"Light team?" Fanny asked, as the message repeated in the background.
"A team of space pilots. Numbuhs 458, 792, and 299. The only fully trained space pilots the organization has. We were gonna use them to go to other planets." Rachel explained.
"Until the other planets came to us, right?" Fanny asked, referring to the alien's arrival.
"Right. Once the cluster planet was detected, all space endeavors went from manned exploration to unmanned scouting. Not as fun, but at least we got help from Dexcorp."
"Ma'am, can I point something out? This-" He said, pointing to the tablet that was playing the message. "isn't a message set to repeat. This is a live broadcast."
"What? I thought communications were jammed."
"Well, moon to planet are. But local is still working. Light team isn't on the main emergency channel for talking to the Earth. They're broadcasting on the intra-base emergency channel; the one operatives up here use to report injuries, malfunctions, that kind of thing, remotely. The channel is meant for short range transmissions. They must be sending a pretty strong signal."
Rachel stared at the tablet in her lap, pondering how exactly to respond. "What about us? Can we talk back on the same channel?"
"We have giant satellites. Talking to them won't be an issue." James leaned over and tapped the device a couple times. "It has a microphone. Go ahead, I guess."
Rachel hesitated for a moment before responding. "This is Moonbase. We hear you. Please respond. Over."
A couple seconds after Rachel ended her message, the incoming transmission cut off.
The room became silent, short of the humming of the radio. Rachel imagined it was just as quiet on the ship. A full minute passed before they got something.
"Say again, Moonbase? Please confirm last statement. Over."
The once-silent room erupted with cheers. They were no longer alone. In the midst of the cheers, Rachel spoke into the mic. "That good enough for you? Over."
"Yeah, that works. Good to hear you, Supreme Leader sir. Over." Numbuh 792 replied between laughs.
Rachel shushed the small crowd before asking the question she didn't really want to be answered. "Why'd they only send you? I mean, your ship is designed for interplanetary travel. Even S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s can go from Moon to Earth. Why not send a fleet? Heck, I'm heck you could borrow Stickybeard's if you asked. Over."
It took awhile to get a response. "Well, to be honest, with the base facing away from Earth, and with communications down, we weren't sure you were even alive. And, well..."
"They didn't want to send a fleet right to the enemy just to rescue a dead base." Rachel finished.
"Yeah..." After a short pause, the space operative quickly added "But it's also because our ship is the fastest, and because a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. can't handle the extra maneuvers needed to escape the green meanie's orbit and enter yours, nor is it be equipped with the insanely powerful satellite dish and stealth device DexCorp fitted us with."
Rachel continued to exchange questions for a while, determining the size of the ship, establishing a landing area, and checking up on the planetary preparations, before finally asking for their ETA.
"When are you entering orbit?"
"Well... Now." Rachel returned the pad to James and began to rise from the bed. Fanny grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to stay still.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"We have to get every troop to the hangar. Clear a landing space." Rachel attempted to move despite Fanny's hold.
However, her friend's strength prevented her from moving anymore than an inch. "Every troop but you. You have a seven-inch gash in your leg. I let you get up, and you probably won't be able to stay up."
"I can stand fine." She replied, grunting out the last word as she pushed Fanny off of her. Fanny staggered backward. "I'm not sending all my fighters into battle while I lie in this bed." Rachel shifted her body so that her legs were dangling over the right side of the bed. Using the frame of the bed, she lifted off the mattress and did her best to stand, but the second weight was put on her injured leg, she winced in pain and fell back onto the bed. After looking dismissively at Fanny's worried face, she tried again. She still winced but managed to stand, barely. "See?" However, as she attempted to walk, she started to fall forward. Fanny caught the girl and put Rachel's arm around her.
"If you're going to be this stupid, at least let me help."
Rachel smiled, and hopped forward, using her friend as leverage.
"But you stay in the back. Like it or not, you can't fight. And since getting you killed isn't on my to-do list, I'm putting you in the back, where you'll stay. That's an order." Fanny told her.
"You can't give me orders. I outrank you." Fanny shot her an angry face. "Fine." Rachel sighed, admitting her defeat.
James joined the two friends and they hobbled through the medical center's halls. Before they could leave, the doctor who had stitched up Rachel's wound ran up, complaining that Rachel would rip her stitches. Rachel ordered her off, telling her to worry about the operative who were still in the beds. Once they exited into the gardens, all eyes turned to them.
Rachel, feeling it unnecessary to grab their attention when she already had it, got straight to the point. "Earth," She paused and gazed across the large crowd of operatives. "has been kind enough to send a rescue ship!" Cheers broke out. Rachel waited a minute before continuing. "But," She shouted, hushing the crowd. "They need a place to land! The only landing site large enough for the ship is the hangar, which is currently occupied by the enemy! So I'm thinking we go ahead and kick those gelatin jerks out and make room for our friends! Sound good?!" Cheers erupted again. "Alright! Let's go! Break off into teams and report to the entrance when ready!"
–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–
As cheerful as the crowd of child soldiers seemed at the rally speech, excitement quickly died down as the prepared for, what to many would be, their second significant battle of that day. For Numbuh 86's scouting party, it would be their third. The large number of injured operatives didn't help morale either. Operatives would pause their prep work to watch as the injured were moved from the medical ward to the gardens so that they could be ready to move to the hangar and board the rescue craft once it was secure.
Meanwhile, Rachel sat helplessly on a tree stump near the front of the gardens. Under normal circumstances, she'd be assisting her army, but her injury from the last time she helped meant still could barely move. "Here." A familiar voice got her attention. "This should help." Rachel looked up from inspecting her wound to see a young man clad in a lab coat. Numbuh 74.239 was holding out a metal leg brace.
"You made this?" Rachel asked, picking up and inspecting the brace.
"I had some, uh, free time." He held out his hand. Rachel returned the brace, and the scientist knelt down and put the brace on. He stood back up and held out his hand once again. Rachel took it, and he pulled her up. The girl could still barely walk, but if nothing else, she stay standing. She managed to go three steps before she began panting,as trying to overcome the pain quickly drained whatever energy she had left. 74.239 helped her back to her stump. "Save your energy. You'll need it."
"Thanks."
"It was no problem. Just make sure you win." He looked down at the stump she was sitting on. Otherwise, I'm gonna end up looking like this guy.
"I'll try."
"This nerd giving you trouble?" Another familiar voice, this time, a Scottish accent, grabbed Rachel's attention.
"Hardly," Rachel answered, turning her body around the stump so that Fanny could see her new brace.
"Fancy." The ginger half-mockingly complimented. "Though, I think my present's better." Fanny was carrying a long, hollow, metal post. On one end was a yield sign with bladed edges, on the other, a singular boxing glove.
"I was wondering where that went." Rachel reached out and grabbed her staff. "How are our astronauts?"
"Your boyfriend says they just entered orbit," Fanny replied, jokingly referring to Numbuh 10,000Hz.
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Of course not. Either way, he says they'll pass the hangar before we can even get there, much less secure it. So they have to go at least once more around the moon before they can land."
"That's not a lot of time."
"They can always go around twice."
"True. Are the teams ready?"
"We got about three-quarters of available troops waiting at the front."
"Good." Rachel recognized the suspicious look on her friend's face. "What?"
"Sector W is waiting there as well."
Rachel stood up from the stump and began limping towards the entrance. "Not for long they aren't."
Fanny ran up to help her. "They just want to help."
"What if Paddy was with them?"
Fanny stayed quiet.
"That's what I thought."
–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–
Rachel got to a hill overlooking the troops. Once she spotted Sector W, she yelled out to them. "Sector W! Please report to Numbuh 362 immediately!" The three young operatives looked up and started walking toward their commander.
"I know what you're gonna say, and I don't care. We're going." Harvey surprised Rachel by speaking first. "I know you don't want to believe it, but we are Kids Next Door." Harvey stood his ground, his dertermined look hiding the fact that he was just as surprised that Rachel had allowed him to speak first.
"I know you are. Medical team needs help with the injured." She said, looking to Sonya. She then moved her gaze to Harvey and Lee. "They could also use a couple guards." She quietly, yet firmly. "I'm assigning you guys to help."
"But-" Harvey was about to speak out when he saw the look in Rachel's eye. He saw in it something he had almost never seen in her before. Fear.
"Okay. We'll stay." Sonya told her. The young nurse saw it too. She easily recognized the emotion, as it was one she was far too familiar with. Sonya grabbed Lee and Harvey's hand. She generally knew better than to touch Numbuh 363, but she also knew that he wouldn't mind this time. Her new orders obtained, she dragged them off towards the injured operatives.
A small smile formed on her face as she watched them walk down the hill.
"They'll be fine." Fanny reassured her.
"Honestly," Rachel moved her gaze towards the dozens of troops waiting at the front of the gardens. "It's not them I'm worried about."