At noon this Saturday, I made my lunch and sat down to watch the KND, as I always do. When the show began to start, I was surprised to see that it was an episode I had never seen before. It was Operation – I.T., and I have to say, it was one of the best episodes I've ever seen. It was also very helpful, since I'm bringing Numbuh 362 into the story in the next chapter and gave me a closer look into her personality. But it's still a little strange to hear Numbuh 1 call the other operatives by their first name…
Codename: Kids Next Door and all characters © Cartoon Network
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Chapter 5 – A Cold Welcoming
The children looked at the driver, dumbfounded.
"But… it's a tree." Wally said, confused.
"Oh, yes, it is a little small, so you'll have to go one at a time." There was yet another awkward silence.
"Alright then, I'll go first." Abigail said coolly, taking a step forward.
"Wonderful! Now then... " The driver walked up to the tree and knocked on the surface three times. Suddenly, a large puff of smoke issued from the base of the tree. When it cleared, a small opening appeared where he had knocked – just large enough for someone to step through. The small room inside the tree was covered in various buttons and levers.
"Ok then! Just stand there - here, I'll help you with this…" The driver pushed Abigail's suitcase into the small room as she squeezed in beside it. "Now, do you see that button there? Yes, that's it… just push that button and you're on your way. All set?" With a nod, Abigail smiled back at her friends and pushed the button. There was another large cloud of smoke, and when it finally disappeared, the room was empty. Abigail had vanished.
"Ok, who's next?"
"Oh! Me! Me, mister bus driver!" Kuki shouted as she waved her arms wildly. She skipped into the room, waved back at the boys, and was gone.
"I'm going next…" Wally said as the smoke began to dissolve. He trudged into the room, and with some trouble, managed to squeeze his large bag in with him. There was another cloud of white smoke, and it was empty again.
"Well, see you when you get there!" Hoagie said as he dragged his suitcase into the opening of the tree. Nigel smiled back at him as he too disappeared like the ones before.
"Last one!" The driver said, motioning towards the tree. Nigel stepped inside, staring at the millions of switches and flashing lights on the walls of the cylindrical room. The driver picked up his bag and wedged it between the walls and his legs.
"When you're ready, push this right here…" He pointed towards a large, red flashing button. "And watch your elbows. Wouldn't want you to lose something on your first day!" He smiled cheerfully, his large white teeth reflected on the boy's dark sunglasses. Swallowing nervously, Nigel reached out a shaking hand and pushed the button. Suddenly, the room filled with the white smoke, blocking his vision.
'Welcome to the Kids Next Door Arctic Base. Destination – main floor.' Nigel heard a female computer voice say. Without warning, Nigel felt the floor beneath him drop. He tried to let out a scream, but the air around him was much too thin. His stomach rose into his chest and he felt like he was being sucked down a tube. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes tightly, wishing it would stop. Just then, the floor beneath him came to a standstill. With a small ding, the room opened up once again.
'Main Floor' the computerized voice said as Nigel steeped out shakily, dragging his suitcase behind him. The main floor was built high and wide and was filled with at least four hundred other kids, chattering amongst themselves.
"Nigel!" Hoagie shouted, emerging from the crowd of kids. He walked up to his friend and put an arm across his shoulder. "Some ride, huh?" Nigel nodded, still feeling a little queasy. Looking around, he noticed the floor was made of packed in snow, large collections of icicles dangling from the ceiling. The room seemed to be carved around the roots of the tree. Several monitors and pipes were built into the wood – even a large, upside-down tugboat that hung from the ceiling was punctured by the plants underground growth.
"Hey, over here! They're about to start!" Abby said from the back of the crowd. Wally and Kuki stood beside her, trying desperately to see past the other's heads.
Up ahead, a tall, muscular boy with fiery red hair emerged from a doorway. Everyone went silent as he stood before them with a stern expression. Many of the girls in the audience shrieked happily as his eyes passed over them. Nigel recognized him immediately as Numbuh 107. There was no mistaking him from the photo in the pamphlet.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Kids Next Door Arctic Training Base." He spoke with a strong, influential voice. "Some of you may already know me. For those of you who don't, I am Numbuh 107. I am the Drill Sergeant and Commander-In-Chief of the Arctic Base. I am also teacher of the Combat Class, so I will be meeting all of you eventually." A few of the girls in the crowd giggled and sighed dreamily. "Before you are sent off to your rooms, there are a few rules here at the base that must be followed…"
"Aw man! No one said anything about rules!" Wally moaned as he crossed his arms in a huff. Abby shushed him, trying to hear what Numbuh 107 was saying.
"Rule number one, boys and girls are to stay in their own dorms. No visiting! Rule number two, no one is allowed out of their rooms after nine o'clock. And rule number three, if there is a villain lose in the base, tell me, or another operative immediately. Leave all battles to the official operatives. Now, if everyone can grab their bags he girl's rooms are to the right, and the boy's rooms are to the left." He pointed to two separate hallways on separate sides of the room. "Diner is at seventeen-hundred hours and I expect everyone to be there!" He turned on his heels and exited through the same doorway he emerged from only moments ago. The room filled with chatter once again as the boys and girls began to separate, disappearing into their designated halls.
"We'll catch up with y'all later!" Abby said as she and Kuki waved goodbye. The boys watched as they vanished into the mob of girls across the room.
"At least we don't have to put up with any of those stupid girls while we're here!" Wally said as he, Nigel and Hoagie followed the parade of boys toward the dorm.
"I just hope they have good food in the cafeteria. I'm starving!" Hoagie rubbed his stomach sadly.
The boy's dorm was nothing more than a never-ending hallway of large, metal doors on each side. The floors and walls were built out of ice and snow, keeping it at below freezing temperatures. The light coming from the low-hanging ceiling fixtures did little to keep the hallway warm. Drippy black numbers were painted on the metal doors to distinguish one from another. The rooms were filling up quickly, and the three friends began to worry that they wouldn't find one. Finally, after about fifteen minutes, they reached a vacant room.
"Whew! Found one!" Hoagie sighed as he pushed open the heavy door. The large black painted on read 287. Inside, the walls and floor were still made ice, along with the four bunk beds that protruded from the walls. There was no window, the only light coming from a single lightbulb that dangled by a wire from the ceiling.
"I call top bunk!" Nigel shouted as he ran towards to the upper bed on the right wall. He lifted his suitcase up onto the icy bunk.
"Well them I get the bottom!" Hoagie plopped his bag onto the bed below. Wally plopped his enormous bag down on the bottom bunk on the opposite wall gratefully. His shoulders were beginning to get sore.
"Um, excuse me." A voice said from the doorway. They turned to see another boy their same age, an orange-gloved hand gripping a large brown suitcase. His spiky black hair poked out from his orange beanie, his hazel eyes matching his brown ski jacket. "Is there another empty bed in this room? All the other ones are full…"
"Sure! Come on in!" Hoagie said with a smile. The boy smiled back, dragging his bag into the room.
"I'm Hoagie Gilligan, and this is Wally and Nigel." He said, motioning towards his friends. They smiled at him welcomingly.
"The name's Patton Drilovsky. Flew in from Nevada." He heaved himself onto the empty top bunk, pulling his bag up after him.
"Wow, you sure did fly a long way." Wally said, unfolding his sleeping bag.
"At least he's got the right idea with his clothes!" Nigel said, pointing to his gloves and hat. Patton laughed.
"Yeah, my mom was worried that I'd be cold. Better safe then sorry, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders as she unzipped his bag and pulled out a thick, wool sweater. "Geez! I told my mom that these sweaters are too itchy!" The four friends laughed.