment."
"Can I help?"
"You couldn't have gotten here in a better time. You'll help us carry them outside. I can't let you in to the Treehouse, but I'll let in to my room at least. Numbuh 3 will bring them there." Rachel nods and they head upstairs, where they meet Kuki and Wally, who brought Sonia and Lee to Nigel's room but are shocked by Nigel's companion.
"What the crud is she doin' here!?" Wally takes a combat stance while Kuki creates an electric orb from her right hand as Rachel takes a step back.
"Stand down; we don't have time for this. You two carry Numbuh 83 and we'll carry Numbuh 84."
"Fine…" They bring the kids downstairs as the ambulance arrives. While Wally and Kuki assist the other medic in placing Lee and Sonia in to the ambulance, Nigel gives the other medic the required information about their identity.
The ambulance soon leaves and Nigel turns towards Rachel. "Well, I believe a thank you is in order, but I still can't find myself trusting you."
"I understand. My judgment was clouded by my anger for three years. I won't blame you. I just wanted to talk to you that's all. Maybe not now but perhaps some other time."
"Perhaps…"
"Just so you know Nigel, I do agree with you about Sector V being framed three years ago. It just doesn't make sense at all that you all would betray the KND without a reason." Rachel's words surpise Nigel but he is immediatly reminded of what happened yesterday.
"And why do you suddenly feel like that? Yesterday you were calling us traitors like it was your second nature."
"I know, but I wasn't thinking straight. Anyway, I need to report to Global Command about Numbuh 84 and 83 being found. I won't mention Sector V but I think they will know regardless."
"That's inevitable. KND's surveillance system is quite difficult to evade." Rachel nods and starts walking away while Wally and Kuki notice Nigel's puzzled expression.
"So, what was that all about, Numbuh 1?" Wally asks as Nigel crosses his arms and looks on at Rachel as she leaves the neighborhood.
"I'm not sure Numbuh 4. Perhaps she isn't as stuck in the past as I thought." Nigel says silently before leading Wally and Kuki back in inside, unaware that a pair of eyes are watching them from across the street.
"So, Numbuh 362 is tryin' to rub shoulders with those traitors, eh? I don't like where this is heading."
End of Transmission 7.