Transmission 23: Teen Ninja
As the midday sun shines down on the forest, The S.C.A.M.P.E.R-S.O.O.P.R.E.M.E. flies out of the secret hangar and turns to the east, towards downtown Cleve. From his window, Wally can see the silhouette of McClintock High School to his left, standing on a forested hill west of downtown. Just the sight of it annoys him. "Why the crud do we have to go to that place next fall?" He mutters.
"No use complaining now, Numbuh 4. We'll all be high schoolers eventually." Nigel replies as he also eyes the high school.
"Yeah, but how the heck are we gonna deal with all the Ninjas in there? Isn't that like one of their biggest bases or somethin'?"
"Lemme just say this, we have no idea what's gonna happen, so don't wrack your brain about it. Just keep your focus on the here and now." Abby says stoically from her seat.
"Easier said than done…"
"Alright, let's concentrate on the task at hand: We'll drop you off close to the mini mart, and then head to my house. Once we're done there, we'll move the ship to a different location and wait for you, Numbuh 5." Nigel points at the holographic map that has appeared between his seat and Abby's seat.
"Okay, just make sure ya can make a quick getaway. Even Numbuh 5 doesn't know all the hidden traps they've rigged in there."
"Understood. You heard that Numbuh Epsilon?"
"We heard it loud and clear." Rachel and Patton nod from the cockpit.
"We're approaching the drop point." The pilot informs them as the ship arrives at a small park, three blocks away from the mini mart.
"Okay you guys, we're gonna jump out and sneak in. Put your stealth cloaks on when we're on the ground."
"Got it."
"Okaay!" Abby walks over to the side door, which slides open and jumps, followed by Kuki and Wally. However, in his hurry, Wally forgets the Portal Gun on his seat. Nigel then takes a final look out of his window as the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.-S.O.O.P.R.E.M.E. makes a quick turn and flies away before the Hideout's defenses detect them.
Down in the park, Abby regroups with Kuki and Wally and they huddle together.
"Alright, here's the plan: Two of us are gonna go inside the mini mart and sniff out the whole place while one of us is gonna stay outside and keep an eye out for trouble, got it?"
"Okay, so who's going where?"
"Me and Numbuh 3 are goin' in. You'll be lookout."
"Huh, why do I gotta stay outside?"
"Cuz you ain't the sneakiest guy around, ya know that, right?" Abby's blunt reply irks Wally, but he bites his lip and nods.
"Aw crud…fine."
"Besides, if we run into trouble, it's your job to get us out."
"Now that I can do."
"Good, now let's move people. We ain't got whole day." The trio leave the park and walk across the street where they enter a side alley that leads directly to the mini mart. They sneak through the alley and stop behind two large trash cans. "Numbuh 4, you stay here and watch the entrance and the parking garage. We're gonna head inside."
"Okay…be careful guys."
"You too, Numbuh 4." Kuki smiles to him as the girls swiftly run across the street and arrive at the Mini Mart door.
"Alright Numbuh 3, follow my lead and no matter what, don't touch anythin'. Numbuh 5's gotta hunch that this whole place is booby-trapped like crazy." Abby whispers as she fully activates her armor while Kuki puts on her mask.
"Okidoki." She replies as they go through the doors. While the place looks like a normal mini mart, similarly to a KND Treehouse, every nook and cranny of the building is filled with hidden doors, cameras and security systems that can detect any intruder, however, Abby and Kuki hold two advantages that allows them to evade the alarms: Their stealth cloaks and the fact that the security system only reacts to people under the age of 13. Abby, being 16 and Kuki being 14 means they can't be detected at all.
They sneak through the eerily empty aisles until they arrive at an "Employees Only" door. "Just like Numbuh 5 thought. The entrance is right behind this door. Cover me while I deal with this lock." She uses one her armor's claws to pick the lock while Kuki looks around the building, which has a single teen cashier sleeping behind the cash register.
Outside, Wally has also activated his armor and looks around for anything unusual, though his concentration begins to slip.
"Bein' a lookout is sooo boring…Huh?!" He notices a burgundy saloon car approaches the mini mart but it drives past it and enters the parking garage. Then, a few seconds later, three people walk out of the building and Wally immediately recognizes the first person, wearing a black trench coat, burgundy boots, a burgundy beanie on his head and a muffler over his mouth.
"Wait a second…that's that cruddy Numbuh 206…" However, all of his attention is turned to the person behind him, who's mere presence makes his blood boil.
"I should've guessed you're here, Ernie…" He clenches his fist as he glares at the slouch hat-wearing, strong jawed teenager. The former leader of the bullies, Ernest and Wally have history with each other as Wally fought in both of Ernest's Bully Fighting rings, first as 10-year-old and then as a teenager, where he earned his Teen Villain moniker 'Matador'. However, the two held nothing but hate towards each other, as Wally despised Ernest for using him not once, but twice to hurt others while Ernest hated Wally for ruining his bullying business' not once, but twice.
Despite every fiber in his body wanting to attack the bully, he controls himself and amps up his armor's sensors to eavesdrop on the two.
"Let's make this quick, Slade. I got a football game in 10 minutes." Ernest says as he puts a lollipop into his mouth.
"Hey, calm down Boss. We just gotta pick up the new Battle-Ready Cycles the Nerd Troop delivered and we're done." The third, shortest teenager says with a slightly high-pitched voice.
"Yeah, yeah, but why do we gotta use 'em to protect some old man's buildings anyway? I say we attack the Elementary School with 'em instead."
"He's our boss, we gotta do what he says or else." The third one replies while former Numbuh 206 remains silent as they approach the doors.
"Oh crud! I gotta warn them!" Wally immediately calls Kuki on his communicator.
"Numbuh 3, some Ninja bigwigs gonna enter the mini mart any second!"
"What?! Okay, thanks." Kuki hangs up and sees the three boys walk into the mini mart, just as Abby unlocks the door.
"Gotcha! Come on Numbuh 3, let's go in before they notice." Abby pulls Kuki inside and closes the door before the three Ninjas walk through the gates.
"Hey, stop sleepin' on the job!" Ernest shouts, startling the cashier.
"Huh? Welcome to the "We Hate Kids" Mart…Oh, Captain Ernest, Special Trooper Slade, sorry about that. I uhm…lost concentration." The cashier says apologetically.
"Hmpf, be glad that we woke ya up. If the alarm had gone off, you'd be kissing your career in the Teen Ninjas goodbye." Ernest says coldly, causing the cashier to freeze in fear. "We're here to pick the new model Battle-Ready Cycles. Cree wants us to use 'em immediately"
"Oh right, understood, I…I'll just let you inside right away!" The cashier presses a button on his desk and a shelf slides away next to Slade, revealing an elevator door behind it.
"Good. Try to stay awake from now on. Those KNDorks might try to attack this place at any time." Ernest scoffs and leads the others in to the elevator.
…
Meanwhile, in the suburbs, the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.-S.O.O.P.R.E.M.E. approaches the Uno residence, its surroundings littered with the remains of the Treehouse, though most of it just unusable wreckage."Wow…it really is gone." Patton says as the ship lands on the street. Nigel then leads them out of the ship and they examine the rubble.
"And it looks like it's been scavenged thoroughly." Rachel says with a serious expression.
"Luckily for us, there wasn't anything useful left inside when we escaped. No, the reason why we're here is that there's something very important that I want to recover." Nigel walks to the front door and opens the door with his house key.
"Helooo?" He peeks inside and is immediately greeted by his father.
"Nigel old bean! I was wondering we're you'd gone."
"Sorry Dad, I was uhm…having a sleep over with my friends and we had so much fun I forgot to tell you…" Nigel tries to force a smile.
"Well, you should've told me if you we're having a sleep over at your friend's house. Your mother's been worried sick you know?"
"I'll apologize to her too…You don't mind if I brought some friends over?"
"Of course not, son. But I say, that was quite the storm yesterday. It even knocked down a tree on our yard."
"Yeah…I noticed…" Nigel replies stoically.
"Well, have fun with your friends. Just don't make too much noise, I'm watching a real cracker of a fishing documentary."
"Of course, Dad." Nigel then gestures to Patton and Rachel to enter the house. They both greet his father, Monty Uno and follow him to his room.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Patton says as Nigel puts his hand under his bed. Rachel meanwhile looks around his room and notices a small framed picture on his nightstand. The photo was taken when Sector V became the first KND Sector in history to complete their 1000th successful mission in a row. She herself is also in the picture, handing the Incredible Medals of Excellence to his team. It makes Rachel incredibly nostalgic and she feels like she could look at it all day, but her daydreaming is stopped by Nigel's victorious cry.
"Ahhaa, there they are!" He pulls a shoe box from under the bed and opens it. Inside, are his old J.E.T.A.B.O.O.T.'s. "I was wondering where I left these."
"Did we come here just to get those?" Rachel says as she puts the picture back on the nightstand.
"No, there's still one more thing I'll have to get. Leaving it here is no longer an option." A stern expression appears on Nigel's face as he places the J.E.T.A.B.O.O.T.'s onto his bed. He then walks over to his closet and opens the doors before putting his hand against the wooden back wall and it slides away.
"Follow me." he says sternly and leads Rachel and Patton through the door. Inside, they see another door but this one appears to be much older. Nigel grabs the door with both hands and pushes it to the side, revealing a deep, hollowed out section of a tree trunk and a metal slide that leads downwards.
"Uhm…was this a part of your Treehouse too?" Patton says as he peers over the edge into the darkness.
"No, this is much older, it dates back to the fifth age of the KND."
"Wow, really?" Rachel says in awe.
"Yes. Now, let's go down." Nigel jumps on the slide and disappears into the darkness.
"Well, uhm…ladies first." Patton remarks, causing Rachel to chuckle slightly and she jumps after Nigel, yelling the whole way down.
"WOOOOOOOO!" Eventually, she reaches the end of the slide and lands on a pile of pillows. "*whistle*, man, that was a fun ride. I felt like a kid again!" she says excitedly as Patton hits the pile as well.
"Damn, that was pretty wild." he gets up and looks around the dark room. "So, where are we now?"
"Welcome, to the Treehouse of Coolness." Nigel puts the lights on and his friends see an incredible sight before them: A large circular room filled with 2x4 technology equipment, weapons and gadgets from different ages and finally, located in the center of the room, an elevated section with a single lever next to it.
"Wait, THIS is the Treehouse of Coolness?" Patton shouts while Rachel can't believe her eyes.
"Indeed. I haven't been here since we left the KND, but now, there's something here that I…no, WE need." Nigel walks over to the lever and pulls it, causing the elevated section's top to open and a pedestal appears underneath it. Both Rachel and Patton immediately recognize the item sitting on the pedestal.
"Ah, I kinda guessed you came here for the Book of KND." Rachel walks over to the pedestal and looks at the fabled book. Within its pages, lie the stories of many generations of KND operatives, passed down all the way from the 1st age of KND.
"I thought the book was in the Moonbase's Sooper High Security Safe?"
"That is a replica. I wanted Nigel to keep it safe, since I wasn't sure even the Sooper High-Security Safe would keep it secure. That was probably one of my last orders as the Supreme Leader." Rachel says as Nigel walks over to the pedestal.
"A very smart decision. Just the thought of someone like Numbuh 1000 having this in his grasp makes me sick. Now, all we have to do is to take it and…" But as Nigel reaches for the book, his right hand is enveloped by the Silhouette Suit. "Dammit! No!"
"Nigel?!" Rachel comes to his side as Nigel's hand refuses to take the book.
"Fool! I see what you were planning! You wish to use the book to keep the Silhouette Suit under control! How predictable!"
"That's right! I won't let you control me anymore!" Neither Rachel or Patton can hear Grandfather's specter's voice, but they can see that Nigel is struggling to control the Suit, as it begins to cover his whole arm.
"What the heck is going on with his Suit?!"
"I knew it! You can't control it!" Rachel shouts as Nigel's right hand is enveloped in fire.
"NO!"
"Oh yes! You've done me a great favor by coming here! The Book of KND is within your reach but it makes no difference, since it will be reduced to ashes right before your eyes!"
"NO! Stop…don't…make…me…do…it!" Nigel grabs his right hand with his left, but the Suit starts enveloping his body as well.
"Rachel…give me the book! Hurry…!" Nigel pleads and Rachel immediately grabs the book and puts it in to Nigel's open left hand. The moment it touches him, his Silhouette Suit reacts and begins to warp and rip apart, causing Nigel immense pain. "ARRGHHH!" A bright light envelops the Treasure Trove of Coolness, knocking Nigel off the pedestal and on to the wooden floor.
"Nigel!" Rachel jumps down from the pedestal while Patton helps Nigel up.
"What was that all about?"
"Are you okay Nigel?" Rachel kneels down next to him and puts her hand behind his back.
"Yes…I'm fine…that pain was nothing…" he struggles to speak and sighs heavily. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect such a strong reaction…"
"Nigel, did you shouting yesterday evening have anything to do this?" Rachel looks at him with worry while Nigel has a pained expression.
"Yes…"
"You mind explaining to me as well?"
"Yesterday after the Treehouse was destroyed, I saw Nigel shouting at something in the leisure room and his Silhouette Suit activated by his own when I tried to ask what was wrong. I guess this is why he was doing it…"
"I didn't want you to worry, especially after what happened to Maurice."
"Please Nigel, tell me what's wrong? You really can't control the Silhouette Suit?"
"No…it was after when we were attacked by Numbuh 1000, I lost control of the Silhouette Suit when he gloated about you taking a hit for me…I just…snapped, and ever since then, Grandfather's specter has been tormenting me."
"Grandfather?! I thought he died right after Operation Father's Day?"
"Yes, he did, Numbuh Zeta…but his power is…in his words, eternal. At least as long as someone from his bloodline uses it…His power is fed by negative emotions and having no connections to other people. That's how I gained it when I served Father…I told myself it was necessary, to find the truth…I was driven by revenge, so I awakened it…Now that I've reunited with my friends and lost those negative emotions, it's fighting back."
"No way…"
"Nigel…"
"It happened again during the fight in the Treehouse…I almost killed three Ninjas...and then I snapped at you…I'm sorry Rachel…" To the surprise of both boys, Rachel gives Nigel a tight hug.
"It's okay Nigel…just promise me you won't hide this anymore. If we work together, we can get rid him eventually. You saw what the book did right?"
"It only suppressed it…I can never truly get rid of it…once it has awakened, it won't leave."
"There's gotta be some way? I mean, you did defeat him before, right?" Patton asks but Nigel stares at his right hand and closes it into a fist.
"Yes, but that would mean decommissioning…" Nigel says grimly. "However, that's not an option now! Since I have the book, it should keep the Silhouette Suit's influence in check, at least for now." Nigel puts the book into his back pocket and then stands up, albeit with some difficulty. "Okay, we have what we came for. Let's return to the ship and wait for Numbuh 5 and the others in the rendezvous point."
As Nigel tries to take step, his knee gives away, prompting both Patton and Rachel to grab him before he loses his balance. "Don't overdo it, Nigel."
"Yeah, after that, you gotta take it easy."
"I can't take it easy! Not until this is all over…"
"Just show us where the exit is, you just concentrate on getting your strength back."
"…right…Sorry…" Patton puts Nigel's right arm over his shoulder and Rachel does the same to his left.
"That lever over there, it opens the stairs back to my room…"
"Got it." Rachel nods and the three teens slowly leave the Treasure Trove of Coolness.
…
Back at the mini mart, Kuki and Abby have just barely escaped detection by Ernest and Slade and are standing in the staff break room.
"Uhm…this doesn't look like a secret hideout?"
"That's because it's underground, Numbuh 3. We just gotta find a way inside."
"Oh, leave that to me!" Kuki summons 3 ghost hamsters and orders them to the scour the area.
"Man, Numbuh 5 almost forgot ya could do that." Abby crosses her arms and surveys the rather inconspicuous break room.
"Find anything?"
"Hold on…oh, Wiggles found something!" A ghost hamster flies out of the broom closet and points at it.
"Heh, I thought so." Abby walks over the broom closet's door but instead of simply opening it, she fires a grappling wire into it, and charges electricity into the whole door.
"What are you doing?"
"These things have biometric scanners, just like in the TND base. I'm trynna shut it down…there, got it." She retracts the wire back into her gauntlet and slowly opens the door. Then she pushes the backwall gently and it slides away, revealing a steel ladder that goes both down and up.
"Okay Numbuh 3, come inside the closet and close the door. The biometric scanner's gonna start-up soon." Kuki does what she's told and joins Abby inside the closet.
"Now, let's head down." Abby jumps on the ladder and begins to slowly descend down, towards the Hideout proper, followed by Kuki. After what seems like an eternity, they reach the bottom. Abby touches down first and activates her right-hand heat laser guns, securing the area. The room they've arrived in is bigger than the break room and it contains a sofa, two easy chairs and a large TV. "Huh, this must be the real break room…"
"Ooh, that's a pretty big TV…" Kuki looks around and realizes that it resembles the living room they had in the Treehouse. "This place feels kinda familiar…"
"That's cuz many Ninjas are Ex-KND. They designed these Hideouts to be like the Treehouses. Now let's go. Numbuh 5's got a hunch the main room is just behind this door." Abby sneaks over to the door to her right and opens it slightly. "Coast is clear. Let's go." she lets Kuki walk out first and they enter a large balcony, over-looking a massive open area, that resembles an arena. The Hideout is tiered with each floor having its own, chaotic design with skate ramps, TV's, sofas, snack and soda bars and many doors that lead to other sections.
"Wow…so THIS is a Teen Hideout…"
"Yup, but don't get too comfortable. We ain't here to sight see." Abby connects the Signal Receiver to her B.R.A.'s visor and contacts the TND base. "Switchboard, this is Numbuh 5, do ya copy?"
"Loud and clear. We've got your video feed on the big screen. Make sure you're thorough and get as much data as possible." Numbuh Gamma replies while Eliza and Herbie look on from the Switchboard's observation deck.
"It's much bigger than their usual Hideouts…" Herbie crosses his arms and looks sternly at the screen.
"That means it's much more valuable to them." Eliza replies and they continue to watch on as Abby begins to scan the whole Hideout using the advanced Sensor Suite Hoagie had installed into her B.R.A. a month ago. As the data begins flowing to the Switchboard, Kuki nudges Abby.
"Numbuh 5, I think we're not alone…" She points at the very bottom floor of the Hideout as Ernest; Slade and their cohort enter the main room.
"That must be Ernest and Numbuh 206…Let's just get this over with and get outta here. Numbuh 5 ain't feelin' like fightin' those bozos." Then, she notices the massive computer located at the center of the bottom floor.
"There's the computer Numbuh Alpha mentioned…"
As they continue to scout the Hideout, Ernest and Slade stop in-front of the computer. As Slade begins to type, their cohort turns to Ernest. "So, have you seen that guy who took out your KND Slaves?"
"Nope. I bet he's hidin' somewhere since their Treehouse blew up. But I'll find him and make him pay. He owes me." Ernest clenches his fist.
"I'm just waiting for the day we can finally bring down the whole KND. Those snot-nosed brats think they can do whatever they want now that they've got that new leader."
"Kids are dumb. All they're good for is being punching bags." Ernest says as he spits out a plastic stick and stuffs a new lollipop into his mouth. "Hey, are ya done yet?" Slade doesn't answer but before Ernest can say anything, a familiar face appears on of the screen, causing Abby to freeze. It is none other than her sister, Cree.
"Commander, we've received the Battle-Ready Cycles on schedule. They're in the hangar and ready for use." The cohort salutes Cree, who looks at the Ninjas with an angry expression.
"Good, get them to McClintock High School and join up with the rest. Father wants every single nook and cranny of this town searched out and every member of Sector V captured, no matter what."
"Yes, as you command." All three kneel before her but she simply huffs and ends the call. Up on the balcony, Abby is shocked by what she heard and immediately contacts the Switchboard.
"Switchboard, did ya get that?"
"Yes, every word. It seems they want to start a large-scale hunt for your team. Alright, this is all the info we need. Now get out of there."
"Roger that, Numbuh Gamma." Abby disconnects the Signal Receiver and gestures to Kuki.
"Let's move. We're done here." Kuki nods and heads over to the room with the ladder. However, half way up, they receive a call from Wally.
"Uhm guys, we've gotta problem…"
"What do ya mean, Numbuh 4?"
"There's a whole bunch of high schoolers around the mini mart."
"Huh?! Where did they come from?"
"Just 5 minutes ago. How are you guys gonna get out there?"
"We'll figure somethin' out. Just make sure ya got the portal ready."
"Portal? Huh…Oh crud! I left it in the ship!" Wally realizes he doesn't have Portal Gun with him, infuriating Abby.
"WHAT?! Ya forgot it?! You gotta be kiddin' me!"
"I'm sorry, okay? I'll…I'll make it up to ya! I'll make a distraction or something!"
"Hey! Don't do anythin' stupid! Numbuh 4!" she can't hear anything from the other end and lets out an angry sigh. "Come on Numbuh 3, we gotta get to the surface fast, before Numbuh 4 gets into trouble." Kuki nods and uses her telekinesis to levitate both herself and Abby up to the broom closet entrance.
Outside, Wally watches on as more and more high schoolers drive to the mini mart's parking lot and gather around the building. While most appear normal, some are wearing Battle-Ready Armor.
"Okay, let's do this…" he steels his nerve and arms his weapons. Then, Wally de-cloaks, flies up and opens fire on the teenagers, sending them into panic.
"What is that?!"
"It's not one of ours, is it?!"
"Time to blow off some steam!" Wally's sudden attack takes both the normal high schoolers and the Ninjas by surprise. While the normal teenagers flee in terror, the Ninjas fully don their armor and open fire, but Wally's shields keep him protected from the laser barrage. He then switches to his Stupefier Cannon and starts stupefying any Ninja he gets in his sights, while continuing to move around, keeping their attention away from the mini mart. Inside the Hideout, Ernest receives a frantic message from the surface.
"Commander Ernest! Some crazy guy in a black and orange B.R.A. is shooting at the football team on the parking lot! We need help!" The call cuts off as the caller is stupefied.
"Looks like we've got a pest outside. I'm going out on the new Cycle."
"Wait for me Ernest!" his cohort runs after Ernest while Slade stays behind, seemingly ignoring his allies' blight.
Meanwhile, Abby and Kuki reach the broom closet and break through the door, activating its alarm. "Oh no!"
"No time to worry about that! Whatever Numbuh 4 did outside, it's workin'. Come on!" They rush out of the break room, into a mini mart, quickly filling with panicking high schoolers. Acting fast, Abby jumps over the teens with her jetboots while Kuki does the same with her telekinesis. They manage to get through the mini marts aisles and reach the front door. Using the panicking teens to their advantage, they slip through the door and are startled by what they see: Wally fighting more than ten Ninjas at once, though it's just them firing at each other. "Oh, for the love of…" Abby shakes her head as gestures to Kuki to follow her and they jump on top the building opposite the mini mart.
"Okay Numbuh 4, stop makin' a scene and let's go!" she shouts over the commlink.
"Huh? Alright, my distraction worked!"
"Yeah, yeah, now put your stealth cloak back on, we ain't got time to fight with these guys!"
"Oh, right." Wally disengages and turns invisible, fleeing the area with the girls. The Ninjas attempt to go after him, but due his stealth cloak, they lose him instantly.
"Dammit, that freak got away!"
Then, Ernest and his cohort drive out of the parking garage with their new model Battle Ready Cycles. "Where the hell is that guy?!"
"Captain, he escaped. Vanished into thin air, dude."
"WHAT?!" Just as Ernest is about grab the Ninja by his collar, he receives a typed message from Slade. "Hmm? Oh, is that so…"
"What was it, Boss?" His cohort asks,
"Hah, Slade located a KNDork ship 6 blocks away hiding in a truck yard. All of you, mount your bikes! We're goin' huntin'!"
"YEAH!" The Ninjas cheer and run to the garage.
Meanwhile, Wally and the girls are quickly making their way towards the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.-S.O.O.P.R.E.M.E. by flying over the rooftops.
"Did ya really have to draw their attention like that?"
"It worked, didn't it? They didn't see you guys! I had to do something you know!"
"Hey, quit it! We need to get to the rendezvous point!" Kuki points at the truck yard, where the TND ship is waiting. But then, a squadron of Battle-Ready Cycles, led by Ernest and his cohort in their new models, overtake them and dive at the idling S.C.A.M.P.E.R-S.O.O.P.R.E.M.E.
"Oh crud!" Wally shouts as they open fire on the ship. Aboard the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.- S.O.O.P.R.E.M.E., Rachel orders the ship to take off and return fire.
"Dammit, they must've detected us…" she says as the ship unleashes a hail of laser fire on the Cycles, which split up and swarm the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.
"No point in hidin' anymore you two, let's just get onboard!" Abby shouts and the trio de-cloaks below the fur ball.
"Hey, it's Numbuh's 5, 3 and 4! They escaped the hideout!" Patton points at the building directly under them, where Abby and the others are standing.
"Open the side door!" Nigel gets up from his seat and makes his way to the door.
"What are you doing, Nigel?!"
"We need to get them aboard! I can't just sit and watch!" Seeing his determination, Rachel nods and presses a button on her side of the cockpit console, opening the door.
Below them, Abby realizes something. "Aw man, how the heck are we gonna get up there? My jetboots ain't gonna make that distance anytime fast."
"Wally, can you take us there?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, of course I can!" Wally nods and activates his armor's High-Altitude Mode.
"Numbuh 5, get on my back!" Wally points at the empty space between his backpack's V-shaped wing boosters and despite some hesitation, Abby nods and uses another one of her B.R.A.'s features added in by Hoagie: magnetized touch, which allows her to hold on to nearly any surface without losing grip. She jumps on Wally's back and connect the soles of her boots to the wing struts, essentially standing on his back. Wally then takes Kuki into his arms and she wraps her arms around his neck.
"Aw, you guys look so cute." Abby chuckles while Kuki blushes slightly.
"Will ya just stay still?" Wally shouts and switches his leg thrusters from hover to flight mode and takes off. His approach is spotted by their allies and the Ninjas.
"Hey, there's that freak who attacked us!"
"Shoot 'em down!" Ernest orders the Cycles to fire at Wally, but Abby returns fire with her twin heat laser cannons, keeping the Cycles at bay while Wally aims at the open side door, where Nigel is waiting.
"Numbuh 5! You go first!"
"Gotcha!" Abby uses the added motion from Wally's armor's boosters to jump towards the door and flies inside using her jetboots.
"Okay Numbuh 3, let's go!" Kuki tightens her grip on Wally as he charges at the door, switching back to normal mode mid-flight. He then pushes Kuki forward and she levitates inside while Wally follows her, grabbing hold of Nigel's hand, who then pulls him inside. "Everyone's aboard, get us out of here!"
"You heard him, punch it!" Rachel tells the pilot who nods and applies full throttle, breaking away from the swarm and climbing towards cloud cover.
"After 'em! Don't let 'em get away!" Ernest roars over the radio and the Teen Ninja's Battle-Ready Cycles begin to pursue them.
Inside the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., Nigel helps Wally up from the floor. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Wally replies and stands up.
"Looks like you guys found some unwanted friends." Patton says from the cockpit.
"No thanks to Numbuh 4! How the heck did ya forget the Portal Gun?!" Abby points at the Portal Gun sitting on Wally's empty seat. He tries to talk back but he knows it was his mistake. "This was supposed to be a recon mission! We'd already be back at the base if you'd done your job! Why'd ya hafta to start a fight?!"
"I told you, I had no choice! Those Ninjas would've caught you red-handed!"
"Huh? We had it all under control! We could've easily sneaked out! Now we've got a whole horde of Ninjas comin' after us because of you!"
"Oh, so it's my fault?"
"Numbuh 5 wasn't the one who forgot the Portal Gun, AND, no one else got seen except you!"
"I was trying to help you guys out!"
"You should've just waited for us!"
"You said it was my cruddy job to get you guys out if anythin' happened!" Abby and Wally stare furiously at each other, but before neither can continue, Nigel and Kuki step in.
"This is no time to argue! What matters is that the data was successfully sent to the Switchboard and all of us are okay."
"Yeah, isn't that enough?"
"Yeah, but are you gonna lose these guys? They wouldn't be after us if Einstein over there hadn't made a scene! This ain't like before, Numbuh 4! We could lose our lives out there!"
"You think I don't know that?!" Wally clenches his fist while Abby crosses her arms.
"Doesn't seem like it! All you've been doin' today is start fights with everyone and mess things up!"
"Take that back!"
"I'll take it back when you start takin' this seriously, Numbuh 4!" Abby uncharacteristic outburst shocks everyone, but Wally stands his ground.
"I AM takin' this seriously! A lot more than you!"
"What did you just…say?!" Abby grabs Wally by his armor's collar while Wally grabs her wrists.
"You heard me!"
"You did not just say that! You..did not...just...say THAT!"
"ENOUGH! Stop this right now!" Nigel tries to pull Abby away from Wally while Kuki does the same to Wally as they stare furiously at each other. However, before they can do anything else, behind the ship, Ernest's forces catch up to them.
"Time to open that hunk of junk up!" He flips a switch on his right-hand joystick and a long-barreled heat laser cannon folds out from beneath his Cycle, its barrel extending forward. He quickly takes aim and fires a long laser beam directly at the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Reacting too late, the pilot turns to the left, causing the beam to strike directly at the left side door, blowing a hole into the ship. In an instant, Kuki, who was standing between Wally and the door, is sucked out of the ship.
"KUKI!" Without hesitation, Wally jumps out and dives after her while Abby and Nigel are thrown to the floor and can only watch as this happens.
"Huh...NO!" Abby stands up and runs to the gaping hole, but can't see either of her friends, who have disappeared into the clouds.
"No…NO! This can't…" her feet almost give away as Nigel pulls her back. He then covers his hands in his Silhouette Suit and fires a stream of fire at two Cycles that are attempting to shoot at them. Then Rachel runs from the cockpit to their side.
"They got us bad…"
"Not just that…Numbuh 3 got sucked out and 4 dived after her…" Nigel says grimly.
"What?!" Rachel can't believe what she's hearing and sees Abby on her knees on the floor, muttering to herself.
"No…not again…why…"
"Get a hold of yourself, Numbuh 5! Numbuh 4 has his flight armor. If anyone can save Numbuh 3, it's him." Nigel grabs her shoulders and tries to bring her to her senses.
Below them, Wally dives through the clouds, his armor's High-Altitude Flight mode activated. He can see Kuki right ahead of him but she's not moving. "Come on, almost there…" he mutters and reaches for her but then, he hears a loud bang and the booster in his right leg shatters, driving shrapnel into his leg.
"ARGH CRUD!" he grits his teeth and with his helmet's 360-degree-view visor, he can see two Cycles diving on him. To his anger, he recognizes Ernest's slouch hat despite the speed. "Son of a…" he mutters but prioritizes Kuki and applies full power on his remaining flight booster. Just as he is about grab her, Ernest fires, but his shot misses as a red and black jet fighter appears behind him and his wing man.
"What the hell?!" The jet opens fire with its nose-mounted laser cannons, hitting both Cycles and forcing them to retreat. Then, the jet flies past Wally, who has managed to take the unconscious Kuki into a firm hold. The jet pulls it's nose up, and transforms into a humanoid robot. It then grabs both teenagers into its left manipulator arm, wrapping its thumb gently around them.
"Urgh...huh?"
"Hey, you okay?" He recognizes the Spanish-accent immediately and for a split-second is about to curse at their savior, but then he shakes his head.
"I'm fine…but Numbuh 3's knocked-out. She got blown out of our ship."
"That was pretty brave of you to dive down like that, hombre."
"…"
"But anyway, we gotta get back to the base. No use hangin' around here."
"Hey, what about my friends?!"
"Don't worry, I had my wing men take care of those vultures. They're probably headin' back. Now, don't bite your tongue, hombre." The Kid half-transforms his jet by keeping the legs and arms out but the torso changes to jet form. He then turns around and flies back into the clouds as the remaining Ninja's retreat.
End of Transmission 22
Note: Reference time! Ace The Kid's fighter is based on the transforming, variable fighters from the Macross series, namely the VF-1 and the YF-19. I was debating what kind of plane should I give to Mr. Cool himself and in the end, decided to go with a Macross reference. The color scheme on the other hand was inspired by the "Rot" Squadron planes from Ace Combat Zero. (A real classic). It's also a contrast to Numbuh 4's armor color, which is black and orange.
We're right at the half-way point of the second arc and once it's completed, I can start releasing the third arc, since I finished re-writing and proof reading it. So stick around for more chapters.