Disclaimer: I do not own FusionFall and I never will.

Well, I finally updated. WHOO! I forgot about this for a while, and I suddenly had some inspiration. Enjoy! ^^

Chapter Seven

Leading Up

Laina didn't even bother grabbing a coat. She ran outside in her tank top and shorts, not caring if anyone saw her. Not that she ever did.

"Laina, wait for me!" Narae yelled, but she could easily catch up with her. "What's the alarm for?"

The bell hadn't stopped, instead becoming louder and faster. It made Laina more motivated and they arrived at Dexlabs within a matter of minutes. Dexter was standing outside with the same nerdy look he always had. When he saw the girls, he frowned.

"About time you got here!" he yelled.

Laina never refused a shouting match. "We were all the way in the living quarters!"

"Then get here faster!"

"Make me!"

Dexter was about to reply when Brydon dashed onto the scene. He was panting, but otherwise okay. Even though he'd been living in another living quarters nearby, he looked as if he'd run a mile.

He regained his composure. "I saw them."

"Are they here?" Laina asked, her eyes wide.

Brydon shook his head. "No, I was helping Numbuh 4 with some, um, stuff, and I saw them."

Narae tapped her foot impatiently. "Saw what?"

"Where's Numbuh 4 now?" Dexter asked. "Where are they located?"

"Numbuh 4 has evacuated everyone from Mount Blackhead. He's talking to the rest of Sector V right now," Brydon replied. "They're at Mount Blackhead, but they'll enter the suburbs if we wait too long."

Narae screamed and waved her arms around in the air. "What is at Mount Blackhead? What, what, what?"

Dexter, Brydon and Laina all stared at her at once, finally deciding to respond to her. Or, at least, that's what it looked like. They were silent for a while before Dexter answered.

"Fusions."

Belladonna, the lead singer of the Gang Green Band (which was currently finding a new name), was taking a break from recording a new song. They hadn't had many music related jobs since the war started. They didn't mind; they had a lot on their plate anyway.

As she sat on a bench outside the studio, her mind wandered to her past. She had started remembering little bits and pieces, but she couldn't figure out who she was exactly. Most of the time she was with two girls. They were all wearing matching outfits, but different colours. Her best friends, perhaps.

Ace was there in one too. She was about five or six. He had invited her to his shack and she had accepted gratefully. There was a time skip and then she was beating him up, along with the rest of the gang. She wanted to ask him about it, but she was too afraid to.

Suddenly, her head ached. 'Ugh, another headache. Here we go again.'

This time she saw a man in a white coat working at a kitchen stove. She was around ten years old and was waiting at a table eagerly. The other two girls were there too. She wished to know their names, but people rarely spoke in her flashbacks. Only the one with Ace and another where the mayor of Townsville was giving a speech.

The man grinned and came over to the table with a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. He gave each girl three pancakes as well as himself. He went back to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of maple syrup. He sat down at the table and they all began to eat.

Shifting her eyes, young Belladonna tore off part of her friend's last pancake and gulped it down. The blonde shrieked and either scolded or shouted at her. She couldn't tell because she couldn't hear what the girl was saying.

Then the man's mouth started moving and she could hear what was being said. "Now, Buttercup. Be nice to your sister. I gave you the same amount and that's how it should be."

Belladonna, who would now never call herself that again, gasped in realisation. Her name was Buttercup and those girls were her sisters. But what were their names? Was the man in the coat their father?

As her headache ebbed away, she thought deeply. After a minute she sighed and stood up. She knew what she had to do.

It was time to find Ace.

Numbuh 4 was sweating, but he didn't care. He had just escaped with not even a minute to spare. A whole army of fusions had almost destroyed him and his friends.

They were currently sitting in a dark Dexlabs, being forced to have a rest. He observed everyone else in the room with him. Ed was leaning against a table, sleeping and drooling. Mac was ready to drop as well, but Coco kept him awake by her panic. Numbuh 3 looked ready to cry and kept her eyes on the floor.

The meeting with the rest of the team had been brief. The situation was explained and they realised their only option was to rally everyone and fight. Numbuh 1 had ordered Numbuhs 3 and 4 to have a rest with the other escapees. He, Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 5 would gather the rest of the Kids Next Door.

"Wally..." came Numbuh 3's trembling voice. Even though the room was almost empty and she was right beside him, it sounded faint. "I- I don't want to f-face her..."

Numbuh 4 knew exactly who she was talking about. The ambush of every fusion ever invented was scary enough, but seeing a fusion of themselves was even worse. Neither of them had seen their evil counterparts until today and it had frightened them.

Numbuh 3 had a close call with hers, though. Fusion Numbuh 3's abnormally large hands had been a centimetre close to smashing her head in. Numbuh 4 had saved her, but he remembered watching his fellow operative stare the fusion in the eyes, just for a second. It was enough to scare anyone.

"Don't worry, Kooks. I'll beat her up for ya." He cracked his knuckles to demonstrate.

"Thanks, Wally!" Numbuh 3 hugged the boy, making him blush.

"Katya, I swear..." Laina's hand bawled into a fist, trying to contain her anger.

"Oh my gosh. Laina, are you serious? If I fight I'll break a nail and get dirt on my clothes. Do you seriously want that to happen to me?" Laina asked incredulously.

There were other things Laina wanted to do to Katya besides breaking her nails, but it wasn't the time. Instead, she seized the girl's wrist and hauled her in the direction of Dexlabs. Katya squirmed, but she was no match for Laina.

"Laina! Let go of me now, you stupid b-"

"Takes one to know one. Now shut up," ordered Laina.

Dexter was standing outside Dexlabs, having not moved since the alarm. He was addressing some army leaders. Narae and Brydon were helping out. Laina charged through the crowd and pushed Katya into Dexter.

"Dexter, we have a new cadet. Can you send her to Numbuh 60?" Laina requested.

On the outside she was frowning, but she was beaming on the inside. Numbuh 60 had reluctantly agreed to teach any new recruits, including teenagers. This made him stricter than ever. He was possibly the only person who could change Katya, and even that was a long shot.

"Huh? Who's Numbuh 60? What's happening?"

Ignoring Katya, Laina turned to the others. "Any news?"

"Not much for now," said Brydon. "The fusions have taken refuge at Mount Blackhead, but some KND operatives just warned us that they're getting ready to move."

Laina nodded. "So, when are we fighting?"

Dexter readjusted his goggles. "Now."

Can't you just imagine Dexter adjusting his goggles in a "LET'S DO THIS" kind of way? Teehee...

So, review! :D