Transmission 12: Wings of Rage
Outside the destroyed warehouse, the operatives that Numbuh 1000 sent to attack the ship have come under attack by Tommy. He was the first to notice them and immediately engaged the operatives with his Stupefier Rifle, which he uses to pick off his targets one by one, while also trying to move towards the idling M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P. standing behind the warehouse. He manages to contact his older brother, who is waiting anxiously in the bridge of the large ship. "HOAGIE!" His radio comes to life.
"Tommy? Is that you?! What's going on out there?"
"They're trying to flank your team from the outside, but I can keep them occupied for a few minutes."
"Okay! Just hold them off until everyone is out of the building!"
"The Tommy acknowledges!" he closes the communicator and continues to stupefy as many operatives as possible.
Hoagie meanwhile switches the M.O.S.Q.U.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P. to CQC mode. The lower half of the yacht's bow opens, as a hydraulic-arm mounted laser cannon and two small mechanical arms, resembling mandibles, fold out from the bottom of the yacht. Each arm has three clawed fingers and small, rotating heat laser cannons. The control console in front of Hoagie also changes slightly, giving him two extra joysticks to operate the arms. "Okay Hoagie P. Gilligan, this is it. Now it's your turn to protect everybody." He says with a shaky voice and readies for the incoming attack.
Meanwhile, Abby manages to lead everyone apart from Nigel out of the partially collapsed warehouse. They walk out into the moonlit evening and the first thing they see is the M.O.S.Q.U.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P. firing at a line of operatives. Tommy notices the teens and quickly joins them. "Are you guys okay!?"
"Barely, but she's not." Abby points towards the unconscious Rachel.
"Tell Hoagie to open the hatch now. Numbuh 3, you and Numbuh 60 take her to the rear of the ship. Numbuh 4, me and Tommy will buy time until Nigel gets here."
"Understood." Tommy calls his brother, who promptly lowers a ramp that leads to the hull hatch. Wally, Tommy and Abby form a wall in front of the ramp as Kuki and Patton slowly move Rachel inside the ship. The operatives take cover and fire back at the teenagers, who respond in kind. Wally switches to his Stupefier Cannon and lowers the enemy's numbers dramatically, thanks to the updated targeting system Hoagie installed.
Then, Nigel limps out of the building but he can't move fast because of the injuries and Abby is the first one to spot him. "He's here! Tommy, let's help him in. Numbuh 4, cover us."
"Leave it to me!" Wally uses his energy shields to protect his friends as they escort Nigel in to the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P. Suddenly; a lone operative start's running towards Wally who is surprised by the almost suicidal move.
"What the crud is this idiot doin'!?" He takes aim at the ground in front of the operative but his target starts firing with his M.U.S.K.E.T. So awestruck is Wally that he loses his concentration and is hit in the knee. The stray shot lands right in the exposed area on his armor's left knee joint and it jams, immobilizing him. He goes down on one knee but manages to take aim again. However, before he can make a good shot, mustard blasts wiz past his head and he accidentally fires right at the operative's head. The short burst of laser fire barely misses the running operative but it does knock his helmet off. Wally's eyes widen as he recognizes his foe: The blue eyes and blond, bowl-cut hair belong to no one else but his younger brother, Joey. "Joey…" Wally can't believe his eyes. The six-year-old boy continues to run at him, firing his M.U.S.K.E.T. wildly while Wally tries desperately to remove the sticky mustard that is jamming his left leg but to no avail.
Inside the ship, Kuki notices that Wally has not boarded yet and immedaitly starts running towards the hatch but Abby stops her.
"Where the heck are ya goin' Numbuh 3?!"
"Numbuh 4's not here!"
"What!? Alright, I'll come with ya. Numbuh 2?!"
"Yeah?!"
"Take off once we get Numbuh 4 in. Got it?"
"Roger loud and clear!"
Abby and Kuki make their way to the hatch and they can immediately see that Wally is immobilized. "WALLY!" Kuki shouts and runs down the ramp, completely ignoring the hail of laser fire flying past her. Abby notices the lone operative running towards him and fires a shot from her laser cannon, hitting the ground ahead of him. The blast launches the six-year-old into the air and he lands before Wally, unconscious as Kuki comes to his side and uses her telekinesis to free his knee. Wally then stands up and grabs his younger brother.
At that moment he sees Numbuh 1000 appear behind the line troops and his mind almost goes blind with rage but he tries his best to restrain himself. Kuki and Wally then run up the ramp with Joey in his arms while Abby closes the hatch behind them the moment they are aboard.
"NOW GET US MOVIN'!" she shouts to Hoagie, who changes the ship to flight-mode and it takes off.
"All troops, board the transports! We're going after them." Numbuh 1000 attempts to pursue but before he can make his way to the ship, one of the operatives runs up to him.
"Sir, we are unable to take off."
"What do you mean?" He asks angrily.
"Both ships are inoperable. Their engines have been sabotaged."
"WHAT!? DAMMIT! DAMN YOU NIGEL UNO!" He shouts and stomps his foot when suddenly, his P.I.P.E.R. rings.
"Who is it?" He tries to hold back the anger inside him.
"Sir, it's almost time. Please give us the go ahead to begin Stage 2." A boy answers with serious tone.
"Of course. Do it. I was hoping we wouldn't have to rush, but now we have no choice."
"Roger, we'll begin emitting the signal."
"Good. Send me a ship. I want to make everyone aware of what we will do. Numbuh 1000 out" As he puts his P.I.P.E.R into his pocket, he grits his teeth.
"This is it. Even if they got away, I'll make sure they'll never feel safe again. We'll change the KND, for the good of all kids, whether they want it, or not." He thinks and requests reinforcements from Sector V2.
…
Above him, the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P. flies back towards the Treehouse. Inside, Kuki and Wally reach the bridge, where Abby, Tommy and Nigel are. Hoagie and Tommy are focused on flying, while Patton is watching over Rachel in the rear of the ship. Abby notices the unconscious operative in Wally's arms as he retracts his helmet. "Why the heck did ya bring him in here?"
"I couldn't leave him there! Not my…brother…" Wally's voice fades as he looks at the little boy in his arms.
"Wha…your brother!?" Abby goes to take a look and is shocked. "No way…What's he doin' with Numbuh 1000's troops?"
"I don't know…There's no way my bro would work for that bastard." Abby immediately recalls that her shot threw the boy on to the ground and hurries to apologize.
"Numbuh 4, I didn't know it was him! I…"
"Don't worry, ya did nothin' wrong Numbuh 5." Wally gives her a weak, reassuring smile and turns his gaze back on his brother. He then carries Joey to the medical bay, in the rear of the passenger deck, followed by the girls. As he places his brother on the other stretcher, his hand feels a familiar shape on the back of his neck.
"No…no…" He pulls Joey's collar and sees the same wires and microchip Numbuhs 83 and 84 had. His expression turns to pure anger as he lets out a loud scream, startling the others. "THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Kuki immediately rushes to his side and notices the microchip in his palm.
"No way…that's…"
Abby also takes a closer look and is appalled. "That's the same microchip those two had! How did he get his hands these things?!" She turns her gaze towards Nigel who immediately realizes what she's about to ask him.
"I can assure you it wasn't in the data he took. No…this is different." Nigel stands up and limps to Wally's side who is shaking from anger. Nigel then takes the chip and inspects it.
"This chip…is not the same one they had. It looks identical but the design is different. Did the Science Division build this?"
"Most likely. Numbuh 1000 did say they built that fancy glove of his. To think he'd actually use it on a 6-year-old Cadet…that's disgusting." Patton says as he secures Rachel on to a stretcher.
"HE DID THIS TO MY BRO! I'M GONNA RIP HIS FACE OFF WHEN I SEE HIM AGAIN!" Wally shouts, his face showing a mix of rage and anguish as tears run on down his cheeks.
"Wally…" Kuki tries to wipe his tears away but he pulls up his helmet to cover his face.
"I'm fine…men don't cry." He looks up at the ships canopy but continues to cry as Kuki puts her hand on his shoulder.
Just then, Hoagie's frantic voice is heard on the intercom. "Umm…guys? We've got company!"
"I should've known he'd come after us."
Nigel begins to limp towards the stairs leading to the bridge but Abby stops him."Hey where do ya think you're goin'?"
"To the bridge. As team leader I must be present…" A spike of pain hits him and he grasps his left side. "Ugh…I think one of my ribs is broken…"
"That's why you outta stay here Numbuh 1! I'll go to the bridge since Numbuh 5's second in-command."
"But…"
"No buts! You just sit tight and leave everythang to Numbuh 5, okay?" she gives him an assuring smile and starts running to the bridge.
Nigel does as he's told and sits opposite to Rachel's stretcher. Patton sits down next to him."Looks like we're in a pretty big mess now…"
"Don't worry, my team is the best. We'll get through this…" Nigel tries to reassure him but can't get the confidence to say anything else. He then looks back at Wally, who stands silently in-front of his brother's stretcher with Kuki by his side. Up on the bridge, Abby stops next to Hoagie's pilot seat and leans on the control console.
"So, what's the situation?"
"Well…Looks like Sector V2 sent two squadrons of E.S.C.A.P.E.R.'s and a Megaone after us. They really wanna get us now.
"An' the distance?"
"They're not gonna catch us but I think they'll try and follow us back to the Treehouse. The radar's also picking up ground targets moving below."
"This ain't lookin' good. Can't this thing do anythin' about it?"
"I can take out the ground targets easily but those flying guys are the problem. At this rate, they'll follow us and attack the Treehouse when we get there."
"Why can't ya shoot them down?"
"I would but then the ground units will get to the Treehouse first. Besides, we've got injured people on-board! Getting them to safety should be our priority!" Hoagie looks at Abby with frustration but before she can say anything else, the control console's alert light begins to blink. "What the heck?! The left-side cargo door is open! Who's doing that?!" Hoagie flips a switch and the ship's internal CCTV screen unfolds down from the canopy. Both him and Abby gasp as they see Wally standing in-front of an open hatch preparing to jump with Kuki and Patton trying to pull him away from it.
"That damn idiot, what's he plannin' now?! Argh, Numbuh 5's gonna take a look. You keep this thing on-course got it?!"
"Yes ma'am!"
Abby runs down two levels to the cargo deck and sees Wally trying to force himself free from the others. She quickly grabs a hold of him from behind. "WHAT THE HECK YA THINK YER DOIN' NUMBUH 4?! CLOSE THAT DAMN HATCH!"
"NO! I'M GONNA GIVE THESE GUYS A PIECE OF MY MIND!"
"YOU CRAZY?! We need to get to the Treehouse right now!"
"Those guys are gonna blast us out of the sky if we don't do something! I gotta do this!" He struggles even more but the others refuse to budge. "Numbuh 2 said my B.R.A. can fight those planes! I can take 'em out!"
"Yes, but only in THEORY! I never got the chance to test the High-Altitude Mode in practice!" Hoagie shouts over the intercom.
"Come on, you guys gotta let me do this! PLEASE!"
"Nu uh, you ain't goin anywhere mister!"
"Numbuh 4 please, you have to calm down!"
"HOW AM I GONNA CALM DOWN AFTER WHAT THOSE BASTARDS DID TO MY LITTLE BRO?!" Kuki, Abby and Patton are taken aback by his grief but then Nigel limps down the stairs and stops by a railing next to the opposite wall, panting heavily.
"Numbuh 4, I understand exactly how you feel." He again grasps his left side and Abby rushes to his side while Wally stops struggling.
"Numbuh 1! Numbuh 5 told ya to stay put!"
"I heard everything through the intercom…Let him go." Kuki and Patton release their hold on Wally, who turns around to face their leader.
"Numbuh 4, are you sure can take them down?"
"Have you gone nuts Numbuh 1?!" Abby grabs him by the shoulders and stares at him intensely.
"Listen, if those planes are shot down, the Megaone alone won't be enough to attack the Treehouse. That gives us enough time to get back and prepare our defense. Numbuh 2 told me that there are more KND ships and vehicles approaching as we speak."
She lets go of him and shakes her head. "Numbuh 5 don't like this one bit. I don't want any more of us gettin' hurt!"
"I understand, but this the only way. Numbuh 4, no matter what, come back to the ship once all the planes have been taken care of. Ignore the bigger Megaone. That's an order." He gives Wally a stern look who nods in return.
"Got it." He turns around, walks back to the open hatch and looks back at the others before he jumps Then, Kuki immediately runs to the hatch and watches as Wally falls.
"Please come back in one peace, okay?" She thinks as the heavy hatch closes in-front of her. She begins to shiver as Abby comes to her side.
"Don't worry, that blockhead's gonna be alright."
"I know…" She replies as Abby helps her back up to the upper level while Patton does the same to Nigel. Meanwhile, Wally continues to plummet uncontrollably towards the ground below. His jet boots can't keep him aloft at such high altitude.
"Gah, crud, this thing isn't doin' what I tell it to!"
"I told you, the High-Altitude Mode hasn't been tested at all! Dammit, at this rate you're gonna end up as a pancake on the pavement at this rate!" Hoagie shouts frantically over the intercom.
"Can't ya do anything from there?!"
"I would if I could! I'm sorry, it was a last-minute addition. Oh, curse my absent-minded inventing!" Suddenly, Abby and Kuki rush to bridge, having overheard the whole conversation through the intercom.
"What are ya sayin' Numbuh 2?! Why ain't he flyin'?!
"I've tried to tell you all that the flight mode wasn't completed in time. I have no idea if it works or not!" Abby immediately grabs him by the collar, wrestling him from the controls of the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P., forcing Tommy to take the helm as she pulls Hoagie out of the pilot chair.
"Numbuh 2, ya can't be serious?! What yer sayin' means Numbuh 4's gonna make a big splat when he hits the ground!"
"I…I…" But before neither can say anything, Kuki grabs Hoagie's headset and screams into it.
"COME ON NUMBUH 4, DON'T GIVE UP!"
"I KNOW! I AIN'T GOIN' DOWN LIKE THIS. Numbuh 2, you made this so I know it's gonna work!"
"Numbuh 4…" Hoagie's goggles fog up as Abby lets go of him.
Down below the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P., Wally's fall continues. His HUD flashes alarm after another but he can't slow himself down. "This cruddy…COME ON, WORK ALREADY!" Then, a small red text appears to the lower-right corner of his HUD, displaying the following words: High-Altitude Mode Enabled. The armor in his legs reconfigure into the shape of jet engines, with stabilizers protruding from either side of his shins and two V-shaped wings extend from his back armor. He stops falling and hovers in place. Wally then turns towards the in-coming E.S.C.A.P.E.R.'s and charges at them.
Back in the bridge of the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P., Kuki begins to cheer as Hoagie stares blankly at the screen. Abby pats him on the back."Heh, looks like he pulled it off."
"Yeah…" Hoagie slumps back on to the pilot's seat.
"This ain't over yet, flyboy. We gotta take out those things on the ground before they get to the Treehouse."
"Oh yeah. Alright, leave them to me. Go down to the passenger deck and strap in. We'll be back in the Treehouse before you know it."
"Gotcha baby." Abby nods while Kuki is already heading down to the lower level. But before Abby leaves, Hoagie shouts after her.
"Numbuh 5! I…uhm…"
"Save that for later! Concentrate on yo job!" She stops him from finishing his sentence but smiles slightly before she runs back to the passenger deck.
"Okay. Time to get serious! Let's do this, Tommy!" He puts the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P. into a steep dive and deploys the ships forward heat laser cannon.
"Fire away!" The brothers rain down laser fire towards a column of S.T.A.N.K.'s driving along a street that leads to the Treehouse. Despite their heavy armor, they are no match for the W.A.S.P.'s firepower and become filled with holes as their crews rush out in panic. Meanwhile in the sky above, Wally flies towards the formation of planes at high speed as the flight leader issues orders from the Megaone.
"Looks like that's all the great Sector V can throw at us. This is Numbuh 12,5 to all units: Shoot that thing down and swarm their transport. The Megaone will continue on course to the Treehouse."
"YES SIR!"
"Numbuh 1000 is gonna be pleased." The leader says to himself and orders on all-out attack on Wally.
"You guys are gonna pay for this!" He screams as he charges right in to the center of the fur ball and attacks without mercy, slicing and shooting at any E.S.C.A.P.E.R.'s that appears before him. His emotions finally get the best of him as he begins to scream and curse at his enemy. The very thought of his brother being subjected to mind-control drives him mad as he attacks even more ferociously. But he forgets his communicator on and his tantrum is heard through the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P.'s intercom, startling everyone.
"DAMN YOU ALL! RAAAARGH! NO ONE DOES THAT TO MY BROTHER!"
"Wally…" Kuki looks solemnly at the floor.
"Don't worry Numbuh 3, it's simply his way of dealing with this. Right now, I think we all feel the same."
"I know, Numbuh 1, but still…" Suddenly, the ship rocks heavily as Hoagie pulls the W.A.S.P. from its dive and climbs back up to normal flight altitude.
"Alright guys, those S.T.A.N.K.'s are taken care off. It's looks like Numbuh 4's done on his end too."
"Good job Numbuh 2. Now get us back to the Treehouse."
"We're almost there." However, the only thing they hear from Wally's end is panting as the latter hovers among the falling wreckage and parachuting operatives of Sector V2. After a moment of silence, he looks up at the night sky one more time before he rejoins his team's ship. But he refuses to enter the ship proper and just lands on top of the bridge, his armor reformatting back to normal mode.
Finally, the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.-W.A.S.P. reaches Sector V's Treehouse but as it makes its approach, Hoagie and the others notice smoke pouring out of the 3rd floor. "Guys look!" He shouts as everyone, including Nigel huddle behind him while Wally stands up.
"That's the 3rd floor. Somebody must've attacked the Treehouse while we were gone." Nigel says grimly.
"Maurice! We gotta call him right now!"
"I'm trying but the I'm not getting any response." Hoagie says as he frantically goes through the Treehouse's communication channels. Then, they hear Maurice's voice.
"Hey guys. Sorry, but we got attacked. Hurry back, we've got more problems."
End of Transmission 12
Note: Short, but straight to the point.
Now, this chapter is pretty important in a sense that back in 2016, the first sentence was as far as I got. When I started to write this, I had no clear idea where the story would go, as I simply wrote what came to my mind and when I reached the first sentence of this chapter, I ran out of ideas and I was burned out. So, all in all, it only took me a month in a rainy, dark 2016 fall to get this far.
Then, this whole project laid buried inside my old PC until I suddenly got back to it in the fall of 2019, after re-watching KND again and finding inspiration from other KND fanfics and fanart. I realized I could do so much more with this, so I kept going. (after re-writing almost everything up to this point, this published version has no resemblance to the original, raw version from 2016.)
Oh and by the way, if you found it hard to visualize Wally's "High-Altitude-Mode", google the V2 Gundam and Sky Gridman. I'm a big fan of Gundam and mechs in general, so the High Altitude Mode is a combination of the two (legs from Sky Gridman and wings from the V2 Gundam)