Transmission 52: A United Path
"Attention! This Numbuh 81. I would like all able KND operatives and TND agents to come to the grand hall. Those that can't come in person, we'll broadcast the meeting through the intercom. This is highly important, so please, at least listen."
The former Liaison Officer's voice echoes throughout the Moonbase, and soon, the grand hall begins to fill with kids and teenagers. Among them are the members of Sector V, excluding Nigel. The first to arrive are a still dazed Hoagie and a stone-faced Abby. "Remember, not a word about us, got it? We got bigger things to worry about now and Numbuh 5 don't want any stupid gossip goin' on?"
"Ye…yeah…sure…"
"You say anything, and I'll make ya regret it, you hear me?" Abby glares coldly at Hoagie, who nods frantically.
"Okay, okay, I'll keep my mouth shut." he stutters as Abby turns her attention to the crowd that's entering the grand hall.
"Man, it's been years since Numbuh 5's gone to that place…"
"Yeah…last time we were there, we got sentenced to the Decommissioning chamber." Hoagie says silently while Abby tenses up, as she remembers how they were chained and walked up to the stage, all the while being mocked and ridiculed by the people, they had only a day earlier called friends.
"Don't remind me…" she replies and lowers her cap over her eyes as they join the queue. Then, Hoagie and Abby hear a familiar voice behind them.
"Hi guys!" Looking over their shoulder, Abby and Hoagie notice Kuki and Wally approaching them, but to their surprise, they are holding hands, despite Wally's embarrassed expression.
"Oooh, what's up with you two?" Hoagie asks as Kuki only giggles while Wally looks away. "Hold up, are you two like, you know…?"
"Who spilled the beans?" Abby eyes Kuki, who doesn't say anything and gestures towards the furiously blushing Wally, who continues to look away. "Hah-hah! So, ya finally decided to be a man!" Abby laughs at Wally, who tries to force Kuki to let go of his hand.
"Shut up…" he mutters while Hoagie slaps him in the back.
"Nice job, buddy. You wanna share what happened?"
"None of your business…and will ya let go of my cruddy hand already?!" Wally snaps at Kuki, who smiles and shakes her head.
"Not in your life, silly." she ignores Wally's complaints as Abby continues to laugh.
"Oh, ya don't hafta tell, Numbuh 4. Numbuh 5 can imagine how ya did it. Ya let it slip cuz ya got pissed off, right?" Abby's deduction causes both Kuki and Wally to blush but then, unexpectantly, Kuki shakes her head.
"…no, it wasn't like that."
"That so? Well, it's great you guys are finally bein' honest with each other."
"Yup, better late than never." Hoagie says as Wally continues to try to slip out of Kuki's grip, but she does not budge.
"What about you? Did you make up?" Kuki asks as Wally wriggles like a fish in a hook next to her. Hoagie and Abby look at each other and struggle to give Kuki a reply.
"Uhm…"
"We uh…" Noticing the faint glint in Kuki's brown eyes, Hoagie manages to save the situation. "She gave me a good pep talk!" he shouts, startling Kuki while Abby smirks slightly under her breath.
"Yeah, we cool now." she nudges Hoagie with her shoulder while disappointment becomes clearly visible on Kuki's face.
"Oh…I thought you two were…"
"Don't be stupid, girl! Besides, we got more important stuff to worry about now, right? Come on, Numbuh 2, let's go find some seats already!" Abby says and drags Hoagie away, leaving Kuki alone with the struggling Wally.
"Something definitely happened between those two…"
"Who cares, will ya let go already?!"
"Nope! I'm never letting go of you, we promised."
"Come on, that's not the same thing! You're gonna crush my cruddy hand!" Kuki once again ignores Wally and also drags him into the grand hall. However, the presence of the former Teen Villains causes the KND operatives to freeze and whisper among themselves.
"Wha…what's Sector V doing here?"
"Aren't they still fugitives?" The murmurs become louder, and Kuki notices the distrustful gaze she and her friends are receiving. However, now Wally squeezes her hand and pulls her towards the two empty seats next to Abby and Hoagie, who are sitting near the front, along with Patton, Fanny, The Kid and Keith.
"Just ignore 'em." Wally mutters as they sit down. However, as they do so, he makes eye-contact with The Kid, who smirks, causing Wally to glare at him in return.
Then, as the grand hall finally fills up, Numbuh 81 steps up to the podium on the elevated stage.
"Thank you all for coming. As acting Moonbase Commander, I'll now begin the meeting." The 10-year-old French-Canadian boy addresses the crowd, but the KND operatives feel uncomfortable by the presence of the teenagers.
"Numbuh 81, why are we working together with these teenagers?! Aren't they, our enemy?" a boy from the KND side of the grand hall asks, causing the other operatives to protest loudly.
"Please, settle down! The Teens Next Door are the only allies we have left. If we want to free the Earth, we need their help as much as they need ours!"
"But you can't trust teenagers! What if they'll just turn on us, like Numbuh 1000 said?!" The protests become even louder until a voice filled with authority silences them.
"No, we won't!" Rachel shouts as she steps up to the stage, followed by Numbuh Gamma and Nigel, much to the KND operative's shock.
"Ne…Nephew! Why is he here?!" Now fear and panic begins to rise among the operatives, and some try to leave, but Rachel speaks.
"Quiet!" she shouts, silencing the grand hall in an instant.
"Man, she's still got the touch…" Hoagie whispers to Abby, who nods silently.
"What Numbuh 81 just said is true. We are not your enemy and the only way we can get through this, is by working together. It doesn't matter if you're a kid or a teenager, Father won't discriminate, and he will come here to Delightfulize us all if we won't fight back together." Rachel's words do they magic and the KND operatives quiet down, though some do so reluctantly. "Now, I'd like to introduce myself: I am Numbuh Epsilon, the Temporary Commander of the Teens Next Door. Our organization has fought against Father from the shadows for years and our goal is to defeat him once and for all.
Like all of you, we too want a world free from adult tyranny, but we also believe that not all teenagers and adults are evil. All of our members are former KND operatives, who were hand-picked to join the organization since before the time of Numbuh 100. Every teenager you see here, has been a member of the KND or has worked alongside them in the past." Rachel points at TND agents sitting on the other side of the grand hall and KND operatives begin to recognize familiar faces here and there and they begin to calm down.
"I would also like to introduce some of our most important members. This is Numbuh Gamma, the Chief of the Intelligence Section. Numbuh Omicron, our Science Chief and Numbuh Iota-3, our Communication's Chief couldn't come here personally, as they are leading the repair effort. Then, our Chief of the Combat Force, Numbuh Zeta." Rachel points at Patton, who stands up and looks at the KND operatives, who immediately recognize their former drill sergeant and as if by impulse, some even salute him, causing Patton to smirk before he sits back down.
"Next, Numbuh Beta, the newly promoted Second-in command of the Combat Force." Fanny stands up but unlike with Patton, her presence causes the operatives to cover in fear, a fact that Patton finds hilarious.
"Hah-hah, they're still scared of you!" he cackles wildly as a steaming Fanny sits back down and glares at him.
"Shut your hole…" she hisses at him as Rachel continues.
"Agent Halcón and Agent Hermit from the Air Unit and the Deep Cover Unit respectively." The Kid and Keith stand up and greet the operatives. Then, Rachel turns her attention to Nigel.
"Lastly, our Field Commander, Numbuh 1 and his team, Sector V. Could you join your leader on the stage?" Rachel looks at Nigel's friends, who in-turn look at each other before stepping up to the stage but their reception is much more mixed. However, much to his discomfort, Wally and Kuki are getting the most attention as she has refused to let go of his hand this whole time.
"*whistle* Quit milking it, Beetles!" The Kid yells jokingly at Wally, causing the crowd to laugh and the atmosphere becomes much less tense. Then, Rachel hands the floor over to Nigel, who starts addressing the operatives.
"Uh-hum, greetings. Now, I'm sure you all are well aware what me and my team have done in the past. Some of you may have even been directly involved. However, I am not here to beg for forgiveness or grovel at your feet. The reason me and my team are here, is to make things right. I am in no position to ask anything of you, but, please, put your trust on the Teens Next Door. That's all I'd like to say." Nigel says and joins his team, who are surprised by his humble words.
"That wasn't like you, Numbuh 1." Abby says to Nigel, who smiles weakly.
"It was all I could think of..." he replies meekly as Rachel and Numbuh 81 stand side by side on the podium.
"Now that you know who we are, I ask that you let us work with you, so that we can bring down Father and his reign once and for all."
"We were enslaved once already, by people we thought were our allies. Do you want to end up brain-washed again?" Numbuh 81 asks, causing the operatives to mutter amongst themselves.
"My little brother was Delightfulized, and so were many of our siblings and friends while we could do nothing but watch. But we can still save the world, by working together. That's why Numbuh 81 and I called this meeting. To clear the air and put us all on the same level. Otherwise, we'd just end up turning on each other and then, Father would win."
"As long as we have hope, we can keep going." Then, to everyone's surprise, Abby also walks to the podium.
"Numbuh 5 lost a dear friend to the Ninja's a while ago. He was the greatest KND operative that she knew and he had a sayin' that Numbuh 5'll never forget. No matter how hard things got, he'd always say: Never give up! And Numbuh 5's gonna live by those words for the rest of her life!"
"Yeah! This isn't the first time we've faced odds like this!" Hoagie shouts as he, Kuki and Wally join the others on the podium.
"We can do anything if we work together!" Kuki yells as she puts her and Wally's hands up.
"Father thinks he can get away with takin' over the world?! No cruddy way!" Wally shouts as well while a stunned Nigel reaches for the Book of KND inside his hoodie. Encouraged by his teammate's words, he returns to the podium and presents the book to the crowd.
"Even if we've become teenagers, all of us are still kids at heart and we'll never grow up. Because…the Kids Next Door will never be defeated, no matter what happens!" Rachel then pulls Nigel closer and has him open his page from the book and show it to the crowd.
"Say it with me everyone: WE ARE KIDS NEXT DOOR!" The entire grand hall erupts into repeated chanting and even The Kid, who was never a member, is forced to join in on the cheering by Keith and Fanny. Up on the stage, the members of Sector V watch in awe at the sight of teenagers and kids cheering together but more importantly, they begin to feel like they've finally been forgiven, at least somewhat.
"Feels a bit different than last time, right Nigel?" Rachel smiles at Nigel, who has to stop himself from crying again while Kuki is bawling against a struggling Wally's shoulder, Hoagie stares at the ceiling and Abby has pulled down her cap.
"Yes…yes it does…" Nigel replies with a shaky voice.
The cheering continues for a few more minutes before Numbuh 81 and Rachel have everyone return to their posts but now, with a newfound of sense of unity and trust among the two groups.
"Right…then I'll be going…" Nigel says silently and walks away, his behavior worrying his teammates.
"Numbuh 1's hidin' somethin' again, isn't he?"
"Come on, Numbuh 5, let's give him some space. You said it yourself. He wants to be alone." Hoagie says to Abby, who shakes her head but then, relents.
"I guess you're right…"
"Well anyway, I'm gonna go help with the repairs." Hoagie starts walking off the stage, prompting Wally to shout after him.
"Take me with ya, Numbuh 2!" Wally shouts as he wriggles out of Kuki's grip and jumps off the stage.
"Huh? I thought you were tired?"
"I need some space, that's all. Come on, I can do more heavy lifting." Wally whispers to Hoagie, who starts to chuckle.
"Hah-hah, don't tell me you're already regretting the…"
"Shhh!" Wally hisses at Hoagie as they walk out of the hall.
"I'm gonna go to back to the carrier. I've got things to take care of."
"Then I'm gonna get my Valkyrie from that hangar downstairs. It's just takin' space down there."
"Right, then I'll come with ya, mon. You need a guide after all. Let's go!" Keith grabs The Kid and starts pulling him away, much to his annoyance.
"Hey, hands off the jacket!"
As the boys leave, Abby nudges a disappointed Kuki. "So, you wanna tell us how it all went down?" she asks as Fanny joins them on the stage.
"What are ya talkin' about?"
"Heh-heh, get this. Our boy Numbuh 4 finally told Numbuh 3 he liked her!"
"Wow, really?" Rachel asks while Fanny starts to laugh.
"Bah-aha-hah, no way! That monkey finally told ya? This I gotta hear." the girls surround a blushing and fidgeting Kuki.
"Uhm…can we go somewhere…private to talk…"
"Heh, sure we can." Abby puts her hand on Kuki's shoulder and the girls leave the grand hall as well.
However, in the lower levels of the Moonbase, an operative, wearing the Splinter Cell's gray overalls with the codename "404" written on his colander helmet, is hiding in a maintenance tunnel, brandishing a weapon. "This isn't over yet…I'll get you out soon enough, Supreme Leader."
...
Soon, evening arrives but the teens and kids continue to repair the Moonbase. Hoagie has been given the job of re-coding the Super Big Computermabob, after its source code was damaged in Father's hacking attack while Wally continues carrying equipment across the hangar, clearly trying to keep himself occupied.
Meanwhile, Patton has gone to back to the Wild Child and specifically, the 14th floor, where the carrier's prison is located. As he approaches the door, a guard salutes him. "Commander!"
"At ease. Is Numbuh 20.000 here?"
"Yes, Sir. He is in cell #20, at the very back."
"Alright. Thanks." Patton replies as the guard lets him through. He then walks past the other cells, come of which are occupied by either captured Ninjas or Splinter Cell members until finally, Patton arrives in-front of a sealed door with the number 20 written on it. Patton slides the door slit open and looks inside, where he sees a figure sitting on the side of a steel bed, his back and head hunched forwards and his arms leaning against his knees. Patton also notices the bandages wrapped around the prisoner's head, covering his eyes.
"…who is it…?" A dry, cold voice calls and Patton answers.
"It's me." Numbuh 20.000 lifts his head slightly and then huffs silently.
"Heh, I should've known…so, did you come here to mock me? Or did you come to pity me now that I'm like this?"
"Are you really blind?"
"…your doctors said it'll heal…if that's all you wanted to know then there you go. Now get out."
"No, that's not why I'm here."
"Oh really?"
"…I just want to know why…why did you join the Splinter Cell and trick us…for all those years…"
"…I did it because I wanted to change the world." Numbuh 20.000 replies silently. "We were fighting a losing battle against Father, and something had to be done."
"Was it really worth it?"
"It was the only way. Otherwise, we wouldn't have stood a chance."
"Do you really believe that getting rid of the adults and teenagers is going to make the world a better place?"
"…hmph, if there was another way, I'd had taken it, but there isn't. Adults and teenagers will always oppress kids."
"But you're a teenager yourself! You're not making any sense!"
"Oh I know damn well I'm a teenager, but my life doesn't matter. As long as kids can be free, I don't care what happens to me. I was prepared to get Erased at any point. I'd made my peace with it. Someone with good parents like yourself wouldn't understand what it's like."
"Oh really?! My dad's been forcing me to exercise since I was 6! He never listened to what I wanted and forced his own ideals on me! He only wants me to be a strong, tough guy like him. You think I wanted that?" Patton yells at his old friend, who does not react. "I had dreams too, you know. I wanted to play the bass guitar in a band, but he didn't let me."
"Then why don't you agree with me? If your dad's so bad, why not just get rid of him?" Numbuh 20.000 question horrifies Patton, who grits his teeth and glares through the slit.
"Because he's, my dad! My only dad. Oh yeah, I hated it every time he forced me to go through his stupid exercise course, but I can live with it, because I know now, he only wanted what was best for me. One day, I'll get enough courage tell him I wanna play an instrument again. But I can't imagine a world where he or my mom wouldn't exist."
"Heh, that's the problem with you people. You believe things will get better. You thought that by bringing down the Splinter Cell, you could save the world and look where it took you. Father's taken over the world, just like that. If you hadn't turned on the KND and just followed your orders, Father would be long gone by now."
"I would do it again. If it means I can be with my friends and comrades, I'll gladly disobey an order, especially if it came from Numbuh 1000. I'll never accept the world you desire. Without adults and teenagers, humans will go extinct. Did you guys never even think about that?"
"We would've found a way to keep humanity going."
"As if a bunch of kids and delusional teenagers like you and 1000 could do something like that. I'll tell you the real difference between you and me. You gave up. You all gave up, instead of trying to find a way to deal with your problems. We didn't give up. No matter what you or Father threw at us, we kept going forward, because we'll never give up our hope."
"There is no hope left. No one is going to save the Earth now. With Father in control, it's only a matter of time before they come and…"
"Numbuh Zeta!" Their conversation is interrupted by Numbuh Gamma, who has entered the prison and is approaching 20.000's cell.
"What is it?"
"The Combat Force needs help with a Splinter Cell hold out on the 80th floor. I'll take over."
"…alright. Leave it to me." Patton replies, but he can tell 20.000 was going to say something important before Gamma arrived. He then walks away from the door while Numbuh Gamma watches until Patton has left the prison block, so he can enter Numbuh 20.000's cell.
"What, you've got sad story to tell too?"
"No, I want to know your story, so I'll be taking a look inside your mind." Numbuh Gamma's eyes and his right palm begin glowing white as he restrains 20.000 with tendrils made of light.
"Guah! What's happening?!"
"Don't worry, you won't feel a thing. This won't take long." Numbuh Gamma proceeds to grab the helpless 20.000's forehead as the captive realizes what's about to happen to him.
"You…You're with the GalactiARRRGGHH!" 20.000 screams but none of the other prisoners or the guards hear him as Numbuh Gamma starts probing his mind.
…
"If you're not busy, I'd like to talk with you guys.
Can you come to the Numbuh Zero observation deck?"
Nigel sends a message to his teammate's communicators, who all answer the call and drop whatever they're doing to meet up with their leader. Wally and Hoagie were the closest, so they've already boarded an elevator that takes them to the floor where Nigel is waiting.
"*yawn* Aw crud…"
"Looks like you finally hit your limit."
"No I didn't! I just…*yawn* need to recharge a bit and then I can…*yawn*…" Wally voice fades and he has trouble keeping his eyes open as the fatigue is finally catching up to him.
"You should hit the hay when this is over. We've had a long day."
"Tell me about it…I thought we were gonna go kick Father's ass after we took out those Splinter Cell bozos…"
"Trust me, we all did…but that's not what happened…I still don't get how he managed to turn the tables just like that."
"Don't ask me. *yawn* But I'm gonna make him for pay for Delightfulizing Joey…" Wally clenches his fists while Hoagie stays silent.
"Now I really know how you've felt all this time…I guess I took it for granted that Tommy would never get brainwashed…" The boys remain silent for the remainder of the way down but as they exit the elevator and start walking through the hallway that leads to the observation deck, Abby, Kuki and Bradley appear out of nowhere right before them.
"Waah!" The boys are startled by their sudden appearance and Hoagie falls on his behind.
"Hi guys!" A cheerful Kuki greets them while Abby smirks at their pale white expressions.
"Yeesh, don't scare us like that…" Hoagie says as Abby pulls him up.
"Aw quit whinin', will ya? Let's go, Nigel's waitin'." she says as they continue towards the observation, but Wally is so tired he becomes sluggish.
"Are you okay, Numbuh 4?" Kuki comes to his side as Wally yawns.
"Just tired…" Wally mutters as Kuki walks along side him with Bradley in her arms. The skunk then pokes Kuki's chin with it's nose and gestures towards Hoagie.
"Oh, right! Numbuh 2!"
"What's up?"
"Bradley wants you to make him a new arm!"
"Oh yeah, right. I'll make it once I'm done recoding the Computermabob. That thing is so messed up thanks to Father, it's gonna take a while."
"Okidoki!" Kuki replies and pets Bradley while Wally is trying everything he can to stay awake. Soon, they arrive at the observation, where Nigel is sitting on a bench in-front of the windows.
"Yo, Numbuh 1!"
"Ah, there you are…sorry if I interrupted your work." Nigel says with a depressed voice.
"Nah, it's fine. So, what did you wanna talk about?" Hoagie asks as they sit down as well. Nigel then sighs and turns to face his teammates.
"…about…everything…"
"Huh? What do ya mean?" Abby lifts an eyebrow but immediately notices that Nigel is struggling to speak.
"I...want to apologize for having failed you all as a leader...I…I'm not sure what to do…anymore…it's like everything we've done up to now has been for nothing…No matter how you look at it, we were never going to succeed…" Nigel's words stun his teammates, as this the first time he has spoken with such despair in his voice.
"Is Numbuh 5 hearin' you right? Cuz you're soundin' like you're givin' up, Numbuh 1."
"Maybe I have…it's just that…my whole life feels like a lie. I was just a pawn in both Father's and the Galactic Kids Next Door's schemes…and now…I feel like I'm in a pit I can't escape from…" Nigel laments as his teammates look at each other. They had never seen Nigel like this.
"But…we haven't lost yet, Numbuh 1." Hoagie says as Nigel shakes his head.
"We're trapped on the Moonbase with no way of contacting the Earth, which is under Father's control. We can't do anything…anymore."
"That's not true!" Kuki shouts, startling Nigel. "You said it yourself that we won't be defeated!"
"That was just an act…to get the KND to calm down…" Nigel mutters but his behavior starts to frustrate Abby.
"Oh don't you start sayin' stuff like that! There's no way Numbuh 5 is gonna listen to you talkin' about givin' up now!"
"What other choice do we have?! Father could easily come here and Delightfulize us all if he wanted! We've been defeated, don't you see?!" Nigel laments but Abby stands up and grabs Nigel by the collar.
"What the heck made ya think that?! The way Numbuh 5 sees it, you're the only one givin' up here! What, you too scared to fight him just cause he Delightfulized the world?! When did somethin' like that stop us from fighting back?" her questions pierce Nigel's heart but Father's mind games have cast a dark cloud of doubt over him.
"…It's all my fault…that we're in this situation in the first place…I should've…"
"You should've what? Are ya taking what Father said back there seriously? He was tryin' to mess with your head!"
"And he succeeded! I was trying to force you all to follow me to the Delightful Mansion! No team leader would ever do something so blatantly foolish!"
"That's in the past, Numbuh 1, so just move on."
"But I can't, Numbuh 2! I'll never forgive myself for attempting something like that." Nigel grits his teeth as tears start forming underneath his glasses.
"Then just make up for it!" Wally shouts at Nigel as Abby let's go him. Wally then puts his hand on their leader's shoulder. "You ain't gonna feel any better if ya hide here crying and feeling sorry for yourself! You think you're the only one who's feeling cruddy?!" Wally looks him in the eye, but Nigel tries to look away. "Joey got brainwashed again and we're trapped in here, but that's not gonna make me give up!" Kuki joins them and puts her hand on Nigel's other shoulder.
"Numbuh 4's right! We'll find a way to make things right and beat Father!"
"Aren't you forgetting we've already gotten this far? We cleared our names like we promised."
"But…" Nigel can't look at his teammates in the eye but they surround him.
"We didn't come this far to quit now, Numbuh 1. Besides, you're our leader." Abby says to Nigel, but he only exhales wistfully.
"Some leader I am…" However, Abby's had enough, and she slaps Nigel on the cheek.
"Will ya quit feelin' sorry for yourself already?!" she stares intensely at Nigel, who clenches his fists and keeps looking away.
"Numbuh 5! Hitting him is not gonna help!" Hoagie shouts but Abby ignores him and grabs Nigel by the collar again.
"You think things'll get better if ya just hide in here?" Nigel continues to avoid Abby's piercing gaze as she continues. "Back when Numbuh 5 walked out on ya'll, she was ready to quit too! I made stupid mistakes and it was my fault the base got exposed, but you guys still let me come back. So Numbuh 5 ain't gonna let you end up the same!"
"Then…what am I supposed to do?!" Nigel pleads to his friends, who, to his surprise, give him a group hug.
"We'll figure it out together, Nigel, as a team. You brought us back together in that submarine and we'll stay with ya to the end."
"You don't have to do this alone."
"We've got your back, Numbuh 1, count on it."
"I…I'm sorry for being a such failure…"
"No, you're not. You're just at a loss because Father got one better on us. So chin up, will ya? We'll get through this, like we've done before." Nigel is overwhelmed by the belief his friends have for him, despite everything that has happened. Then, the shadow of doubt and self-pity filling his heart begins to fade as he finally understands Rachel's words.
"'As long as we have hope…we'll never lose'…that's just like what Numbuh 274 used to say…you're right, Rachel…" Nigel thinks as his friends let go of him. "Thank you…I guess I was just waiting for someone to tell me to pull myself together."
"You'd do the same for any of us. Right?"
"Yes, I would, Numbuh 2." Nigel tries to smile weakly as Wally slaps him in the back.
"Alright, that's what I'm talking about!"
"Yay! Numbuh 1's back to himself again!" Kuki cheers as Abby puts her hand on Nigel's shoulder.
"Numbuh 5 says we all get some rest. Especially you, Nigel. We gotta be ready if anything crazy happens."
"You're right, it's been quite a day for all of us." Nigel nods to Abby, who smirks and pats him the back as Wally lets out a loud yawn.
"Aw crud…I gotta sit down…" Wally mutters and sits back on the bench while Hoagie walks over to the window.
"You think those…GKND or whatever they are know about what's happening here?"
"If what Numbuh Gamma said was true, then most likely yes." Nigel replies as Abby scowls.
"Numbuh 5's not likin' to those guys at all. They think they can just push everyone around like chess pieces…"
"They were behind the Splinter Cell…or rather, they were the Splinter Cell this whole time. I'm afraid to even think how many of our colleagues worked for them…" Nigel says but suddenly, they hear loud snoring from behind as Wally is fast asleep on the bench.
"*giggle* He was really sleepy."
"Let's go and find a place to sleep already."
"Oh, oh, I know! The Saucer!"
"Good idea, Numbuh 3. Though it'll take us a while to get there, since Numbuh 4's snoozing already."
"I can teleport us there. I've got enough magic left for one more."
"Man, Numbuh 2, ya gotta come up with a teleporter too." Abby says jokingly as they gather around the sleeping Wally.
"Hah, I wish I was that smart…" Hoagie replies before Kuki teleports everyone up to the saucer, where they go to sleep in the same guest rooms, they slept in 3 years ago.
…
Night falls, but this doesn't stop Numbuh Omicron and the others from continuing their frantic repairs. Aboard the Wild Child, Rachel is sitting in-front of her desk, trying to make sense of everything that has happened and she hasn't slept at all. Suddenly, she receives a call from the Combat Force. "…Epsilon here, what is it?" she asks with a tired tone.
"Commander, one of our guard teams found a Stupefied agent on the 30th floor."
"Urgh…why are you calling me about that?"
"Because when we freed him, he said he was attacked by someone while on patrol. And the attacker Stupefied him with his own gun."
"Huh?! Argh…that's just great…pass this on to Numbuh Zeta and…"
"He's asleep, Ma'am. We tried to wake him up, but he didn't even budge."
"*sigh*…Then gather some agents who aren't sleeping and scour the lower floors just in case."
"Yes, Ma'am!" the guard hangs up as Rachel leans back on her chair and stares at the ceiling.
"Just what we needed…hmm?" Suddenly, she hears a faint sound coming from somewhere close. Getting off from her chair, Rachel looks around but can't figure out where the sound is originating. After a few more seconds of listening, she realizes it's coming from the safe behind the desk.
"No…it can't be!" she shouts and rushes to open the safe. As the door slides away, she sees Maurice's Signal Receiver beeping faintly. "How…what's going on…there shouldn't be any way to contact us…unless it's a trap." Rachel says to herself and presses a button on 2x4 wristwatch. "Numbuh Gamma?!"
"What is it, Commander?"
"I want you to come to my room right now!"
"Why?"
"Don't ask questions! Just come here!" Realizing the tension in her tone of voice, Numbuh Gamma casts his doubts aside and agrees. Soon, he arrives at Rachel's quarters, where she tells him to close the door.
"So?"
"Look!" Rachel points at the Receiver, causing the stone-faced Intelligence Chief to nearly lose his composure again.
"Impossible…"
"What should we do? What if it's a trap?"
"At this point, we'll have to take that risk. Connect it to the computer." Rachel nods and does as she is told. As the screen lights up, they hunker down in-front of the L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S. and wait for something to happen. Then, a line of text appears on the screen, which shocks them.
"No way…"
"It's Agent Raven…no doubt about it."
"That means Father hasn't won just yet." Rachel whispers as Numbuh Gamma starts typing an answer to the message.
End of Transmission 52