New chapter, new tricks!

Songs featured:

-Arrival in Cleve and attack on the mansion: "Liberation of Gracemeria" by Keiki Kobayashi

-T.S.- W.R.A.S.L.E.R. appears: "TRACER" by Benjamin and Hiroyuki Sawano, "Dirty Worker" by Frequency

-Dungeon: "The One who is Torn Apart" by Yasunori Mitsuda

Transmission 56: Hit Without Hesitation

As Sector V's M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.- W.A.S.P. begins its speedy journey towards Cleve, followed by massive numbers of Delightfulized teenagers, up in the Earth's orbit, the Wild Child begins the second phase of their plan. "Full speed ahead!" Herbie shouts as the ship is rocked by passing C.L.A.M.M.A.H. shells.

"Aye, aye, Chief!"

"Is Numbuh Zeta's team ready?"

"The Shuttle Pod's been moved to the sub-hangar and they're waiting for take-off clearance."

"Clearance granted. We'll drop them off and then continue onwards around the Earth."

"Roger, relaying order."

Down in the small sub-hangar, inside the Shuttle Pod, the members of the second team take their seats, with Keith in the helm while the others are sitting on the longitudinal seats behind him. Everyone except Gamma are wearing the same type of spacesuits as Sector V did when they infiltrated the Moonbase earlier in the week. The stoic Intelligence Chief is still wearing the same trench coat. "Alright mon, we got the 'all clear' from upstairs."

"Okay Agent Hermit, take us out, nice and slow." Patton says, prompting Keith to give him a thumbs up over his shoulder as he activates the Shuttle Pod's engines while the hangar doors slowly open. Then, the pod slides out of the hangar as the carrier continues its way around the Earth's orbit. "So Numbuh Gamma, what's the plan?" Everyone's attention is turned towards Gamma, who shows them a 3-D rendering of the Earth's orbit.

"Our target is the Orbital Shipyard. Unfortunately, the Splinter Cell was very thorough in hiding it so we're practically going in there blind. The only things I know for certain is its location and the fact it's protected by an optical camouflage system that uses mirrors to reflect its surroundings."

"If it's got camouflage, how are we gonna get in?" Fanny crosses her arms and eyes the holograph in Gamma's palm.

"Leave the entry to me. After all…I can survive in the void."

"Wha…really?"

"Yes. We Luminosians do not need air to survive, so I will go and find a way to get in."

"Are ya sure? I mean, no offense, but you don't seem like the fighter type."

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself, Numbuh Zeta." Gamma's calm expression is enough to convince Patton, who smirks and slaps Gamma on the shoulder.

"Hah-hah, all right then. We'll leave it to you, Numbuh Gamma. But don't get ahead of yourself out there."

"I am well aware of my own limits. Now, once we get inside, we need to find the Shipyard's control room and secure it. After that, we'll apprehend Numbuh 1000 and his followers. If all else fails, we'll need to destroy the Shipyards to make sure whatever they've got there won't see the light of day."

"That runt isn't gonna get away this time." Fanny hits her fists together and grits her teeth angrily while Patton frowns.

"You said it. But remember, all of us are coming back alive and with our memories intact, okay? No matter what happens in there."

"You got it, mon." Keith says over his shoulder while Fanny and Gamma nod to Patton, who smiles back confidently.

"Okay, then let's put an end to the Splinter Cell for good this time. This is for all those people who got Erased." Patton declares as the Shuttle Pod moves silently along the Earth's orbit, its flat nose pointed at the projected location of the Splinter Cell's last redoubt.

…

Back on Earth, the M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.T.O.H.- W.A.S.P. has left South America and flies at blistering speed over the Caribbean and soon, enters Texas, where the ship is met with more incoming enemies. "Man, these guys are everywhere. We got 60 enemy ships and cycles comin' our way, Numbuh 1." Abby shakes head as she points at her console.

"We are facing the Earth's KND and the Ninjas after all. Ignore them, Numbuh 2. Right now, speed is our only advantage."

"No need to tell me twice. I'm gonna purge the boosters in 5 minutes. They're almost empty." Hoagie replies as they fly across the central US, followed by an ever increasing swarm of Delightfulized kids and teenagers. "Purging boosters!" Hoagie flips four switches on his dashboard simultaneously, causing the ship to shutter as the massive rocket booster cluster falls of the W.A.S.P.'s rear hull. "Okay, switching to Hyper Accelerator. It'll get us to Cleve in under 15 minutes." he pulls the large lever next to his seat, which turns on the W.A.S.P.'s upgraded, Hyper Accelerator, pushing the ship to 5 times the speed of sound.

"Once we enter Cleve airspace, Numbuh 4, Numbuh 3, take the W.R.A.S.L.E.R. and go to the lower hatch."

"Right!" Wally replies to Nigel, who then contacts The Kid.

"Agent Halcón, everything alright on your end?"

"Getting' kinda bored up here, but the view's pretty sweet." his nonchalant reply amuses Nigel, who rolls his eyes.

"Well, you won't have to wait for long."

But as they approach Cleve, the night sky begins to fill with huge thunder clouds and winds begin to batter the W.A.S.P. "Woah, this is some turbulence." Hoagie grips the stick even harder as the ship begins to shake wildly.

"This thunderstorm's coverin' the whole city and Numbuh 5's not sure it's gonna let up any time soon."

"We'll just have to deal with it." Nigel replies, but then he sees the faint lights of their hometown, Cleve. "Get ready to jump, Numbuh 4, Numbuh 3!" Without saying a word, Wally and Kuki rush out of the bridge while Bradley stays behind. The teenagers run down to the lower deck and once again don the tandem parachute pack that holds the Shrinkified T.S.- W.R.A.S.L.E.R. As they stand silently in-front of the hatch, Kuki puts her right hand on Wally's shoulder and he places his left hand over it, gripping Kuki's hand gently. However, they do not say a word as their minds a solely focused on the task at hand. Then, the sky over Cleve erupts into a flurry of anti-air fire from every single Delightfulized KND and Teen Ninja weapon around the city while two cannons from the captured V2 C.L.A.M.M.A.H. Array open fire.

"Grr, they're throwing everything they've got at us."

"Hmm? Hey, someone's tryin' to contact us on an open channel?" Abby says over her shoulder to Nigel.

"No doubt it's Father. Let's ignore it." Rachel says sternly, but Nigel shakes his head.

"Put it through."

"Huh? Are ya sure? Didn't ya hear what Numbuh Epsilon just said?"'

"Yes but do it anyway." Nigel replies bluntly, causing Abby to huff as she flips a switch on her console and then, a familiar, albeit Delightfulized face appears on the screen above Hoagie's seat.

"Welcome to Cleve, Numbuh 1." A blue-eyed Angeline, wearing white Battle Ready Armor says with an evil grin on her face.

"Numbuh 78…" Nigel clenches his fist slightly as the Delightfulized former KND Supreme Leader chuckles.

"You've come a long way to get here, but this is where it ends! Father has ordered us to shoot you down, but since I'm feeling merciful, I'll give you a choice: surrender yourselves to Father or be destroyed!"

"Unfortunately, surrender is not an option, so I'd like to see you try shoot us down. After all, you're a mere puppet." Nigel replies coldly, as the sight of the Delightfulized Angeline only fills everyone with even more determination to free her and the others.

"You won't stand a chance against us!"

"Oh trust me, we are more than prepared to deal with you and everything else Father has prepared for us." Nigel gestures to Abby to cut the call, who nods and flips the switch once more.

"Dammit…" Nigel mutters under his breath.

"Keep it together, Numbuh 1. We haven't even started yet."

"You're right, Numbuh Epsilon. This is where the real mission begins. Numbuh 5, give Numbuh 3 and 4 the signal to jump and Numbuh 2, detach the Valkyrie."

Abby nods and contacts Wally and Kuki. "You guys ready down there?"

"Ready."

"Yup!"

"Gotcha. Stick to the plan and we'll see ya in the submarine port. Numbuh 5's gonna open the door now!" Abby presses a button that opens the lower deck's side hatch and immediately, Wally and Kuki are struck by the thunderstorm's fierce winds.

"Guh…crud…hold on tight!" Wally shouts as he moves to the edge while Kuki wraps her arms around his abdomen. Then, Wally leans forward and the two teenagers fall out of the W.A.S.P., into the swirling gusts over Cleve. They pull the cords at the same time and a vastly updated T.S.- W.R.A.S.L.E.R forms around them. Its arms are now equipped with the same rotatory laser cannons as the W.A.S.P. while the excavator arms have been moved to the shoulders, giving the machine four arms in total and the jet-bomber backpack has 4 2x4 missile pods on each wing. "T.S.- W.R.A.S.L.E.R., online!" Wally shouts and hits fists together, causing the robot to do the same while Kuki sits behind him in the attack helicopter cockpit, gripping the two joysticks firmly. As the W.R.A.S.L.E.R. spreads its wings over downtown Cleve, above it, Hoagie contacts The Kid, who is preparing to join the fight.

"Okay Kid, I'll detach you now!"

"Hit it, Gilligan!"

"Good luck, buddy!" Hoagie pulls a lever on his console which releases the pylons holding the Valkyrie while The Kid applies full power simultaneously, causing the fighter to soar up into the thunderclouds before The Kid rolls inverted and dives back down.

"Man, feels great to fly again! Alright guys, let's do this!" he shouts excitedly as lighting erupts around Cleve. Then, the three machines fly in formation through the hail of anti-air fire coming from below and as they approach the outskirts of Cleve, everyone can see the silhouette of the Delightful Mansion appear in the distance.

"There it is!" Hoagie points at the looming mansion as Nigel's expression becomes serious.

"Commence operation! T.S.- W.R.A.S.L.E.R., Valkyrie, attack the mansion! We'll head for the submarine port!"

"Gotcha!" Wally replies and steers the robot down to treetop level, followed closely by The Kid's fighter while the W.A.S.P. pulls up and breaks away.

"Heads up guys, we've got a welcomin' party waiting for us!" The Kid shouts as multiple Octopaddlers lumber out of the perimeter walls doors while simultaneously an orange energy shield rises from the wall and covers the mansion completely.

"Hah, let's get down to business! I'm gonna tear these cruddy paddlers to shreds!" Wally straightens the W.R.A.S.L.E.R. and its legs dig into the ground as he reels back his right hand before delivering a devastating punch on the lead Octopaddler, destroying it completely. Sitting behind him, Kuki flips a switch on her joysticks, causing them to move from the armrests to the sides, allowing her to control the excavator arms.

"Hiyaah!" she screams as she lifts both arms and strikes another Octopaddler that was trying to attack the W.R.A.S.L.E.R. from behind. Then, the robot flies up and lands on top a third Octopaddler and Kuki destroys a fourth with the robot's twin laser cannons.

Watching the robot tear into the insect-like machines, The Kid circles around and dives into the fray. "Hey, leave some for me too!" he yells as he rains missiles on a line of Octopaddlers ahead of the W.R.A.S.L.E.R. but then, multiple lasers whizz past the Valkyrie and The Kid sees a formation of Battle-Ready Cycles and Vans appear from the storm clouds. "Looks like we've got more company. I'll take care of 'em! You guys head for the mansion."

"Right! We're on it!" Wally replies as The Kid turns around and flies to meet the attackers. He puts the Valkyrie into a climbing roll while firing missiles and the back-mounted laser cannon, knocking out almost half of the Ninja fighters as he passes through their formation. Below them, Wally and Kuki continue to devastate the Octopaddlers defending the mansion, but their numbers don't seem to diminish at all.

"Crud, how many of these does Father have in his mansion anyway?!"

"Don't let up! We just need to keep them busy!"

"I know!" Wally replies to Kuki as he performs a roundhouse kick on an Octopaddler while Kuki punches the left excavator's shovel head through another. Above them, The Kid continues to dogfight against the ever increasing numbers of Delighful Ninja fighters, countering their numerical advantage with his piloting skill. The Valkyrie turns and rolls to the left, sweeping through another formation of Battle Ready Cycles, bringing down one third of them them before a dark blue and white colored Cycle breaks formation and begins to chase down The Kid's transforming fighter.

"Ooh, you wanna take me on mano a mano? Bring it on!" he shouts excitedly and banks to the right as the Cycle does the same. The fighters begin a deadly game of cat and mouse in the thunderclouds, each trying to get on the others six o'clock. But as the duel goes on, The Kid can't seem to shake off the Cycle. "Hmph, you're pretty good, I'll give ya that. But there's no way I'm getting shot down here!" he dives out of the thundercloud, the Cycle right behind him. Then, he pulls the Valkyrie's nose up and performs a descending Cobra maneuver, but then, to his shock, the Cycle does the same and the two fighters seem to float side-by-side, motionless in mid-air for a split second. However, The Kid transforms the Valkyrie into robot mode, falling behind the Cycle and fires a short burst from the machine's wrist-mounted laser cannons, sending the Cycle plummeting down into the Mansion ground, it's pilot safely ejecting and shaking their fist. "Hah, trying to counter my Cobra like that ain't gonna work on me!" The Kid exclaims and transforms the Valkyrie back to fighter mode before turning it's nose towards the Mansion to support Wally and Kuki.

Meanwhile, Hoagie has flown the W.A.S.P. away from the Mansion, out into the lake and they're now in the Array's sights once more. "Incomin' shells!" Abby shouts just as a C.L.A.M.M.A.H. flies overhead, its sonic boom shaking the ship violently.

"We'll have to go lower now, Numbuh 2!"

"Right! Hold on, this is gonna be tough!" Hoagie replies and performs a highspeed Split-S, sending the W.A.S.P. down to the raging lake waters below, managing to level the ship right above the waves. "*sigh* Yeesh, that was too close."

"We're not in the clear yet, Numbuh 2. Set course for the submarine port, maximum speed!"

"Aye, aye. Here we go!" Hoagie applies full thrust, causing the W.A.S.P to shutter and then, it begins flying low over the churning waves. Dashing through the rainy mist, the ship is greeted yet again by anti-air fire coming from the mansion's shore defenses. "Activating Barrier shield!" Hoagie pulls a lever that causes the antenna-like nose of the W.A.S.P. to split in two as a sharp, cone-shaped energy shield of the same kind as the Moonbase's barrier satellites use is generated from it. Nigel then points his hands forward, covering them in his Suit and generates a telekinetic field ahead of the ship as they approach the shore.

"Hey, hold up, what the heck are ya doin'?! You ain't seriously gonna fly straight at that cliff?!" Abby shouts but does not get a response.

Looking intensely through his HUD, Hoagie spots the faint glint of the submarine port near the waterline. "We're going in! I'm sorry about this, W.A.S.P. Brace!" he shouts as the W.A.S.P. slams into the cliff face, sending a huge column of water and debris to the sky, which is instantly picked up by The Kid.

"Yo, they did it! Let's bounce, Beetles!"

"Gah, finally! These damn things were starting to bore me!" Wally replies as Kuki giggles slightly. Then, the W.R.A.S.L.E.R. takes flight and escapes the hoard of Octopaddlers. "Hey, you better catch us!"

"Don't worry, hombre, I've got your back." The Kid says as Kuki shrinkifies the W.R.A.S.L.E.R in mid-air and The Kid transformers his fighter to robot mode. He then grabs Wally and Kuki and prepares to land next to the W.A.S.P, which is half-embedded into the cliff but then, the Valkyrie is hit from multiple directions. "Argh, dammit not now!"

Reacting quickly, Kuki uses her telekinesis to gently lower the severely damaged Valkyrie into the shallow water as the Delightful Teens begin gathering around the cliff. "Capture them!"

"Aw man, and I just fixed you…" The Kid laments as he crawls out of the Valkyrie's chest-mounted cockpit while Wally and Kuki jump on top of the W.A.S.P.'s rear hull and open a small hatch.

"Quit whinin' and get in here!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin' Beetles!" The Kid climbs along the Valkyrie's arm and then joins Wally and Kuki on the rear fuselage. Throwing the W.R.A.S.L.E.R.'s containment pack through the hatch, Kuki jumps inside, followed by The Kid and finally Wally, who frantically closes it before the Ninjas can catch up.

"That door's not gonna hold 'em off forever. Come on, we gotta meet up with the others!" he shouts and runs off into towards the bow.

"Who decided to make him leader?"

"*giggle* He did. Let's go already!" Kuki grabs The Kid's hand and runs after Wally. Meanwhile, in the W.A.S.P.'s bridge, Nigel and the others are slowly regaining their consciousness after being knocked out by the impact, despite being protected by the airbags.

"…urgh…man…remind me to never do that again…" Hoagie says as Abby picks up her hat from the floor.

"Whose idea was it to plow into a flippin' cliff?"

"Uh…sorry, this was the only way to get in…is everyone okay?" Nigel looks around the bridge while adjusting his sunglasses.

"Numbuh 6 and I are okay *pant* barely…" Rachel replies as she pulls herself up from the communications seat. Then, Wally pries the bridge doors open and barges inside, followed by Kuki and The Kid.

"Holy crud you guys actually rammed the cliff! That was crazy!"

"Even I wouldn't try something like that. You guys okay?"

"Yes, we're alright. Now, let's head outside before those Ninjas regroup." Nigel says and breaks the bridge window, much to Hoagie chagrin.

"Hey, you could've used the bow door!"

"No time for that! Follow me!" Nigel jumps through the window, followed by the others and they regroup next to a pile of debris. "Turn on your armors. We can't waste time here." Nigel activates his red and gray B.R.A., which does not have a helmet, but does feature the same wrist-mounted twin-barreled heat laser cannons and shield generators as the others. Abby's armor's outer appearance has stayed the same apart from the darker tone of blue, but it now features retractable vibration blades in either gauntlet while Kuki's armor has twin heat lasers and the kitsune mask now acts as a helmet visor. Rachel's aqua and turquoise B.R.A. has the same shockwave gauntlets and acceleration boots that Eliza's B.R.A. had, in addition to the petal-shaped shoulder guards copied from Kuki's armor.

Wally's B.R.A. is the same dark-gray and orange color but it now has added armor in the shoulders and legs while both the sword and Accelerator rifle are mounted on small sub-arms in the back and The Kid's B.R.A.'s wing pack has forward-swept variable geometry wings and it's Stupefier rifle has a collapsing barrel and an exchangeable cartridge, allowing it to switch between EMP and Stupefier beams. Finally, Hoagie's stout and bulky Betsy MK-II Custom has slightly bigger arm gauntlets and blue and yellow paint highlights. However, all the B.R.A. have a common, new feature: palm mounted EMP generators.

"Remember guys, those EMP generators don't have a lot of range, so you gotta get close."

"Roger that Numbuh 2. All right, this is it. Our final mission. Is everyone ready?"

"Born ready." Wally slams his fists together while Kuki nods confidently and so does Bradley, who is sitting on her shoulder.

"Let's give 'em heck. Numbuh 5's ready for everythin'." Abby smirks while Hoagie's Exo-suit gives a thumbs up.

"Father won't stand a chance against us."

"We're here for a good time, not for a long time." The Kid replies calmly as Rachel puts her energy lance over her right shoulder.

"We'll put an end to this, once and for all." Seeing the determination in his teammate's eyes, Nigel nods back and turns to face the huge, armored doors on the opposite side of the submarine, which is slowly filling with Delightful Ninjas.

"Excellent, just what I wanted to hear. Commence Assault Formation Z-7-9."

"MAXIMUM SHOCK AND AWE!" Everyone shouts together and attack the Ninjas, their sights set on the armored door.

…

Up in the Delightful Mansion's throne room, a visibly amused Father watches with glee as Nigel and his team begin their infiltration. "Hah-hah-haa! I admit I did not expect such a direct approach, Mr. Uno! But now, you're in my domain. I have plenty of surprises waiting for you." he presses a button on his armrest, causing the mansion to shudder.

...

Down in the underground levels, Nigel's team has easily managed to break out from the submarine port and now come face to face with an unending horde of Delightful Ninjas filling the massive, steel-lined, labyrinth-like tunnels. "Heads up! More Ninjas!" Nigel shouts, but this does not faze Wally at all.

"Hah, ya mean more punching bags!" he replies and switches his shields into knuckle mode, striking two Ninjas with EMP charged punches, instantly knocking them out and frying their Delightfulization chips. To his left, Kuki flies over a group of Ninjas and traps them into a telekinetic field before firing her EMP generators at close range, freeing them from Father's control.

"Numbuh 2, these EMP thingies are awesome!" she yells excitedly as Hoagie plows his Exo-Suit through a line of Ninjas and points it's four arms into all directions, firing fours bursts of EMP at them.

"I know! I made them after all!"

"These Ninjas don't stand a chance!" Abby says as she takes down three Ninjas with a single blast of EMP. "Huh? Guys, look!" she points further into the tunnel, where doors begin closing ahead of them.

"Father's trying to trap us inside the tunnels! Move it!" Nigel shouts and pushes the Ninjas aside, before charging ahead.

"You heard him, let's go!" Rachel gestures to the others and flies after Nigel but the further they go, the faster the doors close. Despite having a map of the Mansion on his HUD, Nigel's struggling to come up with clear route.

"Dammit, at this rate, we'll be trapped in here." Then, he hears a distorted voice through his communicator.

"Take the next tunnel on the right and head for the maintenance hatch on the left side."

"Huh? Who is this?!"

"There's no time to explain. Do as I say if you want reach Father." Seeing the intersection approaching and the horde of Ninjas behind them, Nigel takes his chance and follows the strangers directions.

"This way!"

"What? That's a dead end, Numbuh 1!"

"Just do it!" Nigel snaps at Abby and turns right, followed by the others just as the door behind them slams shut.

"Now what? This tunnel doesn't lead anywhere." Hoagie laments while Rachel walks over to Nigel.

"Why did we come here? Now we're really trapped."

"Not completely. Numbuh 4, open that hatch." Nigel points at the small, sealed door on the right-side wall.

"Huh? Oh, okay, leave it to me!" Wally marches over to the hatch and with a bit of effort, manages to get it open. "Crud that was tight." Nigel then peeks inside the hatch and notices a ladder going up a shaft.

"Head up the ladder and go through the 5th hatch." the voice speaks to him, frustrating Nigel.

"How can I trust you?"

"You've got no choice now. Go, before the Ninjas get the door open."

"Who the heck are ya talkin' to?" Abby comes to Nigel's side and looks him in the eye.

"I'm not sure…but whoever they are, we'll have to trust them. We can't turn around now."

"Whatever ya say, Numbuh 1. But Numbuh 5's goin' first." Abby crouches and crawls through the hatch, followed by Nigel and Rachel.

"Aw man, I can't fit through there!"

"Heh, you gotta some weight, Gilligan." The Kid knocks on Hoagie's Exo-Suit jokingly before he turns it off.

"Haa-haa, very funny." Hoagie mutters and follows The Kid through the hatch.

"Go, I'll watch your back." Wally nudges Kuki towards the hatch, but she uses her telekinesis to force him through instead. "Oi, what are ya doing?!"

"I'm gonna watch your back, Numbuh 4." Kuki replies sternly, causing Wally to huff and do as he is told. Then, Kuki and Bradley follow him, closing the hatch. As she turns to look up the shaft, she sees that Abby has already climbed a fair way up the ladder, since it's too cramped to fly.

"So how far are we goin'?"

"The 5th hatch."

"Gotcha, Boss. Numbuh 5's gonna check it out first so you guys wait here." Abby stops and kicks the hatch open with her jet boot, before peeking her head through it. Switching her helmet visor to heat-vision, she finds out the room is empty. "Hmm, Numbuh 5's not likin' this…okay, I'm goin' in." Abby crawls through and points her heat laser at the room while the others also exit the maintenance shaft.

"So what now?" Hoagie says as he re-activates his Exo-Suit.

"I'm not sure…hmm?" Nigel notices faint movement on the ceiling. "Ambush!" he shouts as six shadowy figures jump down from the ceiling girders and land around the teens.

"Argh, Numbuh 5 knew this was trap!"

"Dammit…"

"No point moping about it now, Numbuh 1. Hold your ground, everyone!" Rachel shouts and splits her lance to sword mode while Wally draws his own sword.

"Bring it on!"

But then, as the six figures approach, their true identities are revealed. "Wait a minute, those aren't Teen Ninja B.R.A.'s."

"Good observation, Numbuh Epsilon. Welcome to the Delightful Mansion." a tall teenager wearing a jet-black and green TND B.R.A. says with a distorted voice. He and his companions are wearing the same B.R.A.'s and their faces are covered by a reflective visor.

"Wha…no way…it's you! Agent Raven!" Rachel immediately recognizes the Deep Cover Operative's voice, as does Abby.

"Hmph, shoulda known it was you." She crosses her arms as Rachel turns to face the others.

"Lower your weapons! This is Agent Raven from the TND's Deep Cover Unit. He's the one who provided us with the Mansion's blueprints.

"You might recognize me better with this." Agent Raven presses a button on his wrist guard, changing his B.R.A.'s color from green and black to burgundy and black and then again, switching to a black trench coat, burgundy boots, a burgundy beanie and a muffler, stunning Sector V.

"Wha…YOU were Numbuh 206?!"

"Did ya forget what Numbuh 5 told ya before?"

"No! Of course not, Numbuh 5! I was just…"

"Heh-heh, at least my holo-guise worked." Agent Raven chuckles and changes back to his black and green armor.

"A holo-guise? That makes sense. You really fooled us at the Hideout."

"I guess I owe you all an apology for fighting against you earlier, Numbuh 1. But I had to do it to keep my cover."

"No need to apologize. More importantly, how did you manage to evade Father all this time?"

"We're not Deep Cover Operatives for nothing. But enough about that. You came here to reverse the global Delightfulization, so we'll help you."

"And defeat Father. Earth won't be safe as long as that monster is still around."

"Of course, Numbuh Epsilon. All right, follow us. We'll use a shortcut…but it'll mean we'll have to go through the old dungeon." Upon mentioning this dreaded word, both Wally and Nigel freeze as they are reminded what happened in there back in January, and their teammates notice this. "I know what you two went through in there, but it's the only way we'll bypass the Ninjas prowling the tunnels. Unlike the newer one Father built for teenagers, the old dungeon is completely cut off from the rest of the underground areas and Father's emptied it of all inmates. That means we can use it to skip some floors." Agent Raven says sternly while Nigel and Wally remain silent.

"…if Numbuh 1's fine with it."

"Numbuh 4?!" Nigel gazes at his teammate, who shakes his head, as if knowing what Nigel is going to say.

"Don't say it. I'm done worrying about the past and if goin' through there is gonna make this easier, then let's go." Wally says, but despite not showing it, a cold chill is running down his spine as he remembers how Nigel and the Ninjas tortured him in that dark, grim dungeon.

"…All right, if you say so. Lead the way, Agent Raven." Nigel gestures to Raven, who nods and turns towards his companions.

"Head back to the lower levels and set up the decoys. Then head for your secondary objective." the other operatives nod and quickly leave the room, fading into the shadows.

"Secondary objective? What do you mean?"

"You'll see. Now follow me." Agent Raven replies to Rachel and then leads the group towards a door on the other side of the room. "We'll need to get past this corridor and then we'll enter the dungeon through a ventilation shaft. This way." The Deep Cover Operative hovers using his jetboots and gestures to the others to do the same.

Floating through the empty corridor, no one says a word, but the members of Sector V are anxious. Hoagie, Abby and Kuki had only heard stories about the dungeon and now, they would have to go through the place where Father and their leader tortured kids, including Wally, who is clenching his fists intensely.

Agent Raven stops and points at the hatch near the floor, gesturing everyone to land next to it. "Okay, here's the hatch. I'll go in first. Numbuh 5, I want you to back me up."

"Huh? Me? Uhm, fine." Abby is surprised by Raven's forwardness and crouches next to the hatch as he opens it.

"Have Numbuh 6 hold the rear. This is going to be a bit tight."

"Understood." Nigel replies as Agent Raven crawls into the shaft, followed by Abby and then the others, with a hawk-eyed Bradley entering last.

"Urgh, I don't like tight spaces…" Hoagie mutters, causing The Kid to crack a joke.

"Hah, at least you can fit through here now."

"Hey, I wasn't that fat back then!"

"Keep it down you two. Father's gonna notice." Abby snaps at the boys.

"No he won't. He designed the dungeon to be completely independent from the rest of the mansion. The only way he'll find us is if he came down here to look himself. But that's not his style. I imagine he's sitting in his throne room, waiting for us to appear somewhere in the mansion."

"Exactly, Numbuh 1. He wants us to come to him after all." Rachel remarks as Agent Raven stops and uses his heat laser to cut open a vent.

"Numbuh 5, follow me. The rest of you wait here until we give the 'all clear'."

"Roger." Nigel replies as Agent Raven lowers his legs through the vent and then drops down and then Abby follows him. As she lands on the cold, concrete floor and looks around, she can't see anything in the dark but upon turning on the night vision on her visor, she is stunned by what she sees. Small, stone lined cells with sturdy steel bars and chains hanging from the walls.

"Wow man, you guys weren't kiddin'..."

"Good, this place is empty. Area clear. Get down here." Agent Raven gestures up towards the vent and one by one, the others jump down, but like Abby, they are all also shocked.

"Wow…this is just like that Hideout…"

"Damn, is this the place where ya got tortured?" The Kid's blunt question isn't taken well by the others, but Wally simply nods while clenching his fists ever harder.

"Yeah…" he mutters while Nigel approaches a cell and grips the bars.

"…how could I do such things…" he laments as Rachel comes to his side.

"Nigel…"

"Hah…if it wasn't for the Silhouette Suit, I would've never even thought of torturing kids…"

"I understand you're not comfortable with this place, but we can't waste time here. Our exit is at the end of the dungeon's main chamber."

"…right, of course." Nigel replies and lets go of the bars while Agent Raven begins walking further into the pitch black dungeon. As they pass more cells, the group can see singe marks on the walls and black spots near the wall chains.

"Uh…is that…"

"Blood." Wally replies bluntly to Hoagie, silencing him as well as the others. Then, Kuki walks next to him and tries to look into Wally's eyes, but he has lowered his visor, just like when they were reunited in March. Kuki then notices his clenched fist and puts her hand over his right hand, causing him to immediately take hold of it, and she realizes he is shaking.

"Wally…" she can't come up with anything to say to him but then, Wally pulls up his visor and helmet, his expression screaming from rage.

"I'm fine…this place just reminds me of why I'm fighting."

"Me too.." Kuki replies and squeezes his hand firmly.

"It's the same for all of us. We can't let anything like Father's Day to happen ever again. Never." Nigel says with determined tone, causing the others to nod as they arrive to the central chamber.

"Gather around me." Agent Raven says and opens a holograph of the Delightful Mansion's underground levels. "The mansion's generator is located two levels below the ground. To get there, we'll need to use the large central tunnels, meant for moving Father's Destructive Machines from the Mansion to the repair hub and the submarine port."

"And the only entrance to the mansion proper is halfway through that final tunnel. If all of us go to the generator room, Father might block the entrance behind us." Nigel crosses his arms while Abby turns to face.

"Then Numbuh 5 says we split up. Half of us go to the generator and the rest go after Father."

"No! We can't split up! That's exactly what Father wants." Rachel says abruptly and Nigel knows why she's worried.

"I'm sorry Numbuh Epsilon, but Numbuh 5's right. We can't cover enough ground if we move as a large group. Shutting down the generator first will make it easier to get to the throne room."

"But…"

"I'll have to agree with Numbuh 1. If all of us are captured, it's all over. I suggest we stay together until we reach the point where the tunnel splits. It'll force Father to split his forces as well." Agent Raven says while Abby puts her hand on a dejected Rachel's shoulder.

"Come on girl, this is us we're talkin' about. We've been through these kinds of things loads a times."

"I know…but what if…"

"Hey, this ain't the time to get cold feet, bonita. We got a planet to save."

"Yeah, what The Kid said. You can't get scared now; we've come this far, right?"

"Exactly, Numbuh 2. So chin up, Commander." Nigel pats Rachel on the back as she sighs but then, nods to her teammates.

"You're right. Okay, how are we splitting up?"

"Agent Raven, since you know this place well, take Numbuh 2, Numbuh 5 and Numbuh 4 with you to the generator room."

"Alright, I'm game." The Deep Cover Operative replies while Abby and Wally nod.

"Huh? Oh, you don't need me up there?"

"No Numbuh 2. Your Exo-Suit is perfect for holding back large groups of enemies, so you'll act as support for the others."

"Alrighty, I can do that."

"And when you're done, head up to the throne room. Agent Halcón, you, Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 6 are coming with me and Numbuh Epsilon to the upper floors, understood?"

"Fine by me, hombre."

"Excellent. Where to next, Agent Raven?"

"That vent up on the ceiling takes us all the way to the fourth underground floor, leaving only a single floor between us and the fork in the tunnel. We'll split up in there." Agent Raven replies and turns towards Wally. "Since you're carrying that big gun, Numbuh 4, you mind blowing up that vent?"

"Hmph, my pleasure. Stand back." Wally lowers his helmet visor over his face and kneels while pointing his Accelerator Rifle up towards the vent. He pulls the trigger and destroys the vent hatch completely.

"Nice shot. Follow me!" Agent Raven shouts and everyone flies up the ventilation shaft but as they do so, Abby flies alongside him.

"Hey, Numbuh 5 didn't get a chance to thank ya for bustin' me outta that hideout."

"Don't mention it. What Cree did to you was unforgivable." Raven replies sternly, but Abby senses faint anger in his voice, but then shakes her head.

"Focus, Numbuh 5…but what's with this guy? Why does he act like he knows me?"

…

Meanwhile, up in the Earth's geostationary orbit, the Shuttle Pod carrying Numbuh Gamma's team has been moving along the equator, looking for the Splinter Cell's last holdout, the Orbital Shipyards. So far, they haven't found anything. "Argh, how long is this gonna take? I can't stand just sitting around while everyone else is figthin' Father." A frustrated Fanny throws her arms in the air while Patton leans back on his seat.

"No point complaining, we just gotta trust Numbuh Gamma's directions. Hey, are we getting any closer?"

"Yes, we're not far, but we can't get too close to the Shipyards, or their sensors will pick us up. Agent Hermit, steer towards that flock of space debris over there." Gamma points to the right and Keith nods.

"No problem, mon." Switching to Vernier control, Keith gently moves the Shuttle Pod next to the space debris as Numbuh Gamma removes his seatbelt and stands up.

"Alright, from here on, I'll go alone. Wait for my signal."

"You sure you don't need any backup?"

"No, if any of you go out there, you'll be spotted immediately. I'll go and open the hangar doors for you." Numbuh Gamma says to Patton, who is not pleased by this, but stays in his seat as Gamma looks up at the pod's ceiling. Then, a bright aura covers him and he phases through the ceiling, into the cold of space. Standing on the roof of the Shuttle Pod, he begins floating towards what seems to be open space while his teammates watch in stunned awe.

"Wow…he's out there without a spacesuit, mon."

"You said it…" Patton replies to Keith as they stare out of the cockpit window. Outside, the glowing Numbuh Gamma continues onward until he abruptly halts.

"Alright, Numbuh Delta, let's see those if coordinates are correct." Pointing his right hand forward, Numbuh Gamma fires a beam of light from his palm. The beam keeps going when suddenly, it stops. "Bingo." Gamma approaches the point where the beam stopped and upon further inspection, he can feel a solid surface on his hand. "This is it." Placing both hands against the surface, Numbuh Gamma releases a faint burst of light that begins to spread along the surface until an upside-down barn appears out of nowhere.

"No way…" Fanny says in disbelief while Patton hits hands together.

"Hah-haa, looks like we hit the jackpot. That's definitely the sub-hangar door. Now we just gotta wait for his signal."

Outside, Numbuh Gamma presses his hands against the exposed barn door and phases through it, arriving inside the airlock. "Hmm, there are no internal controls here…I'll have to find them from the hangar itself." Wasting no time, Gamma makes himself invisible and goes through the airlock doors but when he enters the sub-hangar, he realizes that there isn't a single operative there. Only various 2x4 ships, including an unarmed, freighter version K.O.L.O.S.S.A.L.I.N.E.R. and an E.S.C.A.P.E.R. "That must be the ship 1000 used to flee…but this doesn't make any sense, where are all the operatives? Did the GKND order them to abandon the Shipyards? No, that can't be. Regardless, I'll let the Shuttle Pod in." After a quick look around, Gamma finds the empty control booth and immediately disables the alarms from the sub-hangar before opening the external doors and the outer airlock door.

"Look, they're open!"

"Take her in, Agent Hermit, nice and easy." Patton says while holding on to the backrest of Keith's seat. Using only Vernier control, Keith steers the pod through the doors, which immediately close behind them, along with the airlock doors. Then, the pod is grabbed by two hydraulic arms and carried through the airlock and inside the hangar proper before lowering it to the hangar floor. "Okay, suit up. We don't know what's waiting for us there." Patton gestures to Fanny and Keith as he activates his upgraded sand brown and green B.R.A., which has additional armor plating in the legs and shoulders while the arm gauntlets now feature the same, compact M.A.R.B.L.E. launchers as Abby's B.R.A. and the second laser gatling gun has been replaced with a Stupefier cannon.

"Hah, I don't care what those punks are gonna throw at us. They'll never know what's gonna hit 'em." Fanny says confidently while also turning on her green, yellow and orange colored armor, which has a slenderer design and a folding EMP launcher in the backpack.

"*whistle* Numbuh 2's still got it." An impressed Keith says as he gets up from his seat and draws two Stupefier pistols.

"Hey, why aren't ya using a B.R.A.?"

"Ah, no way, Numbuh Beta, not my style. Besides, I'm a sneaky spy mon, not a fighter like you two. I'll be fine with these." Keith gestures with the pistols as Patton walks over to the exit hatch and opens it slowly but then notices that there isn't a single person inside the hangar.

"What the heck? Where's the Splinter Cell?" he exclaims as Fanny peeks her head through the hatch.

"Hmph, they must've ran away."

"No, they haven't."

"Whoah! Gah, why'd you do that?!" A surprised Fanny shouts as Numbuh Gamma appears before them and gestures the trio to exit the pod.

"I ran a quick scan and it looks like all occupants are further inside the Shipyards. But I have no idea why. We'll need to proceed with caution." he says as Patton looks around the hangar and shakes his head.

"I'm not liking this at all. What the heck are they planning?"

"Whatever it is, we'll have to stop them. Follow me and stay hidden. The later they realize we're here, the better." Numbuh Gamma turns himself intangible and invisible while Patton, Fanny and Keith turn on their stealth cloaks.

"Keep an eye out for anyone wearing red goggles. They can see through our cloaks if they're wearing them."

"Got it, mon. Let's do this." Keith replies as Numbuh Gamma starts leading the team into the ominously silent corridors of the Orbital Shipyards.

End of Transmission 56