Transmission 36: Longs Odds
The massive battle around the Point Hill rages on. Despite their numerical superiority, Father's Ninjas have been unable to break through the TND's air defense. Their first waves of Octopaddlers have been reduced to scrap metal while the TND's ships and Cycles have taken their toll on the Ninja's own air units. However, because of their Delightfulization, the Ninjas are much more organized and continue to press on, despite the mounting Cycle and Van losses.
"How many cruddy Cycles did they send here?! They just keep coming!" Wally shouts as he shoots down more and more Cycles, but Ninjas immediately bring out more.
"Father really wants his hands on our base. And when he wants something, he'll use any means necessary. I'm not sure how long we can keep this up…" Nigel says as Hoagie pulls the W.A.S.P. into another climbing turn, avoiding the enemy's fire.
"Tell me about it! I've lost count of how many we've shot down!"
"6 Cycles coming from behind us!" Virginia shouts, pointing at the red dots on her radar screen.
"You heard her, Numbuh 2. We need to keep moving!"
"I know!"
Suddenly, something else appears on the radar screen. "Uhm…I'm seeing a big…thing flying at us…it's really fast!" Nigel, Kuki, Wally and Hoagie immediately realize what's happening.
"It's V2's C.L.A.M.M.A.H.! Numbuh 3, relay its projected course to everyone else. Numbuh 2, evasive action!"
"On it!" As Hoagie dives to the deck, Kuki sends the projectile's target coordinates to the TND fleet and the base, causing everyone to disengage the Ninjas and dive down, out of the C.L.A.M.M.A.H.'s range.
"Get us down, now!" Patton shouts as Tommy likewise puts the huge K.O.L.O.S.S.A.L.I.N.E.R onto the deck, just as the deafening boom of the Array's projectile is heard. The shell flies through the aerial battlefield, catching the Ninjas by surprise, taking out nearly half of the Cycles and Vans that were, just a few seconds ago, overwhelming the TND. But before anyone can recover from the attack, the sky above them begins to glow red.
"What the crud is that?"
"It's the KND's orbital heat laser! Evade!" Then, the red and yellow beam strikes the hill, like a huge sword and sweeps 45 degrees westwards before fading away. As the dust cloud created by the laser dissipates, Patton watches in shock as multiple TND ships and Cycles crash into the forest below, their crews struggling to climb out of the wreckage.
"Dammit…"
"Numbuh Zeta, we've lost contact with Numbuh Lambda's squadron!" Numbuh 58 informs Patton, who grits his teeth.
"I see…reroute the remaining 2x4 ships to recover the crews! I won't let anyone get caught by Father!"
"Roger."
"Agent Vigilante, move the Young Rebel over our agents and cover them!"
"Aye, aye!" Realizing what's happening, Nigel stands up and starts giving new orders.
"Numbuh 2, we need fill the K.O.L.O.S.S.A.L.I.N.E.R.'s place. Move us to the front of the formation."
"Got it."
"Numbuh 23, keep us posted on anymore incoming C.L.A.M.M.A.H.' shells."
"Okay!" While Hoagie steers the ship into position, back at the base, despite being knocked off their feet by the laser attack, Rachel and the other Chiefs quickly get ahold of the situation.
"Status report!"
"We nearly took a direct hit. That laser was only a few meters from hitting the subterranean armor." Herbie says as he receives reports from damage control.
"Numbuh Omicron, are we ready?!"
"Almost done, Commander. We just need to activate the Sodarium reactor and we're ready to go."
"Hurry up, we won't survive another attack like that!"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Numbuh Gamma, sound out the alarm. We're initiating Magnum."
"Understood, Commander." As the Intelligence Chief presses a big red button next to Herbie's keyboard, Rachel puts her hand on a biometric scanner on the commander's seat's right armrest.
"Identity confirmed."
"Initiate Emergency Protocol: Magnum."
"Affirmative. Sodarium Reactor start up confirmed. Now commencing Emergency Protocol: Magnum." Suddenly, the entire base begins to shake violently as agents rush to their assigned assembly areas. Airtight doors close around the base while its entrance tunnels retract from the surface back into the base. Outside, Nigel is the first one to see what's happening.
"Look! The hill!" Everyone's attention is drawn towards Point Hill, which seems to shake itself apart. The forest begins to sink into the ground while the top starts to grow. Then, to their utter disbelief, the entire hill breaks off from the ground and starts to slowly fly upwards.
"Disengage forest camouflage!"
"Roger!" The forest that used to cover the hill disappears, leaving just the gas station standing by itself as dirt and gravel falls off the flying structure's surface, revealing a massive flying base, underneath it, made up of multiple buildings essentially sown together. The bottom hull of the craft is littered with thrusters and propellers while four massive, swiveling rockets are mounted on the craft's sides, two huge hangar doors on either sides and the upper hull has both a sealed super dome and an American Football field next to it.
Hoagie immediately recognizes the craft. "No way! That's the KND Gihugeacarrier!"
"Hah, I should've known! They must've rebuilt it after that whole treaty fiasco and turned it into a base! No wonder it felt so unnaturally big."
"We've been hiding in THAT?!" Kuki asks in disbelief while Wally is too shocked to say anything. Then, Rachel contacts everyone from the Switchboard.
"This is Commander Numbuh Epsilon, aboard the TND Gihugeacarrier, Wild Child. Emergency Protocol: Magnum is a success. All TND agents, return to base immediately. We will cover you."
A unified cheer is heard as the Wild Child begins to approach the still disorganized Delightful Ninjas.
"Activate all weapons!"
"Turret Network, starting up." Multiple twin-barreled turrets appear from the circumference of the Gihugeacarrier and open fire on the Teen Ninjas, who are forced to pull back, giving Patton and the others enough time to recover the downed agents.
…
Meanwhile, Numbuh 1000 and his followers are in complete disbelief at what they are seeing.
"Impossible! I thought Numbuh 48 Flavors destroyed that thing!"
"He did, but those teens must've rebuilt it…" Numbuh 105 says as Numbuh 1000 angrily hits his armrest and stands up.
"Get me Numbuh 090 on the line, right now!"
"Yes, Sir." A chipped communications operative replies and contacts Sector V2's newly appointed commander, Numbuh 090.
"S…Supreme Leader Numbuh 1000!" The 11-year-old commander hastily salutes his superior, who is visibly angered by what is happening.
"Why haven't you fired another salvo?!"
"Sir…we were just about to…"
"Then get on with it! This is our best chance to defeat those teenagers once and for all! I want multiple shots on that thing, right now!"
"Y…Yes, Sir! Right away Sir!"
…
Even Father, watching from his mansion, is not taking the TND's secret weapon's appearance well, especially since he had them on the ropes just a few minutes ago.
"You teenagers and your pointless resistance…When will you realize you can't win?!" He grips his armrests and his Silhouette Suit begins spewing embers.
"Hmpf, I didn't think they'd actually make it work." Eliza says coldly while crossing her arms.
"What is that?"
"Oh that? It's the TND's secret weapon. They repurposed the KND's old Gihugeacarrier for their own use. I'll be blunt, bringing it down is going to take a lot more Ninjas."
"I'll just have to send in the rest of them as well."
"You and your friends are NOT getting away this time, Nigel Uno."
As Father instructs his forces to commit everything they have against the Gihugeacarrier, the TND's 2x4 ships have successfully recovered their comrades and the Young Rebel's crew receive the good news.
"Numbuh Lambda's squadron is safe."
"Alright! Numbuh Xi-8, call back the Combat Force. Numbuh Xi-9, tell Numbuh Pi-2 to prepare the cargo bay for the troopers."
"Roger!" Numbuh 58 and 59 do as they're told and contact Charles and Kimberley respectively.
"Okay, guys, our job's done! Let's get back to the ship!"
"You got it, Boss!" The heavy troopers disengage and fly from the Octopaddlers, with Charles holding the rear, covering his team as one by one, they fly inside the K.O.L.O.S.S.A.L.I.N.E.R. Then, he turns around and goes to join his comrades, but just as he is about to enter the ship, a stray laser strikes his left jetboot, causing him to lose thrust.
"Ah, dammit!" he shouts as he tries to reach the open ramp, but his heavy B.R.A., combined with losing his jetboot, makes it impossible to stay in the air but he just barely manages to land on the ramp. However, because he lands stomach first, he begins to slip down the ramp.
"Oh no!" Kimberley notices what's happening and runs onto the ramp, managing to grab his hand before he falls off the ramp.
"Gah…come on…"
"Wha…what are you doing?!"
"Saving you, that's what!" But Charles is too heavy for Kimberly to pull by herself and she too is slowly being dragged off the ramp but, Charles' two friends rush to their aid and with their help, Kimberley manages to pull him back into the ship. "Haah…that was close!" she wipes her forehead as the ramp retracts and the bow doors close behind them.
"Uhm…thanks…"
"No problem." Suddenly, both teens are caught in each other's eyes but, their moment is interrupted by the chuckling Combat Force.
"Hey, Boss, save the lovey-dovey stuff for when we're back in the base!"
"Hah-hah-hah-haa!"
"Sh…SHUT UP! QUIT MAKIN' STUFF UP!" Charles shouts at his teammates, his face glowing bright red while Kimberley pulls down her welding mask to cover her own embarrassment.
The TND air units form up and retreat into the Gihugeacarrier's hangar, but the K.O.L.O.S.S.A.L.I.N.E.R., the W.A.S.P. and the "Valkyrie" stay behind to cover their ally's escape. From the bridge of their ship, Nigel and his team watch as the Gihugeacarrier begins to overwhelm the Delightful Ninjas, who have no answer to its superior firepower. Then, Virginia notices a familiar red dot on her radar screen.
"Another one's coming!"
"Numbuh 1000 isn't giving up either. Relay the info to the Wild Child!"
From the Switchboard, Rachel can also see the approaching C.L.A.M.M.A.H. shell, but this time, as per Numbuh 1000's orders, it's not the only one.
"Activate the D.E.F.E.N.S.E.-G.R.I.D.! Our ship is big but those C.L.A.M.M.A.H. shells will still hurt us!"
"Yes, Commander! Deploying shields!" In an instant, the first shell buzzes past the Gihugeacarrier, but it does fly directly through the Ninja's approaching reinforcements, knocking them out of the fight. As the second shell flies at them, radio tower-like devices spring up from the Gihugeacarrier's hull and point their antennas at the projectile, creating a half-sphere-shaped energy shield in-front of the ship. The shell strikes the shield head-on with such force that it pushes the massive carrier a few meters backwards and explodes, enveloping the Gihugeacarrier in a humongous cloud of smoke while the shockwave knocks down trees on the ground and what remains of the Delightful Ninja's air units fall from the sky. However, to the relief of the TND and to the disbelief of Numbuh 1000, the ship is unharmed.
"What's our status? Did we take any damage?"
"No, Commander, the D.E.F.E.N.S.E.-G.R.I.D. worked perfectly."
"Excellent. Numbuh Iota-3, once everyone is onboard, begin area egress and activate stealth field. We're leaving the Point Hill."
"Understood, Commander. What's our destination?"
"Just take us somewhere out of our enemies' sight. We'll think of our next move once we're safe."
"Roger that. Begin egress, activate stealth mode, full speed ahead." Herbie relays the orders to the agents sitting in the round table and the Wild Child starts to slowly pull away from the battle. As it begins to disappear behind its stealth cloak, the third C.L.A.M.M.A.H. shell flies harmlessly past it.
Inside the hangar, medics begin moving injured agents into the infirmary, including Numbuh Lambda a.k.a. Bartie Stork, who's squadron took a direct hit from the heat laser attack, but all of them escaped with slight or moderate injuries. The M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.- W.A.S.P. lands next to the K.O.L.O.S.S.A.L.I.N.E.R. and as he turns off the ship's engines, Hoagie lets out a loud sigh. "Wow, that was intense…"
"You said it, Numbuh 2." Nigel stands up and looks at his teammates and Virginia.
"Good work everyone. Even if we were short-handed, you all did well."
"So, what're we gonna do now?"
"Well, Numbuh 4, our plans have been pretty much thrown out of the window now. We'll just have to wait and see what happens next."
"Uhm…guys…if we left the hill…what about Bradley?!"
"Don't worry Numbuh 3, we can just pick him up from somewhere. He's used to being alone. Besides, you've got him on speed dial."
"Still can't believe she has that cruddy skunk on speed dial…" Wally mutters to himself as Kuki calms down but then, she remembers something else.
"Oh no! Numbuh 5! She doesn't know! And she left her communicator…" The boys look at each other and become equally worried as Kuki does but Nigel tries to lift their spirits up.
"Guys, I miss Numbuh 5 as much as you do, but it was her choice to leave. She'll come back, one way or another."
"Yeah, she better…" Wally crosses his arms while Hoagie looks sadly out of the ship's window. Virginia meanwhile has been in deep thought since the ship landed and stares at the radar screen.
"How did I do that? I don't remember ever seeing this thing…or any of these gadgets they're using…but…I know how to use them…wait…did I really lose my memories? Ugh…I can't remember…gah…!" Suddenly, her headache returns and she loses consciousness again, collapsing on her station.
"Huh? Virginia!" Kuki runs to her side and so do the boys, who notice her earring glowing again.
"Why's that glowing?"
"Good question, Numbuh 4. Numbuh Gamma mentioned something about "Erasure" radiation earlier…best not to touch that earring. Numbuh 3, we need to hand her over to the medics right away."
"Got it!"
Kuki takes her out of the ship with her telekinesis and places her on an empty stretcher. The boys exit the ship as well and are joined by Patton, Tommy, Sonia and Lee.
"Did she faint again?"
"Yes, unfortunately. But why? Could it be that her memory wasn't actually erased?"
"You'll have to ask Numbuh Gamma about that. He seemed to know about that stuff. Anyway, it's great that everyone's in one piece, for the most part. Numbuh Lambda's squadron got beat up badly by that laser attack."
"How badly?" Nigel crosses his arms and looks at the injured pilots being carried out of the hangar by the medics.
"We lost 20 2x4 ships. Most of them were old but our only S.C.A.M.P.E.R.-S.O.O.P.R.E.M.E. was among them."
"But we didn't lose any agents!" Sonia says cautiously.
"That's true, Numbuh Chi-3. You guys did a pretty good job back there." Patton smiles to his old cadets.
"What about me?! The Tommy was the one who flew the ship!"
"He meant you too, blockhead."
"I'm not a blockhead!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Hoagie ignores his little brother and starts walking away from the others, his head hunched forwards slightly.
"Numbuh 2, are going back to the lab?" Nigel asks sternly.
"Uhm…yeah, I gotta get back to work and…"
"I didn't want to do this, Numbuh 2, but I'm forbidding you from going into the lab for the rest of today."
"What?! But they need me! If I'm not there, the T.S.-W.R.A.S.L.E.R. is never gonna be finished!"
"Listen, we know you've been overworking yourself again. I didn't mention this earlier because of the circumstances, but you need to rest. I can't have you collapsing in the middle of a mission; do you understand? So today, just rest, okay?" Hoagie tries to protest but then backs away and sighs.
"Yeah…you're right…I just…I haven't been myself lately…"
"It's not good for you if you're tired all the time, Numbuh 2."
"I know, Numbuh 3…"
"Go and hit the zzz's already."
"Yeah, I'll do just that…sorry guys…" Hoagie smiles weakly and turns around again.
"Numbuh 2! Your scanner."
"Ah…oh right…here ya go." Hoagie throws his 2x4 scanner to Nigel who puts it in to his hoodie's pocket.
"I'll give this back to you tomorrow, okay?"
"You got it." As Hoagie walks out of the hangar, he slowly makes his way to the leisure room and collapses on a sofa. Some of the furniture got knocked around during the battle but he ignores the upturned chairs and buries his face into pillow.
"I can't dwell on this forever…she made her choice…dammit, then why did she have to say it like that?!"
As Hoagie tries to clear his head, the rest of Sector V along with Patton walk into the Switchboard, where Rachel is handing out orders left and right.
"Are we being pursued?"
"No, Commander. Scanners show nothing. But it looks like Numbuh 1000 is still hunting for us. Multiple heat laser signatures have been popping up here and there, but nothing else.
"He's firing blindly, trying to score a lucky hit." Nigel says, startling Rachel.
"Nu…Numbuh 1!"
"Yeesh, you look like you just saw ghost." Patton says jokingly as Rachel regains her composure.
"Hey, try putting yourself in my shoes. We've lost our commanding officer, hideout, and we're flying around without a destination. Frankly, I have no idea what we're supposed to do next…" Rachel sighs and leans back on her seat.
"We'll figure something out. Right now, I think we should lay low and plan our next move."
"Numbuh 1 is right, Commander. Now that Father has taken full control of the Ninjas, we don't have the same advantage we held before. We need to repair the damaged ships, get more supplies and re-arm."
"But what about the Treehouse op?" Patton crosses his arms.
"Once we've recovered from this battle, we can continue planning it. Attacking now, would be suicide." Numbuh Gamma replies while Rachel nods.
"I agree, there's no point in rushing at the Treehouse now. Numbuh Gamma, I want to re-establish our intelligence network and get agents out on the field ASAP. Information should be our priority right now."
"Yes, Commander. I'll speak with Numbuh Omicron about installing Stealth Units on Battle-Ready Cycles, so we can continue gathering data."
"Good, I'll leave you to it. Numbuh Iota-3, keep this course."
"Yes, Ma'am." Both agents salute Rachel and go their separate ways while Rachel turns on her seat towards Nigel and the others.
"But now Numbuh Alpha is on Father's side…"
"Not for long. Father won't get away with this…" Nigel clenches his fist slightly, trying to contain the hate he has for Father. Then, the Chief Doctor, Numbuh Mu, contacts Rachel.
"Commander, we've started treating the injured. But we've had to isolate Virginia Sims, because her earring is emitting "Erasure" radiation."
"What? Did she lose consciousness again?" Rachel looks at Nigel, who nods, along with Kuki and Wally.
"Numbuh 3 brought her to us. We can't do anything to her until that earring is removed, otherwise we'll risk exposure."
"Roger that. Contact Numbuh Omicron and Numbuh Gamma. They know more about the radiation than I do."
"Yes, Ma'am. Numbuh Mu, out." Rachel again sighs and stands up.
"You guys should get some rest. You've had a really though day."
"Heh, yeah, and it's not even 1 o'clock." Wally's comment lightens the otherwise tense mood and Nigel salutes Rachel.
"Then we'll do just that, Commander. Try not to overwork yourself either."
"I won't guarantee it." Rachel smiles slightly and watches on as her friends walk out of the Switchboard.
As the doors close behind them, Nigel takes a deep breath.
"I'm going to rest my eyes…I'll need to think some things through
"Then I'm gonna check on the injured." Patton says as he and Nigel go their separate ways, leaving Wally and Kuki by themselves on the hallway. They then go to the leisure room and as she sits down on a sofa, Kuki looks up at her friend, her eyes filled with worry.
"Uhm…Wally?"
"Hmm?"
"What's gonna happen to us now?"
"Dunno, but I know Numbuh 1's gonna come up with something."
"Yeah…I'm just scared…when is this fighting gonna end? We already lost Maurice, Abby left, Fanny's brain-washed and Eliza got Delightfulized…and now we don't have our hideout anymore…"
"But we're still here, right? There's no way I'm gonna give up after all the crud we've been through."
"I wish I had your confidence…" Kuki sighs and leans back on the sofa while Wally crosses his arms. He tries to encourage Kuki, but he too feels powerless and sits next to her on the sofa, leaning against his knees. Kuki then leans her head slightly against his left shoulder as they sit there in total silence.
…
At the Delightful Mansion, consumed by anger, Father launches a fireball across the throne room and roars.
"GRAAAA! Those pests! They're really getting on my nerves…Not even the full might of my new Delightful Ninjas couldn't bring them down…Ah, I'll need to rethink my strategy." He takes a deep breath and sits down on his throne.
"So, what do you want us to do now?"
"Well first of all, you're going spill the beans on everything you know about the Teens Next Door."
"Ooh, straight to the point? Well, I can give you some info, but I wasn't the with the most control over the organization." Eliza shrugs as her comment piques Father's interrest.
"What do you mean? Weren't you their leader?"
"Hah, I was just a base commander. The one with the real power within the TND is our Intelligence Chief."
"Is that so…"
"Even I don't know where he came from or who he really is. He was there when the organization was formed and that's it."
"Hmm…I see…" Father crosses his arms and contacts the shadowy figure.
"What is your command, Father?"
"I'm getting tired of these constant failures. It's time to go on the offensive. Begin Phase Two. I want the Kids Next Door out of the picture, once and for all."
"Understood, I will relay the order. But what about the Teens Next Door?"
"I…I'll deal with them once Phase Two is done. I want to make certain those teens know what it means to lose all hope."
"Yes, as you wish." The shadowy figure fades from the screen on Father's throne's armrest and he gets up.
"Eliza, I want you to head out and take command of this operation. I have to prepare for the next phase."
"Of course, Father." she bows and leaves the throne room while Father walks towards a door to his left and opens it, revealing a long set of stairs going downwards. He hovers down, into the Mansion's lower levers and arrives to a long hallway, at the end of which is a heavily reinforced door. He opens them with the snap of a finger and enters a dark room. Then, as the lights come on, it is revealed to be a laboratory of sorts, filled with various gadgets and devices. At the center of the room is a large glass container. As Father approaches them, human silhouettes appear inside it.
"3 years…it's been 3 years since I locked you up…" he mutters and stares coldly at the container.
"But, now is not the time. You are my…insurance, just in case. For now, keep sleeping and grow stronger, so that when you are needed, no one will stand in your way, my Delightful Children." Father turns his back on the container, which holds his forcefully adopted and Delightfulized children, the Delightful Children from Down the Lane, who have grown into teenagers and lie dormant in suspended animation. Then, he walks away as the lab falls into darkness.
…
For the rest of the day, the Wild Child flies aimlessly in the sky, avoiding detection thanks to its stealth field. Aboard the Gihugeacarrier, Rachel and Numbuh Gamma enter Eliza's room using her confiscated Master Override Card.
"Why are we here, Numbuh Gamma?"
"Since you're the new Commander…"
"Temporary Commander."
"…Regardless, I need to show you something. Sit down." Rachel does as she's told and sits on the chair behind Eliza's desk, upon which, is her personal L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S.
"Put the Override card into the card reader." Numbuh Gamma instructs her while he puts his hand on the biometric scanner behind Rachel, revealing a safe which he immediately opens.
"Huh? What is that?" Before Numbuh Gamma can reply, Rachel recognizes the TND Signal Receiver.
"Hey, isn't that Ma…Numbuh Sigma's Signal Receiver?"
"Yes, it's time you learned about our man on the inside." Numbuh Gamma speaks silently and connects the Receiver into the open L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S., causing the screen show static.
"This is Rooster, do you copy, Raven?" Numbuh Gamma gets no response as Rachel becomes confused.
"Who are you talking to?"
"You'll see…Raven, do you copy, I repeat…"
"…This is Raven. I finally got through." A distorted voice answers.
"Base compromised, Mother Hen Delightfulized. New Commander, callsign, Crane, brief her about the situation."
"Huh? "Crane"? Is that…me?"
"This is Agent Raven, a deep cover operative who's been providing us with valuable information from within Father's inner circle for years now. Numbuh Sigma was originally his liason, but after his...passing, Numbuh Alpha decided to have him report to me and her personally."
"I see…Okay, I get it." Rachel nods and turns to face the static screen.
"This is Crane. Status report."
"Pleased to meet you Crane. Father has usurped Cree Lincoln from command and taken direct control of the Teen Ninjas. Eliza Solis has been placed in command of the Ninjas and they have launched a large scale offensive against the KND. He's obviously in a hurry since he's started building something within his mansion, but I have no further information regarding it."
"Understood." Rachel gestures to Numbuh Gamma, who leans on the microphone.
"Raven, it's important that our information network doesn't collapse. Establish contact with other TND bases and secure their support. You must also get in contact with Numbuh 6. He holds vital recon data regarding V2's Array's inner workings."
"Roger that, Rooster."
"One more thing, Raven. Get in contact with Numbuh 5 and see if she's safe. We have no idea what's happening in Cleve or anywhere else at the moment."
"Understood. I'll see what I can do. Raven out." The mysterious agent ends the call and Rachel sighs loudly.
"Even if we didn't lose our base, Father really knocked us out of the fight, didn't he?"
"Only for now. But we're going to bounce back. What was Numbuh Sigma's catchphrase again?"
"Never give up." Rachel replies firmly. Numbuh Gamma salutes her and leaves her alone in Eliza's room. Rachel stands up and notices the small blue hairpin on Eliza's nightstand next to her bunk bed. She takes it and walks over to the mirror next to the door. As she ties her left bang with it, she looks at the mirror and hits her cheeks.
"I have to stay strong, for both your and the TND's sake. Things are only gonna get tougher from now on, Eliza."
End of Transmission 36
End of Phase 3'
Note: And now, the 3rd arc is over. Once again, I'm really thankful to everyone who has decided to read this fanfic, and especially if you got this far. Now, regarding part 4, I'll slowing down the pace of new chapter releases, because part 4 is only halfway done. But, I won't stop, that's for sure.