Operation L.I.F.E.
Chapter 2: Change
Abby looked franticly at her watch. Four hours. He had been out for way too long. Abby sat in a hospital ward at the TEENZ centeral command. Hoagie lay uncontios on the hospital bed next to her. She had pulled teens out of decom before, but this was the first time it was a friend that was rushed into the hospital. The doctors had said he was going to be fine, that he had just had a big shock (littrely), but that's what they had said about Jason Matterson. Jason was the first teen to be pulled out of Hoagie's new decomissioning device. But, he was pulled out too far into the sequence. When the electro-memories rushed back into his head, they were too supercharged. The over-simulation in the brain cased him to go into a coma. The doctors said he was lucky to be alive, that the shock to the brain should have killed him. It didn't matter, though. He died about two weeks later. Abby knew she had also lost contiosness when she had been rescued from her decom, but two factors made this different: one, she had been broken out much erlier in the sequence, and two, she had woken up on the flight back from Moonbase. A doctor stepped into the room. He looked about eighteen with dark brown hair and eyes.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Lincon,'' he nodded, '' I'm Dr. Williams. I'm here to check on the newb.''
''Sure,'' Abby said as she stepped aside so the doctor could take a look the moniters next to the bed. The TEENZ had become more ordered and strict organization, but they were still teenagers.
''How is he?'' Abby asked.
''Hmmmm...'' Dr. Williams said tapping the moniters, '' not too good. How long was he in the STEM for?''
''About five minutes,'' Abby said, '' we coulda gotten to him sooner, but those little freaks on moonbase were expectin' us''
''Well,'' the doctor continued, ''all organs are functioning normally and brain wave pattens are correct, but he has slipped into a very deep uncontiosness. Not Jason Matterson bad, but pretty bad. I'm gonna give him a shot of 'vibe', see if that'll wake him up.''
''Are you sure?'' Abby said, '' he has only just turned thirteen, his body isn't realy ready for so much caffine.''
''It's this or nothing, Ms. Lincon,'' Dr. Williams said, ''at least this way there's a better chance he'll recover.''
'Vibe' is the street name for coffium sugenzite, a chemical made from the purest coffie and suger around. It was created by Power-glug Sports Drinks co. as a new energy drink. It was a drink sensation, PSD co. was exporting the stuff all over the world, until it was found to be addictive. It was emidietly taken off the market. But, somehow the recipie got onto the street, now anybody can make the stuff under their kitchen sink. It's considered a drug in most countries.The TEENZ had recently been using small dosages to wake uncontios patiants. Younger teens though, seem to have a bit of a violent reaction to it. Not pretty, lets just leave it at that.
''Ok fine,'' Abby said, ''but a small amount.''
Dr. Williams nodded and loaded a syringe. He then administered the vibe into Hoagie's left arm. For a few moments there was nothing. Suddenly, Hoagie started shuddering. His eyes shot open as his head jerked back and forth.
''Doctor?'' Abby called franticly.
''It's Ok, this is normal,'' Dr. Williams called as he loaded a second syringe, ''can I get some help in here!''
Two nurses and a another doctor ran in. They all tried to stop Hoagie moving. Dr. Williams gave him the second injection. The suddering and jerking stopped and his eyes closed again. Silence returned. Hoagie lay perfectly still. Nobody in the room moved. Until...
''Whoever is holding my hand, you have majorly sweaty palms,'' Hoagie said weakly.
Everyone sighed in relief, the stale air sweeping across the room.
''Uh, doc,'' one of the nurses said covering her mouth and nose, ''like, two words: breath, mint.''
They left leaving Abby and Hoagie alone.
''Someone is still holding my hand,'' Hoagie said.
Abby then realized that she was the one clamped onto his hand.
''Erm, no-one's holding your hand,'' Abby said, quickly yanking her hand away, ''it's a, uh, data recever to record your tempreture, but I've taken it off now.''
''Abs is that you?'' Hoagie said, straining to see her, ''I can't move my neck.''
Abby smiled. It had been a while since she had heard that nickname. She only let her team use it, anyone else who dared to, suffered. She leaned over him.
''Yeah its me,'' she said smiling, ''I mean, who else would it be you dope.''
''Yeah, the additude I didn't miss,'' Hoagie said smiling back.
Abby wacked him with her hat.
''Do you have any idea what you just put me through, boy?'' Abby said, ''Four hours uncontios, and then that seisuer...''
''Aw, Abs,'' Hoagie said grinning, ''didn't know you cared.''
Abby wacked him again.
''Ow, jeeze,'' Hoagie siad cringing, ''stop hitting me, I'm sencetive.''
Just for that, Abby hit him again.
''Ow!''
''That, you asked for,'' chuckled Abby.
There was a brief silence.
''So, how's the rest of the team,'' Abby asked.
''Same old, same old,'' Hoagie said, ''but Abs, you have no idea how much you're being missed, your replacement, Numbuh 95, is more of a snob than Fanny!''
''How's Kuki?'' Abby asked.
Hoagie's smile disapeared. Ever since Wally had left to join the 'Splinter Cell', her usual attitude had vanished. She had begun acting more like her mom; strong, leading, but just didn't give a shit about the situation at hand.
''She's gotten worse,'' Hoagie said solomly, ''she's basicly become team leader, y'know, with Nigel being so caught up in Rachel.''
''Yeah, don't remind me,'' Abby said.
The door opened behind her and Cree walked in. She smiled at the two.
''Hi guys,'' she said brightly, ''how we doing?''
''Stiff, but alright,'' Hoagie said trying to turn his head.
''That's normal,'' Cree said, ''vibe puts some major strain on the muscles. Think you can walk?''
''Not sure,'' Hoagie said, ''pull me up.''
Abby and Cree pulled him to his feet. He swayed for a few seconds before standing straight. He took a few steps.
''Yeah, sould be ok,'' he said to Cree.
''Good,'' Cree said turning to Abby, ''you wanna give him the tour or should I?''
''How 'bout you both do,'' Hoagie said grinning, ''a sister for each arm.''
Cree and Abby looked at each other, and then at the smirking boy in front of them. They walked over to him.
''Hows this,'' Abby said.
The each punched him on the arm. Hoagie begun to tip. Abby and Cree grabbed for him.
''Whoa!''
Thump!
Hoagie lifted his head.
''Not quite what I meant,'' he said before he let it fall back to the floor.
----
''Our centeral base is under the Omega mega-mall in New York City, but you can find a TEENZ bunker under any Mini-Mart,'' Cree explained as the three of the them walked through the base corridors, ''you two will be stationed in unit V-5, under Pop's Diner.''
''You mean I'm being placed in another Unit?,'' Abby said, ''I thought I was in yours.''
''You were,'' Cree said, ''but now we need stationed in V-5.''
''Why?'' Abby asked.
''In due time little sis, in due time,'' Cree said staring ahead.
''Pop's Diner?'' Hoagie said, ''Isn't that in Aron City.''
''They moved,'' Cree said, ''Pops was a TEENZ agent back in the day, so he was more than Ok with placeing your base there.''
''No kidding,'' Hoagie said.
They stepped into a large office. Cree took a file off the oak desk in the middle of the room. She handed it to Hoagie.
''Meet your team mates,'' she said, ''we had to make some trasfers, sadly the KND operatives in this town are too loyal.''
Hoagie read the files aloud:
File #: 66092305
Name: Michelle Sander
Age: 13
KND past: Operative, 4 years. (Numbuh 74)
Skills: Wepon combat, hand-to-hand combat, spying.
Bio: Michelle may seem to be a bit of a bimbo, but is quite the opposite. Itelligent and resorceful, a loyal and obediant agent through and through.
File #: 66092306
Name: Dexter (surname unlisted)
Age: 13
KND past: Helped to design a recomissioning device for the KND
but was never an actual operative.
Skills: Unlimited inteligence.
Bio: Self proclaimed 'boy genius', Dexter can be a little snotty, but offers so much to the oganization that we are just gonna have to put up with him.
File #: 66092307
Name: Dillon Harvet
Age: 14
KND past: Operative, 2 years (Numbuh 33)
Skills: Weapon combat, hand-to-hand combat.
Bio: Dillon is the perfect example of a jock; fit, good-looking, thinks he's God's gift to a woman. A bit of a jerk sometimes, but, like Dexter, offers so much we'll just have to put up with him.
Abby took the file from Hoagie and looked through it herself.
''Lemme get this straight,'' Abby said, ''yer gonna post two nerds with a jock?''
''I prefer being called a geek,'' Hoagie muttered, ''I've at least earned that.''
''Fine,'' Abby said, ''a nerd and a geek.''
''I know it doesn't seem too smart,'' Cree shrugged, ''but tacticly, we need him there.''
''But we only have five agents,'' Abby said looking at the file again, ''I thought all TEENZ units had six agents to out-number the KND five per team.''
''I know,'' Cree said, ''your sixth agent will arrive in time. A transport will be here in forty minutes to take you your new base.''
She walked over to the large oak desk and sat behind it. She began to work on her computer. The conversation was over. Hoagie and Abby left the office and headed down the corridor.
''So what,'' Hoagie said, sticking his hands in his pockets, ''we get to base, meet the new team, and get started on tracking KND troop movement or something. It's like cadet grad' all over again.''
''The KND?'' Abby said, ''we arn't fighting the Kids Next Door.''
''Huh?''
''We arn't fighting the Kids Next Door,'' Abby repeated, ''under the command of Numbuh 480, defeating the KND has become one of our lowest prorities.''
''Why?'' Hoagie asked.
''He's a bad choise for the job,'' Abby said, ''under all that pressure he's become paronoid, as I'm sure you've noticed, he'll bring the KND down for us.''
''Then who are we fighting?'' Hoagie asked.
Abby stopped dead in her tracks. Hoagie stopped too.
''I don't know,'' she said, suprising herself.
''What?'' Hoagie said, also rather surprised, ''You've been here for almost a month and you don't know who we're fighting.''
''It's not like I've been on missions or anything,'' Abby said, ''I've mainly been doing work on who to pull out of decom' and other KND related stuff.''
''But you said the TEENZ wern't worried about the KND,'' Hoagie said thoughfuly, ''why would they need info ex-operatives to be.''
''Probably to look for possible traitors,'' Abby suggested, ''y'know, operatives that are willing to join the TEENZ.''
''I guess,'' Hoagie said, but he didn't sound too convinced.
They started walking again.
''But whoever it is we're fighting,'' Hoagie said frowning, ''they got to be pretty scary to cause the TEENZ to whip into shape so fast.''
As the two of them hurried down the corridor to the transport dock, two dark figures watched from a private office via close-circut TV.
The first sat in a large chair behind the small screen, slowly twiddling his fingers. He was acomponied the second, seemingly female figure.
''So what do you think,'' she said.
''His loyalty to the KND was never genuine,'' the first figure said, ''I wouldn't worry.''
''You can't keep this entire organization in the dark forever,'' the second said impatiently.
''I don't plan to,'' the first figure said frowning slighly at his asoceit's additude, ''but for project Dark Matter to succeed, we need perfect timing, and now is not the time.''
''He asks too many questions,'' the second figure said, ''and one question leads to the next if you catch my drift.''
''Relax,'' the first figure said grinning, ''his curiosity could be used to our advantage, but for now, we let him and his little friend try and figure things out, it sould keep them busy until they're needed... ''
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