Transmission 41: Broken Defense
Deep in the bowls of Sector V2's Treehouse, Tommy, Lee, Sonia and Bradley are silently sneaking through the maze-like corridors and hallway's, trying to reach the communications room. So far, they have been able to stay undetected. "Guys, we're almost there…" Tommy whispers as they descend down an emergency ladder that takes them to the 20th floor.
"Why aren't there any guards here…?" Sonia asks as she jumps off the ladder first, followed by the boys and Bradley.
"Maybe they're too busy fighting the others." Lee answers as he takes point and uses his 2x4 yo-yo to scout ahead.
"I hope everyone's okay…" Sonia mutters to herself while Lee points at the left-side hallway.
"There's something going on that way."
"Is that where the communications room is?"
"Yup."
"Okay, then let's go! Numbuh 6 and I will lead the way. You hold the rear, Numbuh Chi-4."
"Cool." The kids then sneak towards the commotion and opening a caution marked submarine door, they find themselves on a walkway that overlooks a large control room.
"This is it! Huh? Wait a minute, look!" Tommy looks down towards the communications room's entrance, which is being barricaded by chipped KND operatives. He can also see faint flashes coming from beyond the entrance. "Numbuh Chi-4, can you use your yo-yo one more time? We gotta figure out what's going on down there."
"Cool." Lee does as he's told and flings his 2x4 yo-yo down into the room below as Sonia and Tommy huddle closer to him, to listen.
"…keep firing! Don't let the TND inside!" A girl's voice is heard through the yo-yo and Lee pulls it back.
"That must mean our friends are out there. Numbuh 6, let's go and make a distraction! You two stay here and cover me." Tommy stands and readies his Stupefier Rifle while Lee and Sonia take aim with their S.C.A.M.P.P.'s. Then, Bradley and Tommy jump down into the communications room, taking the defenders by surprise.
"They're coming from the walkway! Open fire!"
Out in the hallway, Charles, Kimberley, Ted and a visibly confused Angeline notice the guards pulling away from the door. They had fought their way up from the prison floor, despite the former Supreme Leader's refusal to help them, due to her distrust. "Hey, the entrance is clear! Let's go!" Charles stands up and charges ahead, followed by the others, albeit with Ted being forced to pull Angeline along. The moment they enter the communications room, they realize that Tommy and his team's ambush has worked. "Heh, that kid's really something. Let's give 'em a hand!" Charles opens fire at the operatives, who are now caught between Tommy's Scout Team W and the teens.
Panicking, the non-chipped female operative in-charge of the communications room, frantically contacts the main command center. "Commander! This is the communications room, we're being overrun! We need su…" she is stupefied mid-sentence and the transmission ends. Up in the command center, fear and anger begins to seep into Numbuh 090, having just heard that the chipping trap had failed and now, their communications room has also been overrun.
"They…they just keep coming here…re…reroute all communications! We can't let them broadcast anything!"
"Sir, reports suggest that Numbuh 78 has also been freed…"
"WHAT?! Nononono…they'll try to get her behind their cause…this can't be! How are they able to overpower us?! This is the most secure place on Earth!"
"We have no idea how they got inside but they are still outnumbered, Sir."
"Being outnumbered doesn't matter to them, Numbuh 600! This is Sector V we're dealing with! We…can't fail Numbuh 1000's expectations! Bolster our defenses! We need to hold out until the reinforcements arrive!"
"Yes, Sir!" As his deputy, Numbuh 600 turns around and relays the orders, Numbuh 090 sinks in his seat.
"They can't humiliate me again…I won't let them…"
…
Down in the now secured communications room, Tommy and his team regroup with the others. "Damn, kid, you've got guts fighting like that." Charles says jokingly as he slaps Tommy in the back.
"Ow! Don't make fun of The Tommy! I'm a master of diversions, I'll have you know."
"Heh, sure. So, what's next?" Charles turns his attention to Kimberley, who is closing all the doors surrounding the communications room.
"We'll need to make sure this room is still connected to the KND's communications network. Otherwise, we can't broadcast the jamming signal."
"Why can't you just destroy the thing that makes the signal?"
"We could, but then Numbuh 1000 would just broadcast a new one from the Moonbase. If we want to free Earth's KND operatives, we need to counter the signal from the moon."
"Hey, before you do anything, I want a proper explanation of what's goin on, right now!" Angeline looks at the others with suspicion and crosses her arms.
"We don't have time! Look, you'll just have to trust us, okay? We're already behind schedule as it is." Kimberley says over her shoulder, prompting Angeline to take a knocked-out operative's S.P.I.C.E.R.-II and point it at the others.
"Hey, what the heck are ya doin'?!" Charles takes a defensive stance.
"I've had enough of this! If you won't talk, I'll have to force you!"
"Stop!" Ted puts himself between the two. "Let me handle this! You guys focus on our job!" he looks over his right shoulder towards Kimberley and Charles, prompting both to nod.
"Okay…" Ted then turns his attention to Angeline, who is still pointing her gun at him.
"We're with the Teens Next Door and we came here to stop Numbuh 1000."
"What is this, "Teens Next Door" you're talking about?"
"They're the former Teen Spy Organization, but better, more organized."
"I see…" Ted then quickly summarizes what has happened since she was overthrown, shocking Angeline.
"So…Sector V were never responsible…"
"That's right. All of us have been saved by them, and they're gonna help us defeat Numbuh 1000 and Father. Do you get it know?"
"I…I understand…kinda…Okay, I won't doubt you anymore. But I want a proper explanation later."
"Great!"
"Hah, he's been worked up about this whole time, you know?" Charles's quip causes Ted's face to turn red.
"Ha…hey! I wasn't worked up!" Then, Angelina starts to laugh, to the surprise of both boys.
"Hah-hah-aha-aha…you guys are still the same…" Her comment makes Ted smile slightly, but Charles has a hard time reacting to it, having no memories about his time in the KND."
"Alright, let's focus on the mission. I can help you guys. I owe it to all the operatives I failed."
"For, now just stand guard. I'm trying to stop them from rerouting all the lines." Kimberley types frantically on the console as Ted remembers something.
"Oh right, I need to use this now!" He takes the Portal Disc from his pocket and throws it to the floor, creating a blue portal. On the other side, they can see the heavy troopers waiting in the Gihugeacarrier's test hangar, where Numbuh Omicron installed the second Portal Gun.
"Hey man, what took you guys?! We've been waiting here forever!" One of Charles' friends says as they enter the communications room.
"We had to pick up someone first." Charles points at Angeline, who is recognized by some of the troopers.
"Nu…Numbuh 78! Was she here the whole time?!"
"Apparently. I don't think even she knows why they've kept her locked up in here." Kimberley says over her shoulder as she keeps typing while Angeline is intrigued by the portal.
"What is that?"
"It's a portal. Numbuh 2 came up with a device to make them and now we've got our own as well." Then, Kimberley's communicator goes off again.
"This is Numbuh 1! Numbuh Pi-2, do you copy?!" Hearing Nigel's voice shocks Angeline.
"Numbuh 1…" she mutters as Kimberley replies to his call.
"Roger, I hear you."
"What's your status?!"
"We've secured the communications room and established a portal to the Wild Child, but I'm having a hard time keeping them from rerouting all communication commands to their own command center."
"Alright, good. You need to install the jammer ASAP. I've lost contact with Numbuh Zeta, and the others can't break through the shield."
"We'll install it, don't worry. I just need to get control back."
"Okay. I'll keep moving upwards, as planned. But don't take too long, we're already behind schedule. Numbuh 1, out." Nigel ends the call while Kimberley continues to type.
"I'll go through the portal and tell Numbuh Omicron our situation." Ted says as he hands the jammer to Kimberley and heads towards the portal, but is stopped by Angeline.
"Wait, take me with you. I want to see the TND with my own eyes."
"Uhm…okay, then let's go!" Ted takes Angeline's hand and pulls her through the portal, causing Charles to snicker.
"Heh, he's totally obsessed with her."
"Like you're any better." The heavy troopers start laughing at his friend's comment, embarrassing Charles.
"Wa…what's that supposed to mean?!"
…
Up in the 61st floor, Nigel is trying frantically to contact Patton, but to no avail. As he looks around, he can see more and more KND troops filling the hallways, the closer he gets to the 70th floor. "I'm almost there…only 9 floors to go." he activates his Silhouette Suit and phases through the ceiling, clearing another floor. However, the moment he lands and rips his Suit, he sees someone run past him, towards a large assembly room. Nigel follows them silently but as soon as he reaches the room, he recognizes a familiar face. It's Patton and he's surrounded by a group of over 20 Teen Hunters, led by none other than Fanny. "Numbuh Zeta! I have to do something…" Nigel sneaks into the room and watches as the Hunters slowly approach a visibly exhausted Patton, who has been running away from them since he escaped the trap room.
"*pant*…Fanny…don't do this…" he breathes heavily as Fanny brings out the same chipping weapon she used at the prison. However, before she can use it, Nigel de-cloaks, covers his hands with his Suit and unleashes a powerful telekinetic pulse, throwing the Hunters across the room.
"Numbuh 1!" Patton shouts as Nigel runs to his side as he fires his Stupefier pistols at the dazed Hunters.
"Numbuh Zeta, what happened to you?! Did you find the weapons control room?"
"Heh, that room was a trap…it was rigged…and they nearly chipped me but somebody busted me out…I don't who it was…"
"Dammit…okay, we'll think about that later. Let's take care of these Hunters and get to the command center."
"Not until I've freed Fanny…I'm not gonna break my promise." Patton replies sternly and takes a combat stance.
"Numbuh Zeta, in any other situation I'd agree, but we're outnumbered and we're running out of time!"
"I AM NOT LEAVING HER! I heard her cry for help, and I will save her!" Patton shakes his head as Fanny gathers the Hunters and they prepare to attack again. However, before Nigel and Patton can do anything, the same mechanical arms that trapped Patton, appear from the floor and walls and this time, they are equipped electrified claws.
"What the…?!" Nigel shouts as he breaks one of the arms with telekinesis.
"They've rigged this room too! Don't bother using lasers, they don't work on these!" As Patton and Nigel begin fighting the multiple arms, Fanny has the Hunters open fire on them, trapping them in a crossfire.
"Gah, we have to get out of here! We can't afford to get captured here, Numbuh Zeta!" Nigel shouts as he breaks apart another arm, but Patton refuses to back down.
"I told you, I will save Fanny! You can phase out of here and keep going, but I'm not running!" Patton's stubbornness begins to frustrate Nigel and his Silhouette Suit ignites.
"This is not up for debate anymore! I promised Numbuh Epsilon we'd come back and that includes you! WE HAVE TO GO, NOW!" Nigel's anger boils over and he unleashes a huge torrent of flames at the arms, melting them. However, realizing that his flame's color is starting to change from red to blue, he frantically rips the Suit off, but this makes him unable to use his telekinesis temporarily. "Dammit, I almost went overboard…" Then, two arms appear from the wall behind them but Nigel and Patton barely manage to evade them. However, Patton is undeterred and keeps is eyes focused solely on Fanny, who is slowly approaching them with her laser cannons aimed at them.
"FANNY! Don't you recognize me?!"
"All teams, form up and surround them." Fanny ignores Patton's pleas and has the arms retracted into the walls as her fellow Hunters once again surround Patton and Nigel.
"Surrender to the KND, traitors." she says with a cold, monotone voice.
"Not a chance!" Patton arms his shoulder gatling laser guns while Nigel points his pistols at the Hunters.
"We're cornered…and I can't phase out anymore…" Nigel tries to contact the others, but his communicator only gives him static.
"Don't bother, they must be usin' internal jammers or something…dammit, we're so close…" Patton grits his teeth as Fanny takes her chipping gauntlet and arms it.
"Well done, 86." A boy's voice echoes in the room as Numbuh 090's hologram appears from the ceiling.
"Huh? HEY! You're that damn warden from that prison!" Patton points at the boy, who smirks. There is no trace of the panic and fear that gripped him only a short while ago.
"Oh, so you recognize me? Heh, you teenagers have better memory than I thought."
"You must be the base commander then?" Nigel glares at Numbuh 090.
"And you must the infamous Numbuh 1, or should I say, Nephew."
"Nephew doesn't exist anymore."
"Hah-hah-hah, that's funny, because I see him right there, wearing those ugly sunglasses. You traitors have really done it this time. You managed to break inside Sector V2's Treehouse, congratulations. However, this is as far you go. I'll be chipping you, and your friends, one by one. Oh, and before you ask, the KND just sent us reinforcements, to take care of your giant robot and the rest. The KND will never be defeated by teenagers, never!"
"Who said we wanted to defeat the Kids Next Door? It's just you Splinter Cell losers we're after. The KND is just a hostage." Patton's defiance causes Numbuh 090's face to contort from anger.
"Ho…HOSTAGE! How dare you! We're simply carrying out the glorious mission given to us by our superiors! And if that means forcing the others to see things our way, so be it! Numbuh 1000 is the one who will lead all kids to salvation!" Nigel and Patton are visibly disgusted by the scrawny commander's words.
"And you call yourself a KND operative? I've seen Ninjas who made more sense than you."
"As if you can talk! You betrayed the KND and so too did everyone else who became 13! We are not like you! We are the KND's saviors! And we won't be stopped by teenagers, or anyone else, for our cause is righteous!"
"Ugh, this kid just keeps spewing crap."
"Enough! Teen Hunters, chip them!" Nigel and Patton ready themselves but, before anyone can make a move, the Treehouse is rocked violently, knocking some of the Hunters off their feet.
"Wha…what's going on?!" Numbuh 090 forgets to turn off his hologram projection as he shouts at his deputy.
"The…the shield has been destroyed, Sir!"
"What?! That's impossible! Where are the reinforcements?!"
"They've been attacked by…the TND!" Upon hearing this, Numbuh 090 face is once again filled with fear as he realizes the projection is still on.
"No…NO!" his scream ends abruptly as he cuts the broadcast. Seeing their chance, Nigel and Patton start Stupefying the Hunters, who are too dazed to respond.
"Looks like the cavalry arrived just in time! They should be able to hold off the reinforcements until we can broadcast the jamming signal. Come on, we need to reach the bridge!" But Patton once again refuses to move.
"You go, I'm staying. Right now, all I want is to free Fanny." Before Nigel can respond, Fanny rallies the remaining Hunters and they charge towards the boys just as the arms are redeployed. Suddenly, the arms are cut into pieces but none of them can see who did it.
"Huh? What the heck?!" With everyone's attention drawn towards the sliced mechanical arms, Nigel hears a familiar voice.
"Sorry I took so long, Nigel." his eyes widen as he looks up towards the girders in the ceiling, where he sees the telltale figure of Abby, wearing her B.R.A. and holding her white sword in a reverse grip.
"Nu…Numbuh 5?! But how…?!"
"It's a long story, but let's leave the small talk for later. We got things to do, right?" Abby smirks confidently at Nigel, who smiles back.
"That's right. Just make sure you can keep up."
"You're tellin' ME that? Just watch me!" Abby jumps down from the girders and dives down on the Hunters, knocking them out of the fight with her M.A.R.B.L.E.-launchers. With their numbers thinning and unable get new orders, the Hunter's movements slow down. Nigel realizes this is the same phenomenon that happened in March at the warehouse, when Abby knocked out Numbuh 1000, his troops didn't move at all the whole time he was out.
"Now's our chance, Numbuh Zeta! Stupefy them!" Patton nods and rapidly fires his Stupefier rifle, encasing multiple Hunters in crystal while Abby lands and jumps to Nigel's side.
"So, what's the situation?!"
"The communications room has been secured, the outer shield is destroyed, and we're only 9 floors away from the command bridge. Once the signal jammer is activated, we've won."
"Gotcha baby. Let's take care of these sucka's and get movin'." Abby grabs a large bodied Hunter with her grappling wires and throws him towards the others, taking them out of the fight. Patton meanwhile has separated from them and stands before Fanny, who's cold, emotionless eyes stare at him.
"I'm taking that chip off of you, no matter what!" Fanny doesn't respond and attacks him with her chipping gauntlet, bur Patton deliberately lets her get close and grabs the gauntlet with both hands. Then, using the augmented strength of his B.R.A., he crushes the weapon into scrap.
"You're coming back to our side!" He shouts and lunges at Fanny, who brings out her claws and slashes him, but Patton manages to block the claws with his own armored gauntlets, placing the two teens in a deadlock.
"Numbuh 1, now!" Patton turns his gaze at Nigel, who realizes what he means and covers his hands in his Suit. Then, with Fanny occupied, he grabs her with his telekinesis.
"Ugh…Numbuh 5, slash her back! The chip's got to be there!"
"Got it!" Abby quickly rushes towards the struggling Fanny and strikes the armor plate covering her back and sure enough, the chip is there, implanted on a reinforced secondary plate of armor. Its wires that run along the armor are directly connected to her helmet.
"I…can't…hold it…much longer…" Nigel's grip begins to loosen, but Abby acts quickly and grabs the entire plate, ripping it off with brute force, causing Fanny to scream in pain as the backlash strikes her.
"AAAARRRRGGHHH!" her scream echoes in the assembly room as Nigel's telekinesis fades and she slumps down on the floor. As Patton grabs her, the other Hunters begin to close in.
"We've got her, let's go, hurry!" Nigel shouts as he makes a beeline for the nearest door. However, a massive explosion rips apart the wall behind them and out of the smoke, Tommy, Lee, Sonia, Kimberley, Ted, Bradley, Charles and the heavy troopers rush inside, stupefying the remaining Hunters with little effort.
"Yeehaw! That's how it's done guys!" Charles shouts while Bradley runs towards Abby and hops on her shoulder.
"Hey little buddy." Abby smiles gently as Nigel joins up with the others.
"Wa…what are you guys doing here?! What about the communications room?!"
"They managed to lock us out of all channels. We need to install the jammer into the command center…" Kimberley laments.
"I should've known. Well, that just means we'll have to go there then."
"Heh, with all of us here, those brats don't stand a chance!"
"Don't get too cocky. We ain't dealin' with "just" kids here." Abby's presence surprises Kimberley and Ted.
"Numbuh 5? Didn't you leave?"
"Yeah, I did, but Numbuh 5 did a little thinkin' and realized that she was bein' too full of herself this whole time. The team comes first, no matter what." She looks at Nigel who nods.
"It's good to have you back, Numbuh 5."
"It's good to be back." Then, from the corner of his eye, Nigel sees someone standing behind Ted.
"Hmm? Wait minute…Numbuh 78?!" Abby's eyes widen as she also notices the former Supreme Leader.
"Huh?! What the heck?! What's she doin' here?!"
"Uhm…I can explain…" Ted stutters, knowing full well they disobeyed orders when they freed her.
"He insisted, so we decided to free her first." Kimberley stands by Ted's side, and so does Charles.
"Yeah, so if you're gonna punish him, you gotta punish us too!" Their defiance however only makes Nigel laugh.
"Hah-hah-hah, why am I not surprised? I knew you'd do it, since you had that look in your eyes. Besides, it doesn't matter now." Nigel then turns his attention to Angeline, who appears cautious. "Not the best circumstance for a reunion."
"No, but a lot has happened since I saw you and the rest of Sector V. I didn't believe them at first, but I got to speak with Rachel for a bit and I understand the situation."
"I'm grateful. Our past won't go anywhere, and we'll take out punishment once everything has been dealt with."
"You got every right to hate us, Numbuh 78."
"Don't say that. Freeing the KND and defeating Father are more important right now." To his surprise, Angeline offers her hand to Nigel, who promptly shakes it.
"Thank you. That's all I can really say." As Abby also shakes Angeline's hand, Charles's attention is drawn towards his commander, who is holding an unconscious Fanny in his arms.
"Uhm, who's that?"
"My former comrade…she was being mind-controlled by Numbuh 1000…along with everyone else here." Patton points at the piles of Stupefied Hunters filling the room.
"Woah…are they all…over 13?" Kimberley kneels next to one of them as Nigel nods grimly.
"Yes. They're former operatives who were dragged from their homes and chipped." The others stare in shock, most notably Angeline.
"How could they…how could the Splinter Cell resort to something like this?!" she clenches her fists as Abby puts her hand on her shoulder.
"It's cuz they hate everyone, even their fellow kids. Numbuh 1000 doesn't care how many he's gotta brainwash to get what he wants."
"What should we do with them? We can't just leave them here…"
"We won't. Numbuh Eta-4, create a portal. Before we storm the command center, we'll move them to the Wild Child, so they can be freed. That includes Numbuh 86." Nigel eyes at Patton, who nods back at him as Ted places the Portal Disc on the floor and the heavy troopers begin moving the crystal-encased Hunters through the portal while Patton carries Fanny through it as well.
…
Outside the Treehouse, having successfully broken through the shield after many tries, the T.S.-W.R.A.S.L.E.R. begins scaling up the side of the Treehouse, its pilot's eyes set on the Array, that has kept firing the whole time.
"Okay Numbuh 3, we're gonna rip those cannons apart!" Wally says confidently.
"Okidoki!" Kuki nods and takes aim with the mech's cannons. Above them, Hoagie and The Kid begin destroying the Treehouse's anti-air weapons. From his cockpit window, Hoagie can clearly see the KND reinforcements, which have managed to reach the outskirts of Cleve, but are unable to break through the TND's defensive perimeter.
"We really owe those guys big time…" he mutters as he performs a wide left-hand turn and points the ship's nose towards the Treehouse, which is still firing back with its AA weapons. Then, the TND Signal Receiver on his dashboard starts beeping and Hoagie answers. "Numbuh 2 here."
"This is Numbuh 1, do you copy?" Having not heard from them since the mission began, Hoagie feel relieved that Nigel's calling him.
"Loud and clear, Numbuh 1."
"Give me a sitrep."
"Well, we broke through the shield, and it looks like our friends from the other bases are keeping the KND at bay, for now. Numbuh 4 and 3 are gonna start bringing down the cannons next."
"Negative, Numbuh 2. There's been a change of plans. Ignore the array and attack the command center's carrier deck instead. Numbuh Pi-2 was locked out of the coms system, and we'll have to storm the bridge instead. I want you guys to secure the deck and ensure that the Splinter Cell member's occupying the bridge can't escape. Then, disembark and join the rest of us, understood?"
"Oh, okay. I'll relay the order, Numbuh 1."
"Good, we'll see you on the bridge. Numbuh 1, out." As the call ends, Hoagie contacts Wally, Kuki and The Kid.
"Guys, abort the attack! Numbuh 1 wants us topside to take out the flight deck defenses and join them to attack the command bridge!"
"Huh? Aw man, I was lookin' forward to bring these stupid cannons down…"
"Hey, quit whinin'. We got a job to do."
"Don't need to tell me twice." Wally snaps back at The Kid and applies more thrust to the T.S.-W.R.A.S.L.E.R.'s jet engines, propelling the mech up along the side of the Treehouse, passing the massive ring holding the C.L.A.M.M.A.H. Cannons while Kuki is already eyeing at the flight deck above them.
"Numbuh 4, land on the deck! I'll blow up their cannons!"
"Gotcha!" Thanks to Hoagie's and The Kid's air support, the T.S.-W.R.A.S.L.E.R. lands on the deck of the aircraft carrier without much trouble and begin dismantling the massive turrets lining both sides of the deck.
Up on the bridge, the atmosphere among the non-chipped operatives is getting more and more desperate. With the reinforcements being held up by the TND and having lost contact with all Teen Hunters not present at the bridge, Numbuh 090 panics. "Ha…how is this happening?! We had them on the ropes! This can't be…not again!"
"Sir, we are receiving an urgent message from Global Command." A chill runs down the boy's spine as he realizes who the caller is. But before he can respond, Numbuh 1000 appears on the command center's massive screen.
"What is going on down there, Numbuh 090?! Why is the Treehouse shield down?!"
"Nu...Numbuh 1000, Sir…the…they…they've destroyed it…" The commander lowers his head in shame as Numbuh 1000 becomes furious.
"They what?! Do you have any idea what this means?! You have to stop those teenagers, right now!"
"We…we are trying, Sir! But…the reinforcements you sent to us haven't arrived and…"
"I'll order an immediate orbital bombardment to cover them! I gave you many chances, Numbuh 090! You're this close to getting chipped! We can't lose that Treehouse, no matter what!"
"I know that, Sir! We won't fail you! We won't…" Suddenly, the transmission is cut off, alarming the irate Supreme Leader.
"What's going on?! Why did it cut off?!" his voice echoes in the Global Command's control center as his subordinates try to reestablish contact with Sector V2's Treehouse.
End of Transmission 41
Note: Hello, it's been a while. Since the 4th Arc is still being written, I'll probably release a new chapter once a week, depending on how far I get. I also chose to make this chapter shorter than the previous one, just for a change of pace. But the next one will be longer again.