Transmission 54: The Stage is Set
Back in the Moonbase, Nigel, Rachel, Abby, Keith and Numbuh 81 have gone to the Moonbase's Global Command operations room to prepare a plan against Father. They have gathered around a circular table, on top of which is a holoprojector that shows them the 3D rendition of the Delightful Mansion. "Father really hasn't skimped out on defenses, has he?"
"You said it, mon. He's got that place filled with guns and missiles." Keith replies to Rachel while Nigel points at the wall surrounding the Mansion.
"And we can assume the perimeter is protected by a shield system of some kind. Along with the Delightful Teens and the Delightfulized KND, who will be there as well, but it doesn't make sense…"
"What do ya mean, Numbuh 1?"
"Think about it, Numbuh 5. Why would Father be gathering forces to attack the Moonbase? He knows that eventually we would have to leave the Moonbase, so why attack so soon?"
"But he also knows that we'll come up with a way to beat him eventually. We've got a deadline now, that's what it means. Anyway, there's also the Array we have to take into account. Especially now that Father has it."
"You're right, Commander. Even the road to the Mansion is going to be challenging to say the least…hmm…maybe we should try a different approach." Nigel zooms away from the Mansion and examines the area surrounding it instead. "Of course! I completely forgot about that!" But before Nigel can continue, Rachel gets a call from Numbuh Gamma.
"Commander?"
"Yes, what is it? Did you find anything?"
"Affirmative. We believe we've figured out where Numbuh 1000 has fled, but we haven't been able to pinpoint the exact location."
"It's a start at least. So where is he?"
"Most likely, Numbuh 1000 has gone to the Orbital Shipyards. We suspect they've repaired the facility and have been secretly using it for their own purposes for 3 years now."
"Hmph, sneaky punks…" Abby mutters as Numbuh 81 joins the conversation.
"If I remember right, there was talk among Global Command that the Shipyards were moved into Earth's geostationary orbit, so you should be able to find it with the Moonbase's long-distance sensor array. Knowing the Splinter Cell, they're probably hiding it with some sort of a camouflage system."
"Right, we'll do just that. I'll contact you again once we've found them. Numbuh Gamma out."
"Hey, you're startin' to sound like a Supreme Leader, kid." Abby says jokingly to the French-Canadian boy, who shakes his head.
"No, I'm just an acting Supreme leader, until we save everyone." his response both surprises and amuses the teenagers and Rachel pats the boy in the back.
"Then you and I are in the same boat. So, Numbuh 1, what did you want to say?" she gestures to Nigel.
"Yes, well, take a look at this. Father's mansion is built close to cliffs overlooking a beach. I know for a fact that the mansion itself is only a façade. His dungeons, laboratories and everything else important is build underground. He also has a submarine dock there, which, while heavily protected from intruders and the forces of nature, could be our way in, without having to deal with the mansion's external defenses and the shield."
"Say, that sounds like pretty good idea, mon. But who's gonna go in? Are we gonna attack with the carrier or what?"
"The same approach we've taken in every operation so far. A small team attacks the mansion."
"And lemme guess, we're gonna be the ones goin' in?" Abby eyes Nigel, who nods.
"Wait a minute, Numbuh 1! Aren't you playing into Father's hands by charging into the mansion with just your team?! He wants you to do that."
"I've been thinking about this for a while, but it's inevitable that I have to face Father at some point."
"But you ain't gonna fight him alone, ya hear me? We've got your back." Abby puts her hand on Nigel's shoulder, but Rachel does not agree with him.
"No, we can't just rely on your team, Numbuh 1. Aren't you forgetting everyone else here?"
"I'm not suggesting you should leave this to us. Our priority is reversing the planetary Delightfulization first and honestly speaking, my team has the best shot at successfully executing something like that. Father would have to turn all his attention to us while we are inside the Mansion. That will give the rest of you a chance to deal with Numbuh 1000 and then follow through with an attack on the Mansion, tying Father's forces down" Nigel explains, but Rachel shakes her head.
"Nigel, I understand what you mean, but I can't let just the five of you go in there!" she raises her voice, startling the others.
"Hey, calm down girl, we haven't decided on nything' yet!"
"Ya mon, we ain't gonna get anywhere if we start shouting at each other." Abby and Keith glare at Rachel, who sighs and regains her composure, but Nigel realizes why she doesn't agree with his plan.
"Look, Rachel, don't take this the wrong way. We have to take our chances with this operation. There won't be retries this time and that means, we have to play to our strengths."
"That's right! Infiltrating places and causin' mayhem is what Sector V's all about. You know that's how we always roll."
"…Fine, you have a point. However, we'll decide who goes in there later. Let's focus on getting back to Earth first. Don't forget, Father has control of the KND Space fleet…the very same fleet we sent to attack his mansion yesterday…"
"Oh yeah, that's right mon…we gotta get through them first."
"Hmm…then you should leave the Space Fleet to us, Numbuh 362. If we can force them to fight the Moonbase, they won't be able to come after you."
"Numbuh 5 likes your way of thinkin', kid. We could slip away while they're busy fightin' the Moonbase."
"But we won't be able to get the Moonbase back to 100% operation before Father's forces arrive…" Nigel crosses his arms as Keith snaps his fingers.
"Hey! I got an idea. Check this out." he changes the 3D projection to that of the Moonbase and the space surrounding it, highlighting the debris field nearby. "Remember this place, mon? That's where all the space junk from the Orbital Shipyards got left behind. Can't we use it?" Nigel looks sternly at the projection and remembers how they had to go through it to reach the Moonbase earlier.
"That's it! The debris field is facing the Earth, and it's in the Moonbase's blind spot. If we could somehow lay a trap inside the debris field, we could stop the Space Fleet in their tracks, leaving Father with only the Delightful Ninjas to defend his Mansion."
"And then we could bombard the fleet with the Moonbase's defense system!" Numbuh 81 shouts excitedly as Rachel calls Numbuh Omicron immediately.
"Numbuh Omicron?"
"Huh? Ah, sorry Ma'am, couldn't hear ya! We're just finishing the hangar repairs and then we should be able to separate the carrier from the Moonbase in 24 hours."
"That's great news. Listen, does the Moonbase have anything that can stop a large enemy fleet in it's tracks?"
"Hmm…well, the defense lines are meant for that, but we thrashed most of them…I think there are still some barrier satellites floating around there...why are you asking?"
"I'll send you a detailed plan later, but see if you can get them back online ASAP? We've just figured out a way to deal with the Space Fleet."
"Aye, I'll see to it personally."
"Good, I'm sorry I'm piling more work for you."
"Don't worry Commander, we're doin' our part, that's all."
"Right, then I'll leave you to it. Numbuh Epsilon out." Rachel ends the call and turns to face the others. "One problem solved…hopefully."
"Don't worry girl, we'll figure this out." Abby puts her hand on Rachel's shoulder to encourage her as Nigel changes the projection back to the Delightful Mansion.
"Now for the hard part…"
...
While Nigel and the others wrack their brains over the assault plan, Kuki has gone to the Moonbase's massive medical level, where Numbuh Mu and the TND Medical Section have taken over the level's operations. For the last 2 hours, Kuki has been using her powers to heal injuries, but despite being greatly helpful, she feels unsatisfied. "…I want to be more useful than this…" she thinks as she finishes healing a TND agent's broken wrist.
"Numbuh 3, you can take a break now. You've been working really hard for two hours." Numbuh Mu-4 gestures to Kuki, who nods while smiling weakly.
"Okay…" she replies and walks out of the main infirmary as the uneasy feeling continues to nag at her. Deep down, she feels angry at herself for not being of use during the previous day's events, specifically what happened in the test hangar. However, she does not want to share this with her teammates, especially since all of them are hard at work. "What am I doing here…" she mutters and stops on an observation deck but before she can do anything else, she hears voices from the hallway.
"Thanks for helping us out, Numbuh 23."
"Don't thank me…I just want to do what I can…" Kuki immediately recognizes the voice and peeks her head out to the hallway, where Virginia Sims, former Numbuh 23 and a victim of Erasure, is conversing with a TND nurse. At first, Kuki hesitates to speak up but as the nurse and Virginia part ways, Kuki jumps in-front of her.
"Hi Numbuh 23!" her sudden appearance startles the brown-haired girl.
"Yaah! …uhm…hi…" she replies hesitantly.
"When did they let you out of the infirmary?"
"Yesterday…" Kuki can sense that Virginia is clearly bothered by her over-friendliness, as she remembers that Virginia has no memory of their time together in the KND.
"Oh, sorry…I got so excited I forgot you don't…remember me…"
"It's okay…uhm…Numbuh 3 was it?"
"Call me Kuki!"
"Right…Kuki…uhm…did you want something from me?"
"Nope! I just wanted to say hello. I've been really worried about you since you fainted 2 weeks ago." Kuki's sincerity surprises Virginia, and she smiles weakly.
"Oh…well…I'm glad you think that way…"
"That's what friends do! Even though you don't remember anything, you're still my friend." Kuki smiles back at Virginia, who suddenly feels nostalgic and starts to loosen up.
"What were you doing there?"
"Uhm...I was assinged to uhm...Numbuh Lambda's team, but he said I could help Numbuh Mu instead, so I was just helping the nurses move the patients…there's so many of them." Kuki's expression becomes serious as she nods.
"Yeah…lot's of kids and teenagers got hurt yesterday…it's all Father's and the Splinter Cell's fault…" Kuki frowns as Virginia becomes curious.
"Where the Splinter Cell the ones who took my memories?"
"They did more than that…they hate adults so much they wanted to wipe them all out…"
"Wow…" The girls move to the observation deck as Kuki starts explaining to Virginia everything that has happened so far, because Numbuh Gamma and Mu had kept her in the dark during her time in the infirmary.
"So when I was a Ninja, I worked for Father…no way…?" Virginia leans her head against the railing as Kuki tries to comfort her friend.
"Don't worry, it's in the past. We'll take down Father, just you wait."
"Can you guys really do it? Doesn't he control the world now?"
"So? That's not gonna stop us!" Kuki says confidently but then, her expression changes. "I just wish I could be more useful…"
"Useful? What do you mean?" Kuki takes a deep breath and stares wistfully out into space.
"Well…I don't know…all I can do is throw things with my magic, heal others and teleport…"
"What?! Really? You can use magic?"
"Uhm…yeah…thanks to this…" Kuki shows Virginia the crystal charm around her neck, which has been covered by the clover necklace Wally gave her yesterday.
"Show me! I've never seen magic!" Virginia asks enthusiastically to which Kuki responds in kind. She lifts both herself and Virginia a few centimeters off the floor, startling her.
"Wow! This is so cool! Doesn't this make you really useful?!"
"But…I always get tired if I use my magic too much…and I can't teleport to places I haven't been before…"
"Then you should totally practice! Isn't that the best way?" Virginia's words cause Kuki to realize that apart from training her healing magic in the TND infirmary, she has never bothered to improve her magic powers at all.
"Y…you're right! I'll be able to help my team better if I do that!" Confidence begins to fill Kuki as she rapidly teleports from the other end of the observation deck to the opposite end.
"That's the spirit!" Virginia shouts excitedly as she comes up with an idea. "Hey, why you don't you teleport me around this place and see how long you can keep it up?"
"Ooh, that's a great idea! Okay, hold on tight!" Kuki appears before Virginia and grabs her hands tightly before teleporting out of the medical level, into various locations around the Moonbase that she can remember.
Her practice takes them up to the Saucer, and then down to the hangar floor, followed by a jump to the Science Division's level, where Hoagie has created a portal between it and the Test Hangar, allowing his team to freely move equipment between the two labs, that are buzzing with activity as the Armory Section's members, led by the short but loud-mouthed Numbuh Rho are working on weapons while Kimberley and Ted are testing the durability of the Delighfulization chips. Hoagie meanwhile is sitting in-front of a large workstation, surrounded by blueprints and remotely activated B.R.A.'s. Despite the girl's sudden appearance, neither Hoagie nor the others notice them at all, until Kuki speaks up. "Hi, Numbuh 2!"
"Whaaaaa! Huh? Numbuh 3, don't scare me like that! I almost burned my fingers with my laser cutter…" Hoagie says while pointing at a pen-shaped laser cutter on his workstation.
"Sorry…"
"Uh, it's fine…so what's up?"
"I'm practicing my teleporting! And Virginia is helping me!" Kuki pulls Virginia closer to her as Hoagie greets the amnesiac operative.
"Hiya."
"Hi…" Virginia replies nervously as Kuki walks over to Hoagie's workstation and peeks over his shoulder. Lying on the table is Wally's remotely activated and stripped down B.R.A., while its chest armor plate has been dismantled completely.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, I'm working on a way to shut down Delightfulization chips without harming the host. I thought, 'how are we gonna do that?' Stupefying doesn't work on Delightfulized teens because they can break through it. Then I remembered, Numbuh 4's armor has the Destabilizer, that shuts down B.R.A.'s instantly. So now, I'm figuring out how it works."
"You mean if everyone has that, we can break the chips?"
"Yeah, sure, if I had more time. This thing's way too complicated to copy piece by piece. But, at its core is an EMP generator, and that's our ticket."
"EMP? What does that mean?"
"Electromagnetic Pulse. It can deep fry any electric device instantly. If we can just copy the Destabilizer's core and make it modular, we can turn all our weapons into EMP weapons. But that's only after we know they really work against the chips."
"Wow…I didn't get all of that, but it sounds cool."
"Hah, yeah, it is pretty cool." Kuki then notices all the other customized B.R.A. and Betsy MK II Custom standing against the wall near Hoagie's workstation.
"Oh, are you going to upgrade those too?"
"Yup, once I've copied the EMP core's schematics. Then it's up to Numbuh Pi-2 and Rho to make it work. That way, I can focus on our equipment. All of these B.R.A. and Betsy are gonna need some serious upgrading if we're gonna fight Father. Numbuh 1 warned me about what we're going up against, so I gotta put everything I know about 2x4 and Teen tech to use."
"Yeah…well, I guess we'll go. I don't wanna distract you."
"Hey, don't worry about it. You just make sure not to teleport inside a wall." Hoagie smirks at Kuki, who smiles back at him.
"I won't do that, silly! Come on, let's go somewhere else."
"Huh? Oh, okay." Kuki grabs Virginia and they instantly vanish into thin air. After two more hours of jumping around the Moonbase, the girls arrive at the Moonbase's middle level but now, Kuki is starting to get exhausted. "Are you okay?" A worried Virginia asks as Kuki leans against the hallway's wall.
"I'm fine…I guess that's my limit…but I'm not gonna give up! I'll just rest a bit and then keep going. I don't want to let down my team!" Kuki determination starts to affect Virginia, who begins feeling unsatisfied with her efforts.
"I wish I could help everyone somehow too. Even if I don't remember anything…"
Then, the girls hear voices from a side corridor. "So, you guys figured out where that bastard ran off?" Kuki immediately recognizes Wally's voice as he, along with Patton, Fanny and Numbuh Gamma appear behind the corner.
"Not quite. The Orbital Shipyards are apparently protected by a camouflage system of some kind. Once we've discussed this with the Supreme Commander, I'm going back to work." Numbuh Gamma replies.
"Wait, don't you need our help anymore?"
"You've already helped me enough, Numbuh Zeta. You can leave the rest to me and the Intelligence Section. You should concentrate on helping Numbuh 2 and Numbuh Lambda. They're working on the weapons and ships respectively, and I'm not useful in that field."
"Just don't pile too much work on yerself." Fanny says to Gamma, who feels slightly taken aback it.
"I guess you all really do consider me a member of the team, even though I'm working for the GKND…"
"Don't worry, I know my limits…hmm?" Numbuh Gamma notices the two figures approaching them and stops.
"Huh? What gives…hey, where did you guys come from?" Wally asks as Kuki and Virginia greet him and the others.
"Oh we were just going around the Moonbase. I'm training my teleportation so I can use it longer." A pumped up Kuki replies as Fanny notices Virginia standing next to Kuki.
"Nu…Numbuh 23! What are ya doing here?!" Fanny shouts in surprise, causing Virginia to take step a back. Her reaction also causes Wally, Kuki and Patton to exchange looks.
"Oh that's right, we didn't tell you about her."
"Huh? Tell what? Did ya recommission her like ya did with Iota-3?"
"No she…she was Erased…" Kuki says and puts her hand on Virginia's shoulder.
"What?! No…no way…"
"That is correct. She was one of the first KND operatives the Splinter Cell tested their Erasure process on." Numbuh Gamma explains to Fanny, who can't believe what she's hearing.
"They…Erased you…" she clenches her fists as anger begins to swell within her.
"I'm…sorry…" A guilty Virginia says with a shaky voice and takes another step back.
"Virginia, it's okay, she wasn't being mean!" Kuki turns to face Virginia as the girl's minds gets filled with thoughts that she can't make any sense of.
"I…I…ghh." Virginia panics and dashes away before anyone can say anything else to her.
"Virginia, wait! You got it all wrong!" Kuki runs after her, followed by the others, thought Numbuh Gamma hangs back slightly. He turns his attention to the 2x4 watch on his wrist and looks at the readings on its screen.
"Just as I thought…the earring is reacting to her emotional state…that means only one thing…" but then, he realizes where they are headed. "Wait, this place is…!"
Ahead of them, Virginia has managed to outrun the others and as she arrives at a T-intersection in the hallway, she tries to get her thoughts together but it's not working. Fanny's reaction had caused a faint, blurry vision to appear in her mind but no matter how hard she tries, she can't tell what it's about. "Why…why am I running …I don't understand…they were my friends…right? I can't remember anything…!" hearing the footsteps of her pursuers, Virginia turns to the right just as the others catch sight of her. She runs through the steel-walled corridor until she arrives at a reinforced door and it's electric locks are not on. Thinking it's a place to hide from the others, Virginia pulls the door open, but before she can close it, she notices something behind her: three doors, one at the end of the corridor and one on either side. Somehow, this all feels familiar to her and Virginia walks towards the biggest door, which seems to be more heavily built than the others. Virginia grabs the large round handle and rotates it until she hears a screech, and the door opens. Just as she steps inside, Kuki reaches the first door Virginia opened.
"Virginia!" she shouts as the others catch up to her.
"Did she go there?"
"Yeah! I'll go find her!" Kuki replies to Patton and runs inside, followed by an equally worried Fanny but before Wally and Patton can do the same, Numbuh Gamma arrives.
"Wait!"
"Why?" Wally asks as Numbuh Gamma catches his breath.
"This…this place…is where the old Decommissioning Chamber used to be."
"Used to be? Wait, you don't mean…?" Patton realizes what Gamma means and so does Wally.
"We have to get Virginia Sims out of there before something bad happens."
"Then what the crud we waiting for?!" Wally shouts and runs after the girls, followed by Patton and Gamma while Kuki and Fanny have already ran through the second door and catch up to Virginia, who is standing motionless inside the mysterious room.
"Virginia! There you are! I'm sorry if we scared you and…" Kuki stops mid-sentence as she notices where they are. It is a large, circular room with armored glass running along the walls and a single, mechanical chair in the middle. The chair has metal straps on the armrests and below the seat while a large, hydraulic arm-mounted device made of a spotlight, film camera and a microwave oven, hangs from the roof, its tip pointing at the chair's headrest.
"What the heck is this place?" A stunned Fanny asks as Kuki approaches Virginia and realizes her hands are shaking.
"Virginia?" Then, just as Kuki tries to touch her, the brown-haired girl starts breathing heavily, her widened eyes glued towards the seat.
"Haah…haah…haah…haa…ugh…no…no…NO! YAAAAAAHHHH!" Virginia starts screaming in terror as she grabs her head and her legs give away. The sight of the chair has caused another vision to appear, but this one is different, because it makes her feel extremely horrified, like something is trying to rip her head apart. "STOP! DON'T TAKE THEM FROM ME!" she continues to scream and hyperventilate as Kuki grabs her and tries to get her back to her senses, but she becomes unresponsive.
"What's wrong?! Talk to me Virginia!" Kuki pleads as Fanny kneels next to her but just like Kuki, her words have no effect either. Then, the boys finally arrive.
"What the heck…what's gotten into her?" Patton asks as Numbuh Gamma looks around the room grimly.
"This facility is where she lost her memories…the Erasure Chamber."
"No cruddy way…this is the place they wiped out everybody's memories?!" Wally yells as anger starts growing inside him.
"Dammit…" Patton clenches his fists and looks around the room.
"Hey, will ya quit standin' around there and help us out?! She's going crazy!" Fanny screams at the boys, prompting Wally and Patton to their side.
"We gotta get her out of here, now!" Patton shouts just as Virginia's eyes go blank and she loses consciousness.
"Virginia!" Kuki holds unconscious girl in her arms and notices tears running down her cheeks. "Why…why did you…?"
"That fit was no doubt caused by this place. But she needs to be taken to the infirmary's Special Ward, immediatly."
"I'll do it!" Kuki declares as Fanny puts her hand on her shoulder.
"I'm coming with ya. I wanna be there when she wakes up."
"Hey, are ya trying to teleport again?"
"Don't worry, Numbuh 4! I'll be fine!" Kuki snaps at Wally and vanishes along with Fanny and the unresponsive Virginia, leaving the boys behind in the Erasure Chamber.
"Damn…I've never seen anyone freak out like…well, not since Numbuh 3 went nuts anyway." Patton says as he investigates the room further, while Wally walks over to the chair at the center.
"Those damn Splinter Cell…why the crud do they have to stuff like this?!" he shouts and kicks the chair in frustration, as he remembers the mad zeal shown by the Splinter Cell operatives they've faced up to this point.
"You know why. Hate, and only hate. But getting angry about it won't change anything." Patton replies, despite sharing the same anger as Wally, while Numbuh Gamma has walked back to the corridor and enters one of the side doors.
"This must be the control center. The glass is mirrored, just like our interrogation rooms…" As he stares through the glass into the chamber, he realizes something.
"…wait…this is just like…the ones the GKND uses…How could you justify giving our technology to these lunatics…Galactic Supreme Leader Aleph Zero..." he shakes his head and contacts the Switchboard. "This is Numbuh Gamma, do you copy?"
"This is Switchboard, what is it?"
"Numbuh Iota-3, I need a team to secure my current location. We found the Splinter Cell's Erasure Chamber. I want guards posted on this level and no one is allowed to enter the chamber, until inspections are complete. We need to make sure there isn't any lingering Erasure radiation in here."
"Alright, roger that."
"Good, Numbuh Gamma out." As he ends the call, the Intelligence Chief walks back to the armored door. "You two better get out of there! We don't know if it's been irradiated."
"Huh? What do ya mean?"
"That chamber could still have Erasure radiation in there. It can wipe out your memories if you're exposed to it for too long, now get out!"
"Oh crud!" Wally shouts and dashes out, followed by Patton.
"I've called a team to secure this place. You two should go to the infirmary and get yourselves checked up, just in case. And when you're done, go help Numbuh 2 and Numbuh Lambda, like we agreed."
"Right. What about you?"
"I'll stay here until the security team arrives. So go on without me. I can…withstand Erasure radiation better."
"Oh yeah, I forgot you're from outer space. Just remember what Fanny said, don't overwork yourself. We're all in this together, so if you need help, just ask."
"Yeah, that's right. You're one of us, remember?" Wally says as he jokingly slaps Numbuh Gamma in the back before leaving along with Patton.
"You humans and your weird ways. But I couldn't ask for better comrades, even though I won't stay in this Solar System for much longer…"
…
Up in the special ward of the Wild Child's infirmary, Kuki and Fanny have remained by the collapsed Virginia's side for a few hours now, but she has not shown any signs of waking up. As she lies on the hospital bed, Kuki, who sitting on a stool next to the bed, clenches her hands slightly. "Virginia…" she mutters as Fanny fidgets, as if wanting to say something. She is obviously nervous, which Kuki picks up on from the corner of her eye. "Fanny? Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh…well…I just…it's nothing…"
"Come on, don't lie to me, just say it…" Kuki replies solemnly as she gently touches Virginia's left cheek while Fanny clears her throat.
"Uhm…Numbuh 3…was she really…you know…Erased? I wanna hear it from you too."
"Yeah…" As Kuki starts explaining Virginia's story to Fanny, out on the hallway, Wally and Patton are returning from their check ups.
"Why the crud did that take so fricking long?"
"Hey, it wasn't that bad, unless you wanted to get your memories messed up by that radiation."
"What was that radiation stuff anyway?"
"You heard what Numbuh Gamma said. I guess it's like Deodorarian radiation, but instead of smelling bad, it ruins your memories."
"I don't get it."
"Hah, I thought so. Hmm?" Patton stops as he hears a familiar voice from one of the rooms.
"What's up?"
"You hear that? It must be the girls. Let's go say hi and see how Virginia's doing."
"Eh, sure." But as the boys approach the door, they hear the conversation more clearly and stop to eavesdrop. Inside, Fanny has covered her mouth as Kuki ends her explanation.
"Wait, she was a Ninja too?!"
"Yeah, but she quit them after she saved Numbuh 5. She told her to find us and that's how Virginia came here but…she couldn't recognize anyone…and she kept fainting"
"No way…so what Rachel said was true…we really were just tools…how could I let myself do that…?" Fanny's voice trembles as she looks away in shame.
"What do you mean? Wait, you're not saying you…" Kuki gets up and tries to look Fanny in the eye, but she refuses to turn around.
"I…was the one who…brought her to the Moonbase that day…she said she wanted me to be the last person she saw before they…Decommissioned her…I didn't…know they were gonna…Erase her." Fanny begins to shiver from guilt as Kuki takes hold of the Irish girl's hands.
"No…oh you poor thing!" Kuki gives her friend a hug as Fanny tries to stop herself from crying.
"She…she trusted me…and I just…"
"Don't blame yourself! It's not your fault she was Erased!"
"But…I…I…I'M SORRY!"" Fanny is unable to contain herself and breaks down in her friends arms.
Behind the door, the boys stand silently in the hallway and Patton is especially affected by what they've just heard. He looks at his hand and then, in a fit of frustration, punches the wall with his right hand while cursing under his breath.
"…dammit…"
"This is cruddy messed up…" Wally mutters as neither of them is willing to step inside.
"No wonder she looked like she saw a ghost when we ran into them…" Patton says and looks at his slightly bruised knuckle. "I guess this is our punishment for believing Numbuh 1000…"
"Well feelin' sorry for yourself ain't gonna make things any better. Trust me, I've been through that cruddy path already."
"I know…but it's a tough pill to swallow…I wonder how many 13-year-olds we caught for the Decommissioning Squad got Erased."
"Quit worrying about that. You can still make things right."
"Heh, never thought I'd get consoled by you of all people." Patton says with a faint smile on his face and prepares to walk away.
"Hey, where are ya going? Don't you wanna…"
"No. I'm not sure I can handle seeing Fanny cry like that. I'm going to the armory to help Numbuh 2's team." Patton replies with a wistful tone, leaving Wally by himself in the hallway, as Fanny's wailing cry is heard from the hospital room.
"Crud…" Wally mutters and puts his hands into his pockets. Inside the room, Kuki has managed to calm the distraught Fanny somewhat, but the guilt she feels is not going away.
"I couldn't…"
"Ssh…it's okay. It's in the past." Kuki replies and leads Fanny to the stool next to Virginia's bed. "You stay here with Virginia okay? And when she wakes up, you talk with her. Even if she doesn't remember you, you're still her friend."
"But…what if she…what is she starts hatin' me…?"
"No she won't silly. She'll be super happy that you're keeping her company."
"You…really think so?" Fanny looks up at Kuki, who smiles back to her gently.
"Of course! Now just stay here, I'm going to find a nurse." Kuki says and swiftly leaves the room before Fanny can reply. As Kuki closes the door behind her, she leans against it and takes a deep breath. Then, from the corner of her eye, she notices Wally standing next to her.
"Wa…WALLY?!" Kuki is so startled she slightly jumps away from him.
"Hey, quit yellin' will ya? You wanna wake her up or something?" Wally points at the door as he walks past Kuki.
"No I…uh…Wally, wait!" Instead of doing what she told to Fanny, Kuki turns around and runs after Wally. "Wait!"
"Hmm?" Wally looks over his shoulder as Kuki runs to his side.
"Did you…hear what Fanny said?"
"Yeah…and so did Patton. Never seen him look so sad." Wally replies stoically as they leave the special ward.
"Oh…" Kuki lowers her head slightly and then, squeezes Wally's hand. "I'm scared…"
"What do ya mean?"
"I mean…Numbuh 1000 got away…so does that mean he's going to try and Erase everyone like he said?" Wally notices the worry in Kuki eyes and squeezes her hand back.
"Whatever that bastard is plannin', I'm not gonna let him wipe out anyone's memories…" Kuki feels Wally's hand shake from anger but at the same time, she finds it comforting.
"Me neither…hey, once this is all over, let's have a big birthday party!"
"Wha…what the crud are you on about?"
"Don't you remember, your birthday is next week, silly!" Kuki nudges Wally, who suddenly remembers that his birthday is at the beginning of June.
"Oh…right…but…I'm gonna be in Australia by then…"
"Don't worry! We'll hold it there! With everyone!"
"Everyone?! Hey, you don't decide who comes to my birthday!" Wally yells at Kuki, who giggles back and leans her head against his shoulder as they walk out of the carrier's infirmary.
…
As the day goes by, the occupants of the Moonbase continue the preparations for Father's eventual attack. Then, as evening arrives, Nigel is sitting alone in the Global Command operations room, figuring out the fine details of their plan to counter Father. While Abby and Keith had left to help the others hours ago, Rachel had gone with Numbuh 81 to speak with the KND. "Hmm…there really is no other way than to charge the Mansion…but…I have to face Father alone…there is no way anyone but me can fight him on equal terms…" Nigel sighs and leans back on his chair, turning his gaze towards the ceiling. Then, he hears the sliding doors open and from the corner of his eye, he can see Rachel enter the operations room.
"Nigel! Why are you still here?"
"I'm fine tuning our plan. Though remembering all the defense systems Father's installed into his mansion is harder than I thought…" Nigel replies and crosses his arms as Rachel comes to his side and takes a look at the 3D projection Nigel is wracking his brains over.
"Is it really impossible to attack the mansion directly?"
"Yes. Remember the last time we tried it 5 years ago? We couldn't even make a dent into the mansion's armor plating. Using the submarine dock is our only chance. It'll let us get to the generator faster as well, since it's underground." Nigel explains, but Rachel is still troubled by what he said earlier, about only Sector V attacking the Mansion.
"…I don't agree with you, Nigel…"
"What do you mean?"
"About your team attacking the Delightful Mansion by yourself."
"Rachel, we already agreed on this. We can't make a frontal assault with the carrier. Taking on Father is my team's job."
"But it doesn't have to!" Rachel shouts, startling Nigel. "I know why you want to go there! You're still hung up on what Father told you yesterday, aren't you?! Are you really going to play into his hands like that?" Seeing the worry in Rachel's eyes, Nigel sighs and shakes his head.
"I'd be lying if I said I was over it. When he turned the tables on us, I lost my self-control and nearly made a huge mistake. Yet my team still believes in me. But I also realized that I can't run away from this. The only way to defeat Father is if I face him. He knows I'm the only real threat he has, so it has to be me."
"That's not true and you know it. You're just putting everything on your shoulders again, just like when you didn't tell your team about your problems with the Suit." Rachel replies sharply, causing Nigel to clench his fist and stand up.
"…I've thought this through many times, Rachel, but I won't change my mind. I must take him on by myself. It can't be anyone else." Nigel looks her in the eye, and Rachel can tell he is serious.
"You know, if there's one thing about you that I can't stand, is that you're way too stubborn." Then, she hugs Nigel, much to his surprise.
"Rachel, what are you…"
"If you won't change your mind, then I'll go there with you."
"Absolutely not! I told you, this is something I have to do by myself! Besides, you have to lead the TND." Nigel pushes her away slightly and looks Rachel in the eye once more, but she has made her mind.
"No! I'm going with your team and that's final."
"Gah, you're not making any sense! As the Commander, it's your job to lead everyone!" Nigel shouts at Rachel, who frowns back at him.
"Don't you preach me about being a leader! It's because I AM the Commander that I'm going! I want to make sure everyone survives, that includes you, Nigel!"
"A single operative isn't as important as the whole organization!"
"But you're important to me!" Rachel replies bluntly, silencing Nigel. "You all are! I didn't realize it until you after you left the KND! I won't lose you again!" Rachel shouts and hugs Nigel once more, but this time he doesn't resist as Rachel presses her head against his shoulder.
"You're right…I'm sorry I didn't consider your feelings. But attacking the Delightful Mansion isn't going to be easy…"
"Who do you think you're talking to? I can handle myself…and besides, Eliza is waiting there…" Rachel says as she let's go of Nigel, who remembers that his cousin, Numbuh Alpha aka Eliza Solis, is still under Father's control, causing him to clench his fists.
"Yes, she's waiting for us to save her. And that's what we have to do." Nigel sits back down and gets back to planning, while Rachel smiles gently.
"This isn't the time…I'll let him know once this is all behind us…" she thinks and sits down next to him as they begin working on the plan together.
…
Down on Earth, inside the Delightful Mansion, Father is sitting in his throne room by himself. Silently, he gazes upon the massive monitor on his wall, which is showing footage of the Moonbase while smaller monitors display various Evil Adult Industries factories assembly lines, constantly producing more weapons for his Delightful army. Then, the shadowy figure appears on the small screen on Father's armrest. "Hmm? What is it?" he asks coldly.
"The arming of the troops is almost complete, Father. However, we were unable to capture the teenager who stole the Mansion's floorplan. They have most likely been already sent to the Moon."
"It doesn't matter."
"Then why are you planning an assault on the Moon?"
"Do you actually think I'd let them simply hide there forever? No, those rats need to be flushed out of their hole. I'm sure Mr. Uno is straining his little brain trying to outsmart me…and honestly, I'm looking forward to seeing what they have planned."
"I see…" the shadowy figure replies with a slightly disappointed tone.
"What's this? Am I sensing doubt in your voice, Omnius?"
"No. I have no doubts. However, we shouldn't take any risks either."
"When there are no risks involved, it makes no difference. You should just worry about making sure everything will be ready when we attack."
"Of course."
"What about…Eliza Solis? Has the procedure been…successful?"
"Yes, however, we don't know if she'll be able to keep her sanity while using it, even with the containment armor."
"That's quite all right, after all, she'll merely be a catalyst…bait, to draw out Nigel Uno's…abilities. But she should be kept asleep until the time is right."
"Understood."
"Oh, and one more thing. No more mistakes. This is the last time I'll give you a pass. I'm not pleased with the way you've handled the TND."
"Understood." the shadowy figure ends the call as it stands on the roof of the Mansion, gazing at the Moon. "You're right Father, this will be the last time, but not for me. When this is all over, I'll walk away as the only victor."
Back in the throne room, Father leaves his seat and heads down into the Mansion's underground levels. Floating through the empty, dark corridors, he enters a sub-level serving as an armory. His presence causes all the Delightful Ninjas present to stop what they're doing and salute him. Gesturing them to carry on, Father floats across the level and approaches a well-built teenager wearing a gray helmet with yellow horns. "Hmm? Father!" The teenager turns around and salutes him.
"There's no need to stand on ceremony, Ernest."
"Uh, right..." Ernest replies as Father puts his hands behind his back and looks around.
"You've really proved your worth to me, Ernest. Taking over as the leader of my Delightful Teens is no easy feat." Father says with an eerie tone.
"I said I would pay you back."
"Hah-hah, indeed. Well, as a reward for your hard work, I've come to personally deliver some good news for you. This mansion will soon be attacked by those teenagers hiding on the Moon and your old friend will most certainly be among them." The moment Ernest hears this, he starts shaking violently and clenches his left fist.
"Beetles..."
"That's right. I want you to give them a proper welcoming party when they arrive. I'll even let you use the 3 brand new Absolutely Completely Destructive Machine's my factories have produced. They should prove to be more than a match against those fools."
"Ghh...thanks...I'm gonna rip that punk into pieces and bury him six-feet under..." Ernest closes his fist as his vengeance filled expression amuses Father.
"Hah-hah, that's the spirit. The ACD Machine's should arrive by tomorrow, so try to control yourself before then." he turns around and leaves the armory. Father then descends down a few levels, into a large, stone- and brick-walled dungeon. Some of the cells are occupied by captured TND operatives and rebelling Teen Ninjas, awaiting to be Delightfulized. At the very end of the dungeon, is a steel barred door, which opens as Father approaches them. Inside, there are 6 solitary confinement cells planted into the floor, with only a single grated window above each. "Now then, Ms. Lincoln. You've got a decision to make." At the snap of his finger, one of the isolation cells rises from the floor and inside is none other than Cree, who is sitting on the floor with her head leaning agaisnt her knees.
"…" she does not react to Father as he floats closer to the cell.
"You see, your dear sister is coming here, which means you'll finally have the chance to get even with her."
"…even? I don't want to get even…she's gonna pay…for everything…"
"Hah-hah, the sweet taste of vengeance. Well, whenever you feel ready, pay a visit to the armory. I've got something special prepared that will surely help you." The bars in Cree's cell open and Father hands her a keycard before leaving her alone.
As she sits silently in the cell, she stares blankly at the keycard lying on the floor. Ever since she learned the truth about Maurice and Abby, she has felt as if her entire life was a lie. The two people she loved more than anything had not been what they claimed to be and had deceived her for many years. Now, she has nothing to look forward to but nothing to lose either.
"…Abby…you'll pay…for taking everything from me…I'll make you regret your life…" Cree mutters and picks up the card before slowly walking out of the cell, her steely eyes covered by her bangs as unimaginable fury swirls within her.
End of Transmission 54
Note: One thing I wanted adress in this chapter was Numbuh 23, Virginia. She's been kept away from the plot since chapter 36 and it was important to have some more focus on her as well, since her role is really important to the overall story.
Now, I'm pleased to say that this story has broken 900 pages and the final battle that this final arc has been building up to will begin in the next chapter, so stay tuned.