Transmission 30: Fractured Witch
A few minutes before the quake, The Kid approaches the leisure room when he notices that the door is slightly open. As he is about to open it, two female TND agents walk past him.
"Hey, did you hear what happened in the briefing earlier?"
"No, tell me?"
"I heard that Numbuh 3 got jealous of Numbuh 4, because of how he's acted around that new girl, Numbuh 202."
"Really?"
"Yeah, supposedly Numbuh 4 confessed to her in front of the sleeping room."
"No way!"
Realizing that she might've overheard the whole conversation, The Kid quickly enters the room and slams the door shut.
"Hey, Kuki? You didn't hear tha…oh no…" Standing next to the sofa is Kuki, cloaked in the purple aura. Her medallion is flashing red and is also emitting the same aura. Her black hair is floating upwards and her eyes are glowing dark purple.
"Kuki…?"
"…where is she…" Kuki mutters as The Kid tries to approach her. "Where…IS SHE?!" She screams and black, red-eyed ghost hamsters appear from the aura surrounding her. They then fly into different directions as a telekinetic vortex begins to sweep through the room.
"Don't do it!" The Kid shouts but then, he is blasted through the door and into the hallway wall behind it, startling some agents who happen to pass by.
"Huh?"
"What happened…?"
"STAY BACK!" The Kid shouts as he stands up. Then, Kuki's face begins to resemble an oni and she hovers slightly, making the base shake in the process. Then, she teleports away.
"This ain't happening! I…I gotta warn the others!" The Kid heads towards the infirmary, as the tremors intensify.
…
At that very moment, in waiting room, Nigel, Abby, Hoagie, Rachel and Kimberley are unable to stand due to the intense shaking. Then, Kuki appears in the middle of the room, her furious appearance shocking her friends.
"Kuki? Is that…you?"
"No…KUKI!" Abby stands up but is pushed aside by Kuki's telekinesis.
"You…" She mutters and lifts Kimberley up and against the wall.
"Ahhh!" she screams as Kuki presses her against the wall, her eyes glowing with anger.
"STOP IT NUMBUH 3!" Nigel partially activates his Suit and tries to free her from Kuki's grip, but because he isn't using full power, it has no effect. "Dammit…"
"What…did Wally tell you…?"
"…huh?" The telekinetic force holding her makes it hard for Kimberley to respond.
"ANSWER ME!" Kuki shouts as burst of lighting erupt from her body, forcing the others to duck.
"Kuki, ya can't do this! She's not…"
"SHUT UP!" Kuki sends a telekinetic burst downwards, pressing the others onto the floor.
"It's not…what you…think…gah!" Kuki's telekinesis begins to hurt Kimberley, especially her injured left arm. Then, a voice is heard from the hallway that Hoagie and Kimberley came from.
"LET HER GO!" Charles shouts and attempts to tackle Kuki, but she effortlessly sends him flying into the wall behind Abby, knocking him out cold.
"Numbuh Tau-6!" Kimberley screams as Kuki increases the pressure.
"WHY WON'T YOU TELL ME?! WHY DOES EVERYONE HAVE TO LIE TO ME?!" Abby notices tears forming in Kuki's glowing eyes and tries to stand up again.
"Kuki, please…you gotta stop…we're your friends…"
"FRIENDS DON'T LIE AND PUSH OTHERS ASIDE!"
"Numbuh 3, you've got this all wrong!"
"HAVE I? THEN WHY WON'T SHE TELL ME?!"
"ugh…because…Wallabee wanted to tell it himself…"
"'WALLABEE'?!" Kuki screams and begins to choke Kimberley.
"NO, STOP IT KUKI!" Abby activates her armor and fires her grappling wires at Kuki, wrapping them around her, but she is unfazed and sends the wires back at Abby, ensnaring her with her own wires.
At the same time, Wally is slowly making his way through the hallway that leads to the waiting room door before shaking his head and straightening himself up. "Come on…pull it together…" he mutters but when he approaches the door, he can hear his friends shouting on the other side.
"KUKI, YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HER!"
"STOP!"
"Huh…Kuki? KUKI!" Despite pain all through his body, Wally starts to run and kicks the door aside. To his horror, he sees an out-of-control Kuki choking Kimberley, while his friends are unable to do anything else except beg for her to stop.
"OH CRUD! KUKI!" He shouts and runs towards her. Because she is so focused on Kimberley, she doesn't notice Wally approaching her and then, he grabs her from behind. "LET HER GO!"
"Wally? WALLY!" Kuki screams and tries to send him flying with her telekinesis but for some reason, it's not working. "LET…GO…OFF…ME!"
"NEVER! Stop hurtin' our friends! It's me you want!" Wally shouts as the telekinetic force around the room begins to weaken. At that very moment, The Kid reaches the other end of the hallway that leads to the waiting room and he can see what's happening.
"Dammit…I was too late!" He yells as he runs towards the room.
"DON'T TOUCH ME! I HATE YOU!"
"SO WHAT?! THAT'S NOT GONNA STOP ME! I'M NOT LETTING GO!" Kuki looks over her shoulder and sees Wally staring intensely at her. Then, she notices his bandaged head.
"…" Her expression changes and her telekinetic powers recede, freeing the others from her grip. Then, Kimberley, having lost her consciousness from the lack of oxygen, falls towards the floor, but luckily, The Kid arrives just in time to grab her before she hits the ground. As her friends stand up, Kuki looks around the room, and realizes what she's done.
"I…I…YAAAAHHHH!" she screams, creating another telekinetic vortex and puts her hands over her face. Abby realizes what she is about to do.
"No, she's gonna teleport!" Wally, who had been thrown to the floor by the vortex, stands up and right before Kuki disappears, grabs hold of her and they both vanish right before their friend's eyes.
"Wha…what happened?" A stunned Hoagie says.
"She…she lost all control…" Nigel mutters as he helps Rachel up while Abby collapses on her knees.
"This can't be happenin'…where did they go…?" Despair fills her eyes as she turns to look at Nigel and Hoagie.
"Hmm…Numbuh 2, can you track their communicators?!"
"Huh? Oh, of course! Just a sec…" Hoagie replies and takes out his 2x4 scanner.
"A little more…there! I've found them! They're in the forest above us!"
"Good. Rachel, can you take care of this?"
"Of course, leave it to me!" Rachel replies as other agents arrive.
"Thanks! Numbuh 2, Numbuh 5, let's go! We need to get to the surface!" His teammates nod and start to leave but The Kid runs after them.
"I'm comin' too! This whole thing is my fault too!" Nigel looks over his shoulder but then, smiles at The Kid.
"Alright, follow us."
…
Outside the base, somewhere in the forest, Wally opens his eyes. He is lying next to a large spruce, at the edge of a small opening.
"Ugh…dammit…Kuki? Kuki?!" He stands up and looks around. Then, he sees Kuki sitting in the middle of the opening, her head buried in her knees and her back turned towards him. The afternoon wind blows through the forest and the sun is slowly setting.
"Aw crud…Kuki? Uhm…can you…hear me?" Wally tries to approach her, but is instantly knocked off his feet by her telekinesis. "Ow…!"
"Go away…" Kuki mutters, still surrounded by the dark purple aura. But Wally gets back up immediately and tries again.
"Kuki, what the crud happened to you?"
"I said, GO AWAY!" She shouts and looks over her shoulder, towards Wally, who sees her eyes glow purple for a second before she knocks him down again.
"AAAH!" Wally rolls backwards as Kuki presses her head against her knees again.
"Crud…you can knock me down as much as ya want but I'm ain't givin' up, not until you hear me out!" He now runs towards her but she stands up and uses a more powerful telekinetic pulse that causes Wally to fall on his face.
"Why…why won't you just leave me alone? I don't want to talk to a liar like you!"
"That's why I'm not goin' anywhere! I know why you're like this!"
"NO, YOU DON'T! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! YOU DON'T HOW I FEEL!" She sends Wally flying against the spruce.
"Gah…dammit, you stubborn girl! Just let me talk!"
"SHUT UP!" Kuki shouts from the bottom of her lungs as she is enveloped by another telekinetic vortex while her medallion glows red and visible cracks start to form in it.
"Huh?" Wally notices this and stands up. "Kuki, you want to know about what happened to me in the dungeon, right?!" Kuki's eyes widen but she knocks Wally off his feet again.
"That's why you're angry, because I didn't want to tell you all the crap I had to go through back there! Well fine, have it your way! I'll tell ya every cruddy detail!" Wally quickly gets up and slowly approaches her.
"No…"
"They beat me!"
"No…stop…"
"They whipped me and tortured me with charcoal!"
"NO!" Kuki closes her eyes and knocks Wally once more but he refuses to give up.
"Those Teen Ninjas kicked me and used me as target practice!"
"I don't…no…NO MORE!" Every time Kuki pushes Wally away or knocks him down, he continues to stand up, his eyes filled with determination as he keeps telling her about was done to him.
Meanwhile, Nigel leads Hoagie, Abby and The Kid through a secret passage that exits from the trunk of a fallen tree, not far from the opening.
"They're close!" As they approach, they can hear Wally's gasps and grunts as Kuki tries to keep him away with her telekinesis.
"Over there!" The Kid points at them and tries to run towards Kuki but Abby grabs his shoulder.
"Wait, don't go!"
"Are you kidding me?! We gotta do something!"
"No, look." Nigel points at Kuki, who's telekinetic attacks are getting weaker. "He…he's wearing her down."
"Even Kuki's will ain't a match for that blockhead." Abby says as they keep their distance but The Kid clenches his fists.
As his teammates watch on, Wally refuses to give up, getting back up every time Kuki uses her telekinesis on him.
"…please…stop…I don't…I don't want to hear anymore…" She says with a shaky voice.
"I can keep going, Kuki! This is what you wanted to know, right?!"
"No…" Kuki mutters and sees Wally looking at her with an intense expression.
"Then what is it? Why don't ya tell me what you want?!"
"Huh?" Kuki's eye widen as the medallion starts blinking again and the cracks on its surface widen.
"You keep saying that I'm a liar and I'm the one pushing people aside! You're right, I did push you away, but that's just cuz I'm so cruddy bad at telling people how I feel! I didn't want you to know all that stuff, cuz I didn't wanna make you sad! I might be just a cruddy knucklehead who only knows how to punch, but Wallabee Beetles is NOT a liar!" Wally stomps his foot on the grassy floor and stares at Kuki who looks her hands and notices that her sleeves have been pulled back due her usage of telekinesis.
The scars on her wrists send a chill down her spine as memories of her first year in middle school begin to flow into her head: she was alone and she was bullied to the point that she tried to kill herself. The despair the swallowed her made her hate everything around her until she was reunited with her friends. But, the things people said about her stuck to her mind and she started to feel useless when she kept begin saved by the others and she couldn't help them in return. Her hands begin to shake and she looks back at Wally.
"I…I just…want…" Kuki collapses on her knees and wraps her arms around her shoulders. "I want…to feel…useful…I don't want to be…alone…again…" Then, her medallion emits a bright red light that fills the forest. "YAAAAAHHHH!" Kuki screams as the light condenses into a beam and shoots up to the afternoon sky. Then, the dark purple aura that surrounded her begins to float upwards and is sucked out from her while the medallion's black surface completely shatters, revealing a light purple crystal underneath. As the light fades, Kuki's eyes return to normal and she slumps forwards.
"KUKI!" Everyone shouts and run towards her but Wally manages to catch her first. The moment he does, he takes the medallion off of her neck and drops it to the ground. As her head rests against his right shoulder, her arms wrap around his back before she loses consciousness.
"Kuki, are ya okay?" Abby runs to her friends' side and puts her hand on her head.
"Woah…what the heck was that?" Hoagie ask as Nigel picks up the medallion.
"I'm no expert on magical items but I suspect all that pent-up frustration, pain and anger must've made the medallion corrupt her…like what happened to me…"
"Will you two stop caulkin' and come over here?! We need to get Kuki back to the base right now!" Abby shouts as Nigel and Hoagie come to Kuki's side as well while The Kid keeps his distance and while they aren't looking, kicks a tree.
"A whole lotta use you were…dammit…"
…
As Kuki is brought back to the base, Eliza is sitting in her quarters, assessing the damage caused by Kuki's rampage along with Rachel, who organized the immediate response.
"How bad is it?"
"Numbuh Omicron sent down some agents to the lower levels to see if the foundations were damaged but so far, nothing serious has come up."
"Okay, good…"
"How are Numbuhs Pi-2 and Tau-6 doing?"
"They're in the infirmary. Numbuh Tau-6 had a small concussion and Numbuh Pi-2 isn't in any danger either."
"Thank goodness." Eliza sighs and leans back on her chair as Rachel walks over to the door.
"If there's nothing else, I'm going back to work. We still need to do a double check on all systems and see if the base wasn't compromised."
"Alright, you do that. I know this might be hard to ask of you, but the sooner we can put this whole fiasco behind us, the better. We can't risk any more hold ups."
"I know. But Sector V is a mess right now. I hate to say it, but we've over worked them, even though what happened last night was totally by chance but still. We can at least put off the operation a few more days, right?"
"No, if we don't get Numbuh 1000 out of the picture, Father might hit back before we're ready."
"Fine…if nothing else, I'll start drawing up plans by myself…" Rachel salutes Eliza and leaves the room. Eliza shakes her head and turns to face her L.U.N.C.H.B.O.K.S. computer.
"Time is something we don't have…"
…
Saturday morning. Kuki has remained unconscious and is kept under constant watch in the infirmary. Her friends have visited her frequently but Wally and Abby have been by her side the longest, while Hoagie has begun working on the W.R.A.S.L.E.R. with Numbuh Omicron and the Science Section. Nigel meanwhile has joined Rachel and Patton in planning the Treehouse operation, which has fallen slightly behind schedule. To cover for their absences from school, the TND use special holoprojectors that their field agents place in their respective schools, that show an image of the missing student, keeping their attendance up. Thanks to this system, even Nigel and Abby, who are very serious about their studies, are able to keep their attendance.
As the sun slowly rises over the forest, Wally is in Kuki's room, sleeping against the wall opposite to her bed. He had insisted on being the last one in her room before the night fell. Suddenly, he is awoken by the sound of the door opening.
"mhm…huh?"
"I knew it! You spent the whole night here, didn't ya?" Abby hisses from the door with Hoagie and Nigel right behind her.
"Ah…oh, I must've fallen asleep or somethin'…" Wally mutters as he wipes his eyes into his wrist.
"Look, we know you're worried about her but ya coulda just come up to the tatami room like the rest of us." Abby says as she sits down on the small seat next to Kuki's bed.
"Yeah, yeah…ow my back…" Wally replies lazily as he stands up.
"She's still sleeping…" Hoagie whispers to Nigel, who nods as Abby puts her hand over Kuki's left hand.
"Come on girl, you gotta pull through this…" she looks at her friend with a pained expression as Wally joins them.
"How long is she gonna stay like that…?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Numbuh 2. Whatever that light was, it must've done something to her. For all we know, she could be in a coma…"
"Don't say that, Numbuh 1! She ain't gonna get any better if ya keep thinkin' those things."
"Calm down Numbuh 5, I was merely speculating." Nigel replies and notices Kuki's cellphone and her medallion on her nightstand. "There's just one thing that puzzles me…where did she find this medallion? She never mentioned it to us."
"I thought she brought it with her from the hamster underworld or something…"
"That wouldn't make sense, Numbuh 2. From what we've seen, this necklace can summon ghost hamsters, so it would be possible that she went there with this." Nigel takes the medallion and studies it. Its outer shell is gone and the crystal within is much smaller than the medallion used to be.
"Hey, you guys remember that were-dog incident with Mrs. Thompson back in 4th grade?"
"Don't remind me, Numbuh 2…Numbuh 5 still gets the creeps just thinkin' about it…"
"Didn't she have a medallion too?" Wally asks as he eyes the trinket.
"Yeah…you're right, Numbuh 4. But that was a cursed amulet or somethin'. This thing packs a way bigger punch than hers did."
"Indeed. We'll just have to wait until Numbuh 3 recovers to know the real answer." Nigel says solemnly as they turn their eyes on the unconscious Kuki.
"I just hope she comes back soon…" Abby mutters but suddenly, the medallion begins to glow in a pink light. "What the heck did ya do, Numbuh 1?!" Abby shouts.
"Nothing…it just lit up by itself!" Nigel replies as the light intensifies. Its blinding glow feels warm and kind, as if something was embracing the teens. The whole room is swallowed in the light until it disappears in the blink of an eye.
"Wha…what the heck was that?!"
"Don't ask me, Numbuh 4! But whatever it was…it felt…weird…"
"Yeah, like a warm fire or something…"
"…uhm…"
"KUKI?!" They hear a feint groan coming from the bed and to their surprise and joy, Kuki's eyes begin to open.
"…huh…where…am I…?"
"Kuki, is that really you?" Abby leans closer to her friend as she smiles faintly.
"Abby? Of course, it's me, silly…how long have I been asleep?" Kuki says with a raspy voice and looks at her friends, who are all relieved that she has woken up.
"Since Thursday evening. You really scared us back there." Hoagie replies as Kuki turns her gaze at the roof.
"Oh…yeah…I remember now…" As the memories of the event flood back into her mind, her eyes begin filling with tears. "I…hurt you all…" she puts her hands over her face and begins to cry, prompting Abby to take her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry! I didn't…I didn't want to…"
"Shhsh, is okay, Kuki. No one's blamin' ya for anythin'. What's done is done."
"But I…I could've killed Numbuh 202…"
"Ya had no control over yoself. And she's fine, the TND doctors gave her the all clear already."
"Thank goodness…" As Kuki weeps against Abby's chest, the boys nod at each other and silently leave the room.
"I…have to apologize…to everyone…"
"You can do that later, right now, you need to rest. That big mission is comin' up and we ain't gonna do it without ya."
"Okay…sorry…"
"Why are ya apologizin' to me? I told ya, we're cool."
"But…" Abby doesn't reply and pats Kuki's head as she continues to weep.
...
As Abby continues to keep Kuki company, the boys have left the infirmary and are boarding an elevator.
"Uhm, are you sure you didn't want to stay with her?" Hoagie asks Wally as the elevator goes down to the 37th floor.
"No…I'm not ready to face her yet…" Wally replies solemnly.
"Oh, okay…"
"We understand, Numbuh 4. Take your time." Nigel says while they exit the elevator.
"Uhm…guys, I gotta come clean with you…"
"What do you mean?"
"Can we…go somewhere private? I don't wanna keep this from you guys anymore…" Wally fidgets slightly.
"Okay, lets' find someplace where we won't be bothered." Nigel replies. The trio finds an empty room close to the Science Lab's entrance and enter it. As Hoagie closes the door, Wally sits down on a chair and leans on his elbows.
"So, what is it?" Hoagie asks, causing Wally to sigh heavily.
"It's the thing I told Numbuh 202 or whatever her codename is now…I asked her not to tell anyone because I wanted to break the news myself…" Nigel and Hoagie notice that Wally is shaking.
"News?"
"I…I'm movin' back to Australia when school ends…" Wally blurts out the words he has dreaded to say ever since his parents told him about it on Wednesday evening. As he looks up, he sees the stunned faces of his teammates.
"Wha…you're kidding me…"
"It's true…dad's boss sent him to his company's branch office or something and it's in Australia…" Wally clenches his fists.
"That…that's just not fair! You can't just…leave…" Hoagie shakes his head in disbelief as Nigel crosses his arms.
"And there's nothing that can be done about it, right?"
"If there was, I'd do it myself! Aw crud…and I just got back together with you guys…" Nigel then walks over to Wally and puts his hand on his shoulder.
"When did you hear this?"
"On Wednesday, after I flew Kuki home…"
"I see…but, even if you leave, that doesn't mean we won't be friends."
"Yeah but…I won't be able to see you guys anymore…" Wally grits his teeth and tries his best to keep himself from breaking down.
"We can come and visit you anytime, isn't that right, Hoagie?"
"Huh? Yeah of course! Just give me a call and I'll fly there with the W.A.S.P.!"
"And, since we have Hoagie's Portal Gun, we can always put a portal in your room and come visit you that way too. So, it's not a goodbye." Wally lifts his head as Nigel gives him a reassuring smile.
"Really?"
"Absolutely! Heck, once summer vacation starts, we'll come there every day! You can count on it!" Hoagie pats his friend in the back as Wally makes a sigh of relief.
"So, don't worry about it. Right now, there are much bigger problems that we have to deal with first."
"Yeah…you're right Nigel…we still gotta kick both Numbuh 1000's and Father's butts!"
"Exactly. Now come on, let's go to the Science Lab and I'll show you the progress we've made on the W.R.A.S.L.E.R." Hoagie helps Wally up and the three teens bump their fists together. Hoagie then opens the door and leads his friends to the Science Lab, where they are greeted by Numbuh Omicron, who is sipping on a cup of coffee.
"Good morning Numbuh 2. I see you've brought your teammates with ye."
"Yeah, we just came here to check on the W.R.A.S.L.E.R. I mean, Numbuh 4's gonna be the pilot so…"
"Of course, head on in to the test hangar, Numbuh Eta-4 will tell you more."
"Thank you, Sir." Hoagie salutes the Science Chief and so do Nigel and Wally, while Numbuh Omicron does the same. Hoagie then presses a button next to a reinforced steel door and gestures his friends to follow him inside the test hangar.
"Woah…" Wally's jaw drops as they see the giant robot, or at least it's legs and internal frame.
"You've actually done this much in just a day?"
"Yup, making those blueprints was a piece of cake AND, thanks to my Portal Gun, we did a little raid to the local junkyards and got some more supplies."
"Very impressive, Numbuh 2." Nigel nods as Wally notices somethings unusual about the machine.
"Hey, wasn't that thing supposed to be bigger?"
"Ah, about that, we decided to make it a bit smaller. That way, it's way more mobile and energy efficient."
"But wasn't the whole point of that robot to be big?!"
"Calm down, Numbuh 4. Trust me, the T.S.-W.R.A.S.L.E.R. is gonna knock those cannons down no problem."
"Besides, a machine is only good as its pilot, isn't that right, Numbuh 2?" Nigel smirks slightly as Hoagie nods.
"Hah, true that. So, it's up to you to get the best out of it."
"Are ya doubtin' me?! I could take those things down by myself!"
"Yeah, I don't think that's possible." Ted joins the conversation, wearing a set of protective goggles and a lab coat over his yellow shirt.
"What did ya say?!" Wally glares at the former KND Science Chief, who shrugs.
"It's just a fact really, that cannon array is heavily defended and you need to have a silk touch to control this machine."
"Oh you are askin' for it!"
"Numbuh 4, enough! He's telling the truth. This mission will be nothing like we've done before and you need to be prepared for it as well."
"Yeah, yeah…" Wally huffs and puts his hands into his pockets.
"So, how's it looking, Numbuh Eta-4?"
"Well Hoagie, we've got the leg units ready and Numbuh Pi-2's team is finishing the arms. All we need after that is to figure out how to make a working tandem cockpit."
"The Carousel Command Center is too big, isn't it?" Hoagie crosses his arms while Ted nods.
"Yeah, about that, I was thinking we could put the cockpit into the torso instead? That way, if the head is hit, the machine won't fall apart."
"Of course!" Hoagie snaps his fingers as Wally nudges Nigel.
"This nerd talk is driving me crazy; can't we go and get something to eat instead?"
"Heh, you have a point. We're not of much use here right now. Numbuh 2?"
"Yeah?"
"Me and Numbuh 4 are going to go eat breakfast."
"Oh, okay. I'll catch you guys later."
"Okay, see ya." Nigel waves to Hoagie, who stares intensely at a holograph of the mech.
"Wait! Numbuh 4, once we've got the cockpit figured out, I need you here, so we can test if it works, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Wally replies over his shoulder as he and Nigel leave the hangar. They go up to the 10th floor where they bump into Patton, who has just finished eating his breakfast.
"Hey guys, you're up early."
"Sleeping well isn't something we've been able to do lately." Nigel replies.
"Yeah, I know that feeling. This has been one hell of a week. Anyway, I'm headin' up to the training center in the 20th floor. Those new Combat Force agents aren't gonna improve themselves if I'm not keeping an eye on them."
"Wait, you've got a training center?"
"Heh, I guess you weren't told about it, Numbuh 4. Well, when you feel like it, drop by. We could always use help with training." Patton says as he walks away.
"I gotta check that place out. Since we lost the Treehouse, I haven't had any place to train."
"Good point, Numbuh 4. I may have to come there as well. Since I've relied so much on my Silhouette Suit, I've gotten a bit out of shape.
"Hah, you outta shape? Never thought you'd say that."
"Indeed." Nigel chuckles at Wally's comment as they enter the cafeteria.
…
Later, as afternoon arrives, Wally is coming back from the training center, having tested himself against the other members of the Combat Force and winning every sparring match except against Patton, which ended in a draw, and bruised hands. He yawns loudly as he boards the elevator and goes down to 31st floor. As he passes the hangar entrance. He takes a look inside the hangar which is sprawling with activity, as the base's fleet of 2x4 ships and Battle-Ready Cycles are going through repairs and upgrades. Then, he hears someone mention his name. "Numbuh 4?"
"Huh?" Wally turns around and to his surprise, Kimberley approaches him from the hallway that leads to the infirmary.
"Numbuh 202? What are you doing here?"
"It's Numbuh Pi-2."
"Oh, right, sorry."
"I uhm…had a chat with Numbuh 3."
"Ah, right…you're not uhm…angry at her?"
"Of course not, but she did apologize like 50 times."
"Then I'll apologize too. I should've kept my mouth shut back then…"
"It's okay. You couldn't have known she was listening in. So, don't worry about it." Kimberley comes closer and gives Wally a dead arm.
"OW! What the crud was that for?!"
"I'll let you think about that yourself, Numbuh 4." Kimberley giggles slightly and walks towards the hangar. As she disappears into the crowd of mechanics and pilots, Wally rolls his eyes.
"Stupid girls and their cruddy…stupid…" Wally mutters as he heads towards the infirmary. Inside, he starts looking for Kuki's room and knocks on the door, poking his head in as well.
"Uhm…Kuki?" He whispers and notices that she's asleep. Wally sighs and is about close the door when he hears her talk in her sleep.
"…no…don't go…"
"Huh?! How the crud does she…?" Wally shakes his head and enters the room, but instead of sitting on the stool next to her bed, he walks over the wall opposite to it and leans against it, his hands deep in his hoodie's pockets. As he watches over her sleeping form, it takes him back to their time in the KND, 5 years ago, when they were 10. Back then. they didn't have a worry in the world and they didn't have to think about the future or make difficult choices, since they'd just be decommissioned when they became 13. "What the crud am I doing here…"
"Wally…" Kuki mutters, still fast asleep. "I'm…sorry…"
"Haah…why are you apologizing'? I'm supposed to do that…"
"Huh?" Kuki's eyes slowly open and she sees Wally standing opposite to her bed.
"EH! Wally?! When…when did you…?!" she is so surprised by his presence that she almost falls out of her bed.
"Will ya calm down?! Sheesh, you're still recovering…" Wally looks away as Kuki moves her pillow slightly and sits on her bed.
"Oh…sorry…"
"Ya don't have to say that all the time…Uhm…are ya feelin' better?"
"Uhm…yeah, just a bit tired, that's all…" Kuki blushes slightly and stares at her lap as Wally scratches the back of his head.
"Well, at least you're not unconscious anymore…Uhm…Kuki, I gotta tell you something…"
"Eh?!" Kuki flares up, not knowing why she's reacting that way. "But first, I…aw crud…I'm sorry! This whole thing was my fault!" Wally bows his head, surprising her.
"I shoulda just come clean after we got out of that cruddy prison but I…I didn't know how to tell ya…and that's why you went crazy…"
"No, it wasn't your fault…don't blame yourself for it…I…I just misunderstood the whole thing…"
"Huh? Misunderstood? What do ya mean?" Kuki looks away, Wally's reaction reminding her that he's not the brightest tool in the shed.
"Oh, right…you don't know…then it's fine, forget I said that…"
"Hey, stop dodging my question! What am I supposed to know?!" Wally becomes frustrated as Kuki continues to look away.
"I said it's nothing!"
"Well, that's not what your face is saying!"
"Sh…shut up! If you can't figure it out yourself, then it doesn't matter!" Kuki shouts, her face bright red.
"Aw for the love of…fine, have it your way!" Wally huffs and looks away while Kuki crosses her arms and looks away as well.
"Stupid Wally, why can't you take a hint…?" Then, awkward silence fills the room as both teens refuse to speak to each other, but to Kuki's surprise, Wally isn't storming out of the room, like he normally would if they had an argument.
"Gah, this isn't going anywhere!" Wally shouts and walks back and forth, shaking his head. Despite appearing to not care, Kuki can sense that he is trying his best to tell her something.
"Okay…pull yourself together, Beetles…you can do this…" he mutters, causing Kuki's heartbeat to increase as her eyes are drawn to him. Wally then takes a deep breath and hits his cheeks.
"Alright…here goes…" An odd sensation fills Kuki's entire body, as she stares at Wally, her brown eyes following his every move.
"Kuki…there's something really important that I wanna tell ya and it can't wait any longer…"
"…yes?" A smile starts to form on Kuki's face but then, she sees that Wally is neither blushing nor is his expression the one she expected. The warm, odd feeling starts to fade away and a sense of dread fills her instead.
"I…aw crud…I…I'm moving back to Australia when school ends…" Wally almost shouts the words out, his fist clenched and eyes closed. It feels like a heavy weight has been lifted from his shoulders but as he opens his eyes, he sees Kuki staring at him, her brown eyes slowly filling with tears.
"…what…?" Wally goes to her bedside and sits on the stool as Kuki continues to stare at him.
"I…wanted to say this earlier but I chickened out…I'm sorry…"
"You…you can't go…no…NO!" Kuki screams and presses her face against her knees.
"Kuki…aw crud…" While her reaction was something Wally was expecting, it still hurts him to see her like that and takes Kuki into a tight hug as she wraps her arms around his back.
"DON'T GO! YOU CAN'T LEAVE! WAAAHH!"
"I'm sorry ya had to hear it like this…"
"You promised you'd stay with me!"
"There's nothing I can do about it…Dad got transferred and…dammit…" Wally hugs Kuki even tighter as she presses her face against his left shoulder, gripping the back of his hoodie. "But this ain't a goodbye."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, Hoagie and Nigel promised that you'd all visit me in Australia when summer vacation starts."
"But we all agreed to go to the same high school together…"
"I know…and that's why I'm not gonna have any more regrets!"
"Eh? What…what do you mean?"
"I'm gonna do my best, for all of us! Before I have to leave, we're gonna defeat Numbuh 1000 and Father!"
"You…you're right, Wally…I'll do my best too…Just…don't…break your promise, okay?"
"I told ya, nothing's gonna separate me from my friends!" Wally looks directly into Kuki's eyes, his own eyes filled with confidence and determination, the same eyes that had time and time again, been there when she needed encouragement. Her grip loosens and she straightens herself slightly. As she lets go of him, Wally sees the scars in her wrists and grabs them with his hands.
"And, I promise that this never happens to you again." His thumbs press slightly on the scars as Wally looks into Kuki's brown eyes.
"…thank you…" Then, the medallion, which had been on the nightstand next to her bed, glows in a pink light, startling the teens.
"Hey, what the crud is that thing doing?!" Wally jumps up as the medallion starts floating towards Kuki. Her eyes start glowing pink and she goes into a trance-like state. "Wait, Kuki, don't!" Wally shouts as Kuki reaches for the medallion and the moment her finger touches it, the room is flooded in a bright, pink light. "What the crud?!" The light is so bright it not only fills Kuki's room, it also spreads into the entire infirmary, then the whole 31st floor, including the hangar and the Switchboard.
"What's going on?!" Herbie shouts as everyone in the Switchboard is blinded by the light. It then proceeds to fill the entire base, alarming the other members of Sector V.
"KUKI!" Abby shouts but like everyone else, is unable to see anything. Then, as quickly as it started, the light fades in an instant. Immediately after regaining her sight, Abby rushes out of the leisure room, where she was napping and bumps into Nigel, who was reviewing the Treehouse operations preliminary plans with Rachel who is also with him.
"Numbuh 5, did you see that light too?!"
"Yup, and I've got a hunch where it came from." Abby replies as they run towards the infirmary, passing dazed operatives.
"Kuki!" They shout all at once as Nigel opens the door. Before them is Wally, who fell on his behind when the flash happened.
"Numbuh 4, what the heck did ya do?!"
"Huh? Hey, I didn't DO anything! That cruddy charm of hers just light up all of a sudden!" Wally points at Kuki, who is sitting on her bedside, the medallion in her hands.
"Kuki, are ya okay?!" Abby rushes past Nigel and puts her hand on Kuki's shoulder.
"Eh? Oh, hi Abby." She replies as if the flash had never happened.
"What was that light? It filled the entire base." Rachel asks as she peeks over Nigel's shoulder.
"Oh that? Uhm…I'm not sure…I guess my great-grandma's good luck charm did it…"
"That thing's from your great-grandma?!" Wally asks as he stands up.
"Yeah, I got it from my grandma in Japan. She said my Great-great-great-great-grandma used it to heal people or something…"
"We were wondering about that earlier. Care to explain more?" Nigel eyes at Kuki, who takes the medallion and holds it from its thread.
"I don't know anything else about it…I just wore it as a good luck charm until one day I realized I could use magic…"
"I see. And that's how you came into contact with the ghost hamsters?"
"Uhm…that's right…"
"So, my hunch was right. Well, I'm glad that the flash wasn't anything serious."
"Hey…did Numbuh 4 tell you about…you know…"
"Ah…yes, he told us this morning." Nigel nods at Wally.
"Told what?!" Abby stands up and looks at the boys with suspicion but before either can answer, Hoagie arrives, visibly exhausted.
"Haah…ugh…hey guys, what did I miss? I saw that pink light and I immediately thought it came from here."
"You guessed right. But don't worry, it didn't do any damage or such, right, Numbuh 3?"
"Yup…"
Hoagie can sense the tense atmosphere in the room. "Uhm…are you guys fighting or something?"
"No, Numbuh 5 was just about to ask what Numbuh 4 told you guys and didn't tell me." Abby crosses her arms and glares at Wally.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell ya." he sighs and explains to Abby about his up-coming move to Australia.
"Huh? You gotta be kiddin'? Can't ya do anythin' about it?"
"Unfortunately, it's impossible at this point. However, Numbuh 2 and I agreed that we'd visit him as much as possible during the summer break, right?"
"Heck yeah!"
"I'm coming too!"
"Heh, you've always got a plan ready, Numbuh 1." Abby smiles slightly but notices that Wally is not happy at all.
"Numbuh 4?"
"It's just…it's not fair! After all these years of bein' alone and going through all that crud, I get to be with you guys again and then I gotta leave…" Wally clenches his fists in anger as Abby puts her hand on Wally's shoulder.
"I know how ya feel, Numbuh 4. But don't worry, just cuz you're in Australia, doesn't mean we won't stay as friends."
"Yeah but…it's not the same without you guys…"
"Look, we can think about that when the time comes, but right now, we've got bigger problems to deal with, right?"
"Numbuh 1 said the same thing…"
"Then ya know the answer, Numbuh 4." Wally smiles weakly and straightens himself.
"Alright! I'm gonna go back to the training center and train!" He shouts and marches out of Kuki's room, not noticing that the bruises in his hands have completely healed.
"Wally?!" Kuki tries to stop him but he has already disappeared into the corridor.
"Don't worry Numbuh 3, you can talk to him again later. You should just keep resting for now."
"Numbuh 1's got a point. If ya want, Numbuh 5 can keep ya company."
"Okay…" Kuki nods but she would've wanted to spend more time with Wally. Of course, she can't tell that to her friends, especially Abby.
"Well, we won't bother you anymore, since that flash was nothing after all. Let's go, Numbuh Epsilon, we've got more planning to do."
"Alright. Take care, Numbuh 3."
"Thank you…" Rachel waves to Kuki as she follows Nigel out, leaving Hoagie to stand awkwardly in the entrance.
"Oh…uhm, I guess I'll head back to the lab…that's right, Numbuh 3, I know this isn't the right time to ask but…we still need a co-pilot for the T.S.-W.R.A.S.L.E.R. so…"
"Numbuh 2, can't ya wait until she's recovered to ask about that?" Abby eyes Hoagie disapprovingly.
"But I need to know sooner than later! We've still gotta build the cockpit and we can't do it unless we know who'll be the co-pilot…"
"I'll do it." Kuki replies firmly.
"Kuki, are ya sure? Didn't ya say you didn't want to?"
"That's because I misunderstood Wally. I'm not gonna just sit and watch as you guys prepare by yourselves! Besides, you need someone who has experience using a mech."
"Well yeah, I mean, you where the pilot of the H.I.P.P.I.E.-H.O.P. Come on Numbuh 5, have some faith in her."
"It ain't about that! Kuki, you just woke up after sleepin' for two days. I'm just worried about ya, that's all."
"I know, but I made a promise to myself that I'm not gonna be a burden ever again! I'll do it, and that's final!" Kuki crosses her arms and stares furiously at Abby, who shakes her head but then smiles.
"Heh, fine, since ya put it that way." she stands up, surprising Kuki.
"Numbuh 5?"
"Sorry, Numbuh 5's gotta so some thinkin' of her own…but I'll come see ya later, okay?"
"Okay." Kuki smiles at Abby, but somehow, she finds it hard to smile back and walks out. Hoagie waves at Kuki and closes the door. Now by herself, Kuki lies in her bed and stares at the roof. She takes the medallion into her hands and presses it against her chest and closes her eyes.
"I won't be useless anymore! Great-Grandma, sorry I used your charm to hurt others…I promise I'll use it how it was meant to be used…I'll protect everyone…"
End of Transmission 30