I really shouldn't make promises I can't keep. Writers block can strike at the worst time. But, here's the new chapter. Enjoy.
Transmission 53: Planning of the End
As night turns into morning, down in the Moonbase's prison level, Numbuh 1000 is sitting inside a small cell. His arms are cuffed and his mouth covered by a 2x4 metal gag. This section of the prison level is also where his fellow co-conspirators and followers, who have not denounced the Splinter Cell, are being held while those that did denounce them and surrendered have been either placed into the separate detention area or put on repair duty. However, despite being cuffed and gagged, Numbuh 1000's eyes are filled with mad fanaticism and as he stares intensely at cold steel wall before him, the only thing in his mind is to escape and complete his duty. "I won't let my years of work be wasted here…those teenagers allowed Father to win…they sold the Earth to him…"
He looks back at his career in the KND: Numbuh 1000 had graduated from the Cadets Next Door with plenty of expectations on his shoulders. After all, he was Numbuh 100's younger brother. However, his revered brother was now the leader of the Teenagers, The Steve. 1000 had to deal with constant torment from his brother while his parents did nothing to stop it. Things only got worse for him when he was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency, which stopped him from growing. Once his parents refused to pay for the treatment that would cure him, something inside Numbuh 1000 snapped. He forsake his family and rarely went home. Not that his parents cared, they were too busy fawning over his successful brother to notice that 1000 was absent. With only the KND to turn to, his devotion to organization only grew but, he couldn't help but notice that not everyone shared his hatred of people over 13. The KND's rules stated that they would only fight against evil adults and teenagers, yet he didn't agree with something like that. How could he, when his family treated him like nothing. No, all adults and teenagers were evil and kids could never live alongside them.
It was at that time he was approached by Numbuh 74.239 after the rest of his sector where abducted by large caterpillar mechs. "You are a person of great interesht to uhs and we would like you to join our caushe. After all, we're the only ones in the KND who are actually fighting against the real enemy, adulthood." Those were the words the former head of the Science Division used when he recruited him, which finally gave Numbuh 1000 the purpose he was looking for. And since then, Numbuh 1000 has dedicated his very being to completing the mission he was given, Project: Never Grow, to the point that he would even Erase his own family, along with numerous Adult Super Villains and 13-year-old operatives.
However, he can't do much from inside a high-security cell. The secret organization he has led for 4 years is no more, its members having been captured, surrendered or have Erased themselves rather than face the consequences of their actions. Then, Numbuh 1000 is brought back to reality by a metallic "clang" sound from the hallway. Listening intensely, he can hear footsteps that approach and stop in-front of his reinforced cell door. Suddenly, the door silently slides away and a shadowy figure enters. Taking a closer look, Numbuh 1000 recognizes the person as Numbuh 404, the former warden of the Antarctic Prison, who he had promoted to Global Command for his loyalty to the Splinter Cell.
"I've come to free you, Supreme Leader." the boy says as he unlocks the gag and cuffs. "Hurry, before those teenagers notice." he says and points at the emergency chute in the hallway, that leads to a sub-hangar.
"I need a weapon." Numbuh 1000 says coldly, prompting the 11-year-old to reach for the holster on his belt.
"Here, take my Erasure pistol. I'll lead you to the ships." Numbuh 404 replies as he hands his leader the pistol and turns his back on him, Stupefier in hand.
"That won't be necessary…"
"Gah!" Without hesitation, Numbuh 1000 shoots Numbuh 404 with the Erasure pistol, causing the boy to collapse unconscious to the floor. Numbuh 1000 then kneels next to him and takes the keycard 404 took from a guard, along with the Stupefier.
"I appreciate you freeing me, but you've all failed me. The only one worthy of carrying this mission through is me, and me alone. I have no need for any help." Numbuh 1000 says coldly as he walks away from the one person on the Moonbase who was still loyal to him and jumps into the chute, without looking back.
...
A few hours later, all across the Moonbase, the alarm wakes up everyone, including Sector V. "Attention, a prisoner has escaped from the high-security cell block, I repeat…" An announcement echoes through the hallways as Nigel is the first one to run out of the boy's guest room, followed by a drowsy Wally and Hoagie.
"Oh great, I was still trying to sleep…"
"No point in complaining, Numbuh 4. We need to get down there and see what's going happening!"
"Who's trying to escape anyway? And how? The high-security cell is pretty secure the last time I checked…"
"I can think of only one person…and it scares me." Then, Kuki, Abby and Bradley join them.
"Yo, what's with this racket?" Abby asks as Nigel turns around to face his team.
"A prison break by the sound of it." But before Nigel can continue, his communicator goes off. "Hmm?"
"Numbuh 1, this is the Switchboard, do you copy?"
"Yes, I do, Numbuh Iota-3. We were just about to head down to the prison level."
"Negative. Commander Numbuh Epsilon has called an emergency meeting. Come to the central briefing room on the 89th level of the Moonbase. That's all."
"I see…alright, we'll be there."
"Roger, Switchboard out." Herbie ends the call while Abby puts her hands on her hips.
"A briefing? What about that prison break?"
"I guess we'll get the answer to that in the briefing room. Let's hurry to the high-speed elevator." The others nod at Nigel, and they run straight to the center of the Saucer, where the elevators are located.
Soon, Sector V arrives to the Moonbase's massive central briefing room, a place all too familiar to them. "Wow, I forgot how hi-tech this place was…" Hoagie mutters as the team descend down the amphitheater-shaped room and sit on the very first row of seats in-front of the speaker's podium, behind which is a large holographic projector and multiple screens meant for long distance meetings. Then, Rachel steps up to the podium along with Numbuh Gamma while the briefing room fills with mostly TND members, including The Kid, who sits on the row behind Sector V, Keith, who is sitting a few rows above The Kid. Next to him are Kimberley, Ted, Sonia and Lee. However, Patton and Fanny are not present while Numbuh Omicron and Numbuh 81 join the meeting remotely. As the last agents arrive, Rachel clears her throat and starts the meeting.
"Alright everyone, let's begin. Now, you all heard the base-wide alarm, so I'll start with that. 3 hours ago, a Splinter Cell loyalist attacked a guard on the 30th floor and got their hands on a keycard. The loyalist then snuck into the high-security cellblock and freed Numbuh 1000." A unified gasp is heard across the briefing room, while the members of Sector V can't believe what they've just heard.
"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me!" Abby throws her arms in the air as Wally hits his armrest.
"No way! We went through all that crud to take him down and now this?!" Next to him, Nigel is trying his best to keep his composure, but inside, he is fuming.
"Dammit…" but as he thinks about it more, he becomes puzzled as Rachel can't calm everyone down.
"Settle down! Please!"
"All of you, quiet down!" Nigel stands up and shouts, silencing the briefing room in an instant. "Let the Commander finish!" his stern words surprise even Rachel, and she clears her throat.
"Thank you. As I was saying, Numbuh 1000 escaped from the cellblock, but he also Erased the loyalist before fleeing in an E.S.C.A.P.E.R. and right now, we have no idea where he went. But we can rule out the Earth, since Father would catch him easily. I've given Numbuh Gamma, Numbuh Beta and Numbuh Zeta the job of figuring out where he could've gone." Rachel points at the Intelligence Chief, who steps forward.
"Now that he is at large, Numbuh 1000 remains a threat, but Father is still our main adversary here. So I ask that everyone remains calm over this matter." Numbuh Gamma's words causes the commotion to finally die down as Nigel puts his hand up.
"Commander, what is our plan now?"
"I was about to get to that, Numbuh 1. Now, something else happened last night that changed our situation as well. We received a coded message from Earth 2 hours before Numbuh 1000 escaped." Another huge gasp is heard throughout the briefing room but everyone remains silent. "Because Father effectively cut us off from the Earth, I was honestly at a loss on how to take the battle to him, but this message changed everything. It was sent by a member of the TND Deep Cover Unit, Agent Raven."
"Hah, that sly fox pulled through." Keith smirks silently as Abby remembers the agent's name.
"I know that guy. He was pretendin' to be Numbuh 206, he busted me outta that Hideout and brought Bradley to me after you guys fled Cleve." she explains to her teammates.
"Wow, really? Man, he must be one heck of a spy." Hoagie replies while Nigel becomes suspicious.
"Commander, do we have any proof that the message is not a trap?"
"Honestly, that could be a possibility, but Numbuh Gamma said Father did not get his hands on our Deep Cover Unit's code-language. However, right now, the contents of that message are the only hope we have."
"Then what did it say?" Rachel presses a button on the podium and a holographic projection of the message appears behind her. She then proceeds to read the message aloud.
"Father is gathering forces for an attack on Moonbase.
TND bases have been overrun
Mansion is vulnerable
2-3 days until Father attacks."
"He's gathering forces?" Nigel mutters and crosses his arms as Numbuh Gamma changes the projection to that of the Delightful Mansion.
"We also received a highly detailed 3-D rendering of the Delightful Mansion and it's defenses and lastly, a stolen blueprint of the device Father used to Delightfulize the Earth. Take a look." Numbuh Gamma enlarges the Mansion's projection and highlights the main spire. "The Delightfulization ray was emitted from deep within Father's mansion and released through the spire. Thus, the only way we can reverse the Delightfulization is to attack the Mansion and destroy the generator that powers it."
"Just like Father planned…we have to attack the mansion…" Nigel says grimly.
"But…but that's suicide! We haven't even recovered from yesterday and the Moonbase repairs aren't done!" Ted starts to despair, but Hoagie turns around and reassures his friend.
"Hey, calm down, Eta-4. All we need to do is come up with a plan, that's all."
"Numbuh 2's right. We've got all the info we need right here to get back at Father." Abby says over her shoulder as Rachel nods on the podium.
"And that's why I called you all here. This may be our only chance to make things right, so everyone has to do their part. Numbuh 1, Numbuh 5 and Agent Hermit, you three will work with me and Numbuh 81 in preparing a plan to deal with Father. Numbuh Gamma and his team will join us once they figure out where Numbuh 1000's fled and what his goal is."
"Understood, Commander." Nigel salutes Rachel, as do Abby and Keith.
"Numbuh 2, since Numbuh Omicron is busy leading the repair work, you will be in-charge of re-armament along with Numbuh Eta-4, Pi-2 and Numbuh Rho. We need find to a way to deal with the Delightfulized Teen Ninjas, since they are chipped. Numbuh Lambda and Agent Halcón, you will deal with the vehicle department, and I want you to share your resources with Numbuh 2's team."
"Oh…uhm…alright, leave it to me!" A surprised Hoagie replies while a determined Kimberley salutes from behind him, along with Ted.
"Eh, fixin' ships is way better than sittin' around." The Kid nods at Rachel
"Hey, what about me?!" Wally points at himself, feeling slightly left out.
"You'll will be working with the re-arming teams as well, but for now, help around with the Moonbase repairs. Numbuh Omicron needs all the assistance he can get. Numbuh 3, report to Numbuh Mu. The Medical teams could use your healing ability right now."
"O…okay, I can do that…" Kuki replies but she isn't fully satisfied with her orders. However, she does not voice it.
"Section Chief's will also brief their specific Sections later and Numbuh 81 will brief the KND separately. We need to make use of the extra time we've been given, so get to work people!"
"YES MA'AM!" The crowd replies to Rachel and one by one, the agents begin heading for their assigned jobs.
"Hey, before you guys go, can you hand me your B.R.A.'s? We need to do some updates to them if we're going to fight Father." Hoagie gestures to his teammates, The Kid and Rachel.
"Sure thing, Numbuh 2." Abby nods and quickly pulls out her B.R.A. from between her shirt and top while Rachel, The Kid and Wally hand their wrist watches and wristband respectively to Hoagie, and Kuki gives him her mask. "Huh?! Why's Numbuh 5 the only one with this kinda B.R.A.?"
"Uhm, well I can turn yours into a wrist type too if you want…"
"You better. I was getting' tired of stuffin' that under my shirt."
"Can you make mine like that too?! The mask is cool and all, but I can't fit it in my pockets well…"
"Just don't overwork yourself, Numbuh 2." Nigel says as everyone begins to leave.
"Ah, don't worry, cuz now I got my own team to work with."
…
As everyone gets to work, inside the Wild Child's Science Lab, Hoagie, Ted, Kimberley and Numbuh Rho sit down around a table but they feel overwhelmed by the task ahead of them. "So, let me get this straight, we've got about 2 days to make something that can deal with those Delightfulized teenagers…Man, I wont lie, this is gonna be tough…" Hoagie says as he scratches his forehead.
"There's no way we can make it in 2 days…"
"Hey, stop thinking like that, Eta-4. We haven't even started work yet. Let's first look at what we know and move from there." The short, brown-haired Chief of the Armory Section, Numbuh Rho says sternly to Ted as Kimberley types on her 2x4 computer.
"Well, Father Delightfulized them using chips, just like the Splinter Cell brainwashed the KND and the Hunters." she says as Hoagie snaps his fingers.
"Oh yeah, why don't we first look at the chips then? Where did Numbuh Omicron put the chips we took from those Ninjas that got inside the hangar yesterday?"
"They're in the Chief's personal safe, in his workstation over there. I can open it for you." Numbuh Rho points at a door across the lab.
"I'll go get them. Just give me your keycard." Rho nods and hands her Chief's card to Hoagie, who then enters Numbuh Omicron's office/workstation. There, he finds and opens the small safe, inside which are not only the fourteen chips they removed from the Ninjas, but also the two chips Wally removed from Sonia and Lee in March. "Huh, he must've forgotten these here…woah, wait minute!" Hoagie shouts as he notices a similarity with the two chips.
"What are you screaming for?"
"Just a second, I'll show you!" Hoagie replies to Numbuh Rho as he quickly runs back to the table and drops the fourteen chips on the table, along with Splinter Cell mind-control chip he has kept in his pocket.
"Looks like we've got lot to work with…" Kimberley says as Hoagie puts the two older chips on the table as well.
"Not just that. Look at these two and the rest. See anything similar?" Hoagie asks the others and Ted immediatly realizes what he means.
"Wait a minute! Those are exactly the same as the chips I was forced to build! They both have wires!" Ted takes a closer look at the older chips and notices that it has an indentical blue circuitboard as the Delighfulization chips. "This...this means Chi-4 and Chi-3 where Delightfulized when Father planted these chips on them. They weren't just being mind-controlled."
"Exactly! And that's also why they didn't get Delightfulized when everyone else under 13 did in V2's treehouse."
"I see your point, but how does that help us?" Numbuh Rho asks Hoagie, who smirks.
"It does! Because now we know once you're Delightfulized, you can't get Delightfulized again. And that Father's design for the chip was different to the one Chester planned to make. Numbuh Pi-2, send a picture of the old chip and the new chip to Numbuh Gamma. It might help his team."
"Oh, okay, sure." Kimberley replies while the gears in Hoagie's head start spinning.
"Right, I think I know how we can make this work. Numbuh Rho, can you get me all the weapons projects the TND has come up with so far?"
"Yeah, but why do we need them?"
"I'll explain later. Numbuh Eta-4, start analyzing the chips. We need to know how they work and what powers them."
"Right! leave it to me!" Ted grabs the chips before he runs towards the large 2x4 multi-magnifying scanner on the other side of the lab and starts placing them inside the machine.
"Numbuh Pi-2, you go to the test hangar and on my mark, use the Portal Generator to create a portal."
"Portal? Why do we need a portal?"
"You'll see." Hoagie winks and begins to leave the lab.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"I'm gonna get my Portal Gun. Just wait for my call." Hoagie shouts over his shoulder and runs off, puzzling the girls.
"Does he actually have a plan?" A confused Numbuh Rho asks the others.
"Of course he does! Didn't you see the grin on his face? He knows what he's doing."
…
Elsewhere, inside the Deciphering Room, Numbuh Gamma, Patton and Fanny have gathered in-front of a computer and are going through Numbuh 1000's personal log that Numbuh 105 gave to Rachel. However, the more they read, the more disturbing the content become.
"This is making me sick…how mad do you have to be to mind-wipe your entire family…" Patton shakes his head in disgust as Numbuh Gamma stares coldly at the screen.
"Truly, he is a monster born out of his circumstances. I have no doubt the combination of his condition and his family situation are what made him so loyal to the Splinter Cell. Because he has no past, he believes he has nothing to lose either."
"And he even let Father's Day happen…" Fanny frowns as they read passage from the log, that details the events of those fateful days in January:
11th of January
"Today, I received a report from the Intelligence Division that mentioned something about Father planning a major operation soon. We'll need to keep an eye on it."
16th of January
"Another report arrived today. Father is planning to kidnap kids from across the country, including KND operatives…I'm tempted to forward this report to the Supreme Leader but then again, if we let happen, it will strengthen our position greatly within the KND. Maybe they'll finally learn that co-existence with adults is impossible. However, I'll none the less send this report to our superiors. That should give their cause even greater support."
19th of January
"It finally happened. Father struck without mercy and has captured countless numbers of kids…it makes me sick…but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to take. Now we finally have a reason to oust that useless puppet of a Supreme Leader. To think our operatives hail her as a hero, when we've been the ones doing all the work. I'll need to start organizing a rescue mission immediately.
28th of February
"Everything is finally starting to fit in place. My position within the KND is now strong enough to defy our Supreme Leader's orders. We control everything within the KND and it's all thanks to Father's Day. I do feel pity for all those who were kidnapped and tortured, but their sacrifice was for a righteous cause. But before we begin the next phase, we'll need to tie up five loose ends first."
30th of March
"I can't believe it. Matador surrendered to the Hunters without resistance. I guess he realized the futility of his situation. Unfortunately, we couldn't turn off his B.R.A. while he was unconsciouss. However, Block V is impreganable, so he won't escape. I've also received word that a patrol from Sector U captured the Dread Pirate and Numbuh 60's Hunter Team has detained Witch and Shogun, despite them putting up a fight. Now all I need is to get Nephew and all our bases are covered. Once we silence them, there will be nothing to stop us. Never Grow can finally commence."
"They used Father's Day for their own purposes…dammit, why were we so blind back then?!" Patton punches a wall nearby as Fanny is equally reminded of her own misguided loyalty to Numbuh 1000.
"There is no point in dwelling on the past anymore, Numbuh Zeta. The only thing that matters now, is the future and how we can save it."
"You're right, Numbuh Gamma…" The room falls into silence as they continue to read the log but despite proving Numbuh 1000's and the Splinter Cell's crimes a million-fold, it's not giving them the results they want.
"Gah! This isn't tellin' us where that runt ran off to!" Fanny says impatiently.
"Not yet at least. We'll just have to keep looking. But seriously, these Splinter Cell people were really good at hiding themselves from us…Almost 1/3 of the KND operatives we worked with 5 years ago were on their side and we didn't know a thing…" Patton clenches his fist as he is reminded of Numbuh 20.000.
"That was thanks to Numbuh 74.239. He and the other observers were specially trained to cover their tracks."
"Grr…if that buck-toothed carrot head shows himself here again, I'll pluck his teeth out, along with his braces!" Fanny shouts angrily, causing Numbuh Gamma to smirk slightly.
"Well…if we don't defeat Father…you might get your chance." Then, Patton leans on the keyboard with his left hand while looking at the computer screen.
"Numbuh Gamma, how exactly were the Splinter Cell going to Erase all the adults and teenagers on Earth? No way they were gonna do it with just those pistols."
"It's a good question. Despite Numbuh 1000 raving about Never Grow, we haven't found anything in the Moonbase that could even theoretically Erase a planet..." Then, Gamma receives a message on his Signal Receiver. "Hmm? It's from Numbuh 2's team…"
"Numbuh 2? Did they figure something out?"
"Let's see…" Suddenly, Numbuh Gamma's expression becomes very serious, to Patton and Fanny's surprise.
"Hey, spill it out already!"
"*cough* Yes, it seems Numbuh 2 found out that the chips used on Numbuh's Chi-3 and Chi-4 during Father's Day are not only Delightfulization chips, but they've also got the same design principle as the Splinter Cell's chips."
"Well, how's that gonna help us find Numbuh 1000?!"
"Calm down, Fanny!" Patton snaps at Fanny while Numbuh Gamma crosses his arms.
"Not at all, but it does confirm a theory I've had for a while now."
"What kinda theory?"
"That the Splinter Cell's mind-control chips were based on Father's earlier version. Somehow, they must have gotten their hands on Father's early designs and used them to make their own. Both of them need wires to control the victim."
"Now that you mention it, Numbuh 4's brother's chip and all the other chips we've pulled out had those wires."
"Exactly, Numbuh Zeta. Both the Splinter Cell and Father had the same idea but took different approaches. They made Numbuh Eta-4 and the Science Division perfect the design before they were mass-produced…and the only way the Splinter Cell would've been able to make them so quickly in such a brief time, is that they were given GKND technology by Numbuh 74.239."
"But we haven't found any kind of alien tech here inside the Moonbase. Hold on…that means…they've got a second hideout somewhere!" Patton shouts, causing Fanny and Numbuh Gamma to realize the connection as well.
"Of course! That punk must've gone there!" Fanny hits her hands together while Numbuh Gamma's eyes become glued to the computer screen.
"You're right. There is no way the Splinter Cell didn't have a contingency plan in-case the Moonbase was overrun…there, I think I just found it!"
"Where?!"
"…the Orbital Shipyards."
"The Shipyards?! But I thought it was wrecked 3 years ago when those Delightful Dorks ran their Destructive whatchamacallit through it during their attack."
"So we all thought, Numbuh Beta. They must've had the same idea as we did with the Gihuegacarrier. Salvage and convert it. That's where they've mass-produced the chips and that's where we'll find Numbuh 1000." Numbuh Gamma says confidently.
"Then let's start scanning the Earth's orbit for anything suspicious. We're gonna nail him."
…
Meanwhile, in the coldness of space, Numbuh 1000 steers his stolen E.S.C.A.P.E.R towards what seems to be nothing but empty space in Earth's geostationary orbit. Then, he presses a button on his 2x4 wristwatch. "This is Numbuh 1000. Safe Haven, do you copy?" Minutes pass and he gets no response but then, a boy's voice answers.
"This is Safe Haven. We've confirmed your identity. Hold your position and prepare for landing." Numbuh 1000's shuts off the E.S.C.A.P.E.R.'s engines as a barn door appears out of nowhere before him. The door slowly slides open and the E.S.C.A.P.E.R. slips inside before the door disappears. The ship is then plunged in total darkness as two hydraulic arms clamp on the E.S.C.A.P.E.R. and move the ship through an airlock, beyond which is a medium-sized hangar. As Numbuh 1000 opens his canopy, his ship is lowered to the hangar floor next to a K.O.L.O.S.S.A.L.I.N.E.R.
"Supreme Leader!" A Splinter Cell operative wearing a yellow and brown Moonbase uniform greets and salutes Numbuh 1000, who only nods back coldly. "We lost contact with the Moonbase after your message. What happened?"
"The teenagers overran us. I was lucky to escape but that doesn't matter now. How is the work on Phase 3 coming along?"
"Ah, well, we've finished all the drone units, but the command machine still needs some adjustments. But it's a good thing we managed to ship all of them out of the Moonbase, right?"
"Indeed. Hurry up with the adjustments. The sooner we can complete Phase 3, the better."
"Yes, of course, Supreme Leader but…I've got a question. You wanted the command unit to have a cockpit. Why? Wouldn't be safer if we simply…"
"I don't need to explain that to you, Numbuh 50. You just worry about finishing it, understood?!" Numbuh 1000 snaps at the operative, who yelps and nods apologetically.
"Yes, yes, absolutely, Supreme Leader."
"Good. Have we received any transmissions from our superiors?"
"Uhm, we tried to contact them, but they refused to speak to anyone but you…"
"Hmm, I thought so. Alright, I'll contact them immediately. They no doubt want to know what is going on Earth right now…"
"Understood, Sir! I'll let the communications know you're coming…"
"No. I'm going to my room. Tell them to relay the commlink there."
"Right, yes Sir!" Numbuh 50 says with a shaky voice as Numbuh 1000 glares at the cowering operative and leaves the hangar and enters a hallway, which leads to a small room.
"I can't trust anyone of these idiots anymore…Once all of the machines are finished, the first thing I'll do is take care of everyone here…I'm the only one on Earth worthy of saving it."
He walks over to the desk and types on the console embedded into it, causing a holoprojector to appear from the ceiling. It begins to glow, and a silhouette appears before Numbuh 1000, who kneels before it. "Sho, you finally sshow up, Numbuh 1000." the silhouette says with a noticeable lisp.
"Yes, I'm sorry I couldn't contact you earlier, Numbuh 74.239. There's been some…unforeseen circumstances and…"
"Sstand up and get to the point."
"…right. Well, I'm sure you're pleased to know that we'll soon be able to start Phase 3 of Project Never Grow. Soon, adults and teenagers will no longer pose any threat to us kids."
"Ish that sho?"
"Absolutely!"
"Hmm…then why are there teenagersh inside the Moonbase ash we shpeak?"
"They…we fought as hard as we could but we had no choice but to abandon the Moonbase!"
"That's not what we've heard. You had every advantage and yet you shtill losht the Moonbase to them. And thanks to your inability to defeat them, Father hash Delightfulized the entire planet."
"H…how did you…?!"'
"Did you actually think we've been reliant on your reportsh alone, Numbuh 1000? We know whatsh really been going on there. How Shector V eshcaped, the Teensh Next Door, everything. You failed to report neither of these eventsh to ush. Your incompetence has cost us the pride of our organization, the Earth's Kids Next Door and now, the entire planet is once again ruled by an evil adult." Numbuh 1000's takes a step back as he tries to come up with an argument, but the former chief of the KND Science Division continues to berate him.
"All you had to do was follow the plan we had given you, but inshtead, your own megalomania and hunger for power has sealed Earth's fate."
"No! Never Grow hasn't failed yet! Once all the units are complete, I'll bring down Father and…"
"And nothing!" 74.239 cuts Numbuh 1000 off angrily. "You will do nothing of the sort. I will not have you make a bigger mess than you already have. It's been decided that Earth will be Decommissioned." Numbuh 1000's face contorts from shock and he begins to panic.
"…no…No! You can't do that! Weren't we supposed to make the Earth a utopia for all kids?! You can't just Decommission us!"
"The utopia the Galactic Kids Next Door seeks has nothing to do with Earth anymore, now that you lost it. You are to remain inside Safe Haven and wait for our arrival. And before you ashk, this order came from the Galactic Supreme Leader, Numbuh Aleph Zero themselves!"
"Nu…Numbuh Aleph Zero…no…no…I won't accept this! Please, give me one more chance to make things right! We can defeat Father with Never Grow!"
"I'll hear none of it! You've already failed ush enough times, Numbuh 1000. It's best for your sake if you follow your orders and stay there. Otherwise, you'll face memory erasing when we arrive, ish that clear?!" Numbuh 1000 looks furiously at the floor and clenches his fists, unable to accept what he just heard, but then, he begrudgingly lifts his head and salutes Numbuh 74.239.
"…Yes…I understand…Sir…"
"Good. Relay this order to the whole of Safe Haven and await for our arrival. We will deal with both Father and those traitorous teenagers accordingly." Numbuh 74.239 ends the call, leaving a devastated Numbuh 1000 standing alone in the room. He can't comprehend his mentor's words at all and his thoughts begin racing. Is this how his life's work is going to end? Have all the sacrifices he's done so far been for nothing?"
"…no…I will not be tossed aside like this…I'll show him…I'll show Aleph Zero and the GKND that I am the one who will save the Earth from the disease of adulthood…I swear it…" He then types on the console and erases the conversation he had with Numbuh 74.239 from the Safe Haven's memory before leaving the room, brimming with mad, zealous determination. As he returns to the hangar, Numbuh 50 comes to his side once more.
"Sir, how did it go? What are our orders?"
"...We are to complete the units as soon as possible. They've left the Earth's fate in our hands."
"Wow...alright, we won't let them down!"
"Exactly. Now show me where you're building them."
"Yes Sir! Right this way!" Numbuh 50 leads 1000 out of the hangar in to a gigantic assembly hangar, where Splinter Cell scientists and technicians are working on large, egg-shaped machines, that are just barely able to fit inside the already huge hangar. There are 10 machines lining either side of the facility while an 11th, much bigger machine is located in the middle.
"We'll be able to launch them in 2 days."
"Excellent. Once we deploy the P.U.R.I.F.I.N.A.T.O.R.'s, the Earth will finally be saved." Numbuh 1000 looks at the machines with satisfaction.
"Yes, that's right, Sir. They'll be launched to every continent and nothing will stand in their way."
"Only if you do your part and finish them in time, Numbuh 50. If we fail now, there won't be a second chance. You know what I mean."
"Absolutely. We won't fail, especially now that you're here, Sir."
"Indeed, failure is not an option."
End of Transmission 53
Note: I'm ashamed to admit I ran into writers block in December and getting back into the writing groove has been hard. However, that is now a thing of the past and I've gotten beyond 900 pages. New chapters may take a bit longer to release, but rest assured that this story will continue.