~2~
"Finally," Rachel groaned out tiredly as she put the pen down. Her hand gingerly took the sheet of document she bled ink over and pushed it into the out stack she had forming. With that finally taken care of, the girl leaned into her comforting cushioned chair and moaned at how her fingers pulsed, crying out for a break. "There's got to be a better way of going about this."
Several minutes had come and gone since she started filling out the order forms for the materials the tech department would require for constructing new state of the art 2x4 gadgets and weaponry. All Rachel knew was that they had better build something that could turn broccoli into chewy pellets for all the pain her hand endured for that. It was why she preferred to get those types of things out of the way first. It would be dealt with and she wouldn't need to fret over it later on. Apparently, she never filled it out. But she was sure she did.
She snorted. Thinking things like that was ridiculous. She would not fall for someone's shot at a Christmas prank.
As much as she tried otherwise, her thoughts went to Henry again. The so-called angel of her's. The boy claimed he had 'granted her wish'. That she was Supreme Leader no longer. Ha! The stupid boy had probably spent way too much time on Rainbow Monkey island and went bonkers. Oh great. Now she was starting to sound like Fanny.
"I need chocolate. Now." Rachel drawled out as her hand reached around her desk for her mug. When she felt nothing, she snapped down to see her Doctor Time-Space mug no where in sight. "Hey! Where'd my milk go? Did that whack-job take that too?" She should've known the look in his eyes. He probably put on that little act to con her out of her milk and cookies. And it worked too!
"Some janitor. He cleans out snacks better then floors." The blonde quipped to herself miffed. First she had to stay here and do desk work, some kid comes in trying to take her for a ride, and now all her snacks were gone. This was turning out to be a pretty crummy Christmas. "What else is going to happen?" She knew a person should never ask that. But she didn't care. She dared karma to send her something else to deal with. Just to see what else she could be forced to gnaw through.
"Look, it doesn't matter if you think they're gross, you need to find those hamsters before they end up getting spaced! I'm not having anyone, hair or fur, biting it on this Moonbase on Christmas Eve!"
Rachel snapped her look to the door as a loud, male voice bounced off the walls. She blinked, wondering just how many people were still up here. Didn't they all go home? But despite that fact, her ears could pick up the steady stomp of heavy feet approaching closer and closer. She appeared confused for a moment before sneering. If it was that Henry kid again she was going to give him a piece of her mind. The door opened about the same time her mouth did, her throat preparing to spew up an insult. But as she noticed who was coming, the words got caught in her cavity and she just stood and stared.
In the door came Patton, Numbuh 60 of the Arctic Base. The boy didn't look different, yet at the same time he did. Instead of a puffy coat, orange mittens, or any other winter gear, the midnight haired boy merely strolled in with a leaf green long shirt, camouflage style. His tan pants had sharp military creases ironed into them and his combat boots were the same as always.
The blonde just didn't know what to say. Didn't even know what was going on. What was Patton doing here? Last she checked he was at his Grandma's house. Why wasn't he home? Why was he coming into her office? All these questions and more buzzed in her mind, but she for the love of her didn't know which one to go with first. She just stood on the opposite end, waiting to see what would unfold. She wouldn't have to wait long, for once Patton lowered his coca from his lips, he opened his eyes and instantly froze when he saw Rachel.
For a while, they just stood there. Staring. The awkward silence stretched on and on. Well, at least it did for Rachel. Patton seemed to always wear that strict general's face and that thousand yard stare. It was a serious gaze, even with that wet chocolate mustache the coca left on his lips. The girl didn't know whether to laugh, or point the stain out. Before she could make a peep, however, Numbuh 60 had decided that the quiet had gone on far too long. "Hello."
"Uh…hey?"
"Yeah." Patton addressed carefully as brow slowly trailed upwards. "Can I help you?"
Rachel blinked before regaining her ability to speak more then two words at a time. "I should be asking that. What are you doing up here, Numbuh 60?"
"And I should be asking that." Patton ricocheted back as his look got pensive. "What are you doing up here, cadet?"
"What do you think I'm doing?" Rachel shot back as she crossed her arms. "And what have I told you about calling me that, Patton?"
"Okay, this is getting weird." The boy frowned as he took another sip of his beverage to calm his nerves. "Ignoring the fact you didn't address me properly, how in the Sam hill do you know my name?"
"What do you mean, how do I know your name? I've known your name since my inauguration, Patton." Rachel replied slowly, as if talking to some toddler. "Is this some joke? What are you going to do next? Claim not to know my name?"
"Saves me the hassle of askin'."
"You can't be serious." Rachel groaned to herself. Suddenly, her eyes filled with surprise before switching to annoyance a split second later. "Of course! I knew you playing some trick on me!" She growled. "Well cut it out! I'm not in the mood for games, so you and 'Henry' better stop messing with me, Patton! That's an order!"
"You're getting too big for your britches, cadet." Patton grounded out, his voice raised a bit. "That's Numbuh 60 to you. You respect your superior officer! I should have you cleaning up the hamster droppings for that show of disrespect, let alone thinkin' you can order ME!" Once he was done, he sent his mug down on the desk and tucked his hands behind his back as he attempted to stand a bit taller. "Now I'm very busy, so state your codename and your business."
Rachel fumed as she fought the urge to rip her hair out. "What is wrong with you! It's me! Rachel! Numbuh 362! Stop joking around!"
"Numbuh 362?" Patton blinked as his look softened. That sounded familiar. His eyes glanced to the ceiling in thought for a second, but then he made a sound of acknowledgment as it came back to him. "Oh! Numbuh 362! You used to be the best spy in our ranks. What are you doing up here? Something you need?"
"Why do you keep asking that?" Rachel shouted. The fact he said she used to be the best spy was not unknown to her, but that wasn't pressing at the time. She stored it away for later as she continued. "This is the Supreme Leader's office. MY office! Why else would I be up here?"
As if saying the wrong password, Patton's expression dropped as his look hardened once more. "This isn't your office, it's MINE!"
"What?"
"I am Numbuh 60, Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door." Patton rolled out, deciding to be the uppity one now as payback. His eyes trailed over Rachel's form, and he became curious. "You wander out of the infirmary or somethin'?"
"Y-You're the…" Rachel trialed off before gritting her teeth. "You're not the Supreme Leader, Patton. I am!" Her arm snapped out to point to different parts of the room. Her hand started trembling, showing how much her frustration had built. "You see that desk? Computer? File cabinet? All MY documents, data, and files are in them!"
"No," Patton grumbled a bit as he forced her arm down. "Those are MINE. It ain't that hard to understand!"
"Stop doing that!" Rachel growled. Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of the colander fashioned into helmet on top of the desk which she knew was hers. "That helmet! That belongs to the Supreme Leader. Me! It has my number on it!"
Patton looked towards the helmet, and only crossed his arms as a highly skeptical look overcame his features. "Really?"
"Yes really!" Rachel frowned at the boy as she jerked the helmet up. Using her fingers, she twisted it around to her face and began reading the number off the emblem. "You see? The number on this symbol clearly says Numbuh 60…WHAT?" She did a double take, and couldn't believe what she was witnessing. The small orange rectangular emblem which held the two small samurai etiquette blades and her codenumbuh wasn't the same. It had been altered. The color scheme was now a forest green shade, and the number three hundred sixty-two had been replaced with sixty.
"But…how did you?" It didn't make any sense. It had been replaced. But how? Her helmet had been here with her all along, never leaving her sight once. How did it change? The shock clearly showed with her gaping mouth and wide eyes, and when Patton put a hand on her shoulder, she flinched a bit.
"Okay Missy, that's enough." The boy soothed out. The girl was apparently having some trouble, but he really needed to get back to work. "Look, how 'bout you go on home and rest? I gotta get my paperwork sorted out for when I get back so I can ship off myself."
Rachel stared at Patton's face a bit dumbfounded before glaring once more. This had to be some stupid joke. "You listen here Patton! I don't know how you did this, and quite frankly, I don't care. But I swear, if you don't drop this sick joke and start explaining yourself, I am going to put you on broccoli duty until you're thirteen!"
"Alright! I've had just about enough out of you!" The boy snapped. This cadet thought she could threaten him with such heinous punishment? "I've tried being nice, but this crud ain't gonna fly anymore! Now you got two ways of leaving this room. One, you walk outta here. Two, you walk outta here," He raised his foot in a show of seriousness. "With a boot imprint!"
"Enough games Patton! Stop fooling around and tell me what's going through your head! Because there is no way you are kicking me out of this office!"
"I can't believe he kicked me out of that office!" Rachel raged to herself as she stiffly paced through the maze-like halls of the moonbase. The blonde grumbled to herself as she rubbed at her hind, which currently sported the shape of a boot. She rubbed at her jeans in effort to mat it out, ease the slight pain, and try and do something to ebb her own anger and confusion.
It just wasn't right. What had just happened was way to wild and crazy to think it had actually happened. Patton yelling at her, claiming he was Supreme Leader. The whole confrontation just ending with him keeping his word, too bad his word consisted of solely giving her the boot.
Literally.
"What in world was he thinking?" She knew Patton. Well, at least she thought she knew him. While he tended to mess around with her and Fanny from occasion to occasion, he had never went this far for a joke before. Heck, if this was a joke, it was a really bad one. But why was she getting the feeling that wasn't the case?
"No!" Rachel scolded herself. She stopped outside the door to the main command deck and lifted her hands and lowered them as if expelling silly and useless notions out of her body. "I am not even going to let the thought that, that kid could be for real cross my mind. It's just ridiculous!" She reasoned with herself. Something was definitely up and she had to tackle it rationally. After straightening her sweater, she opened the door and stepped in the dome like room. "I just have to find somebody other then Patton. I only hope that there's…still…people…" The words came and gone as she leaned up against the railing. She looked to the main floor and surprise coursed through her veins like lightening. "What?"
Instead of a hollow, empty dome like she had been expecting, Rachel was greeted by the sight of dozens of kids walking around doing various tasks. It looked like a normal picture, some kids were at terminals typing away. Other were chatting lightly. And a select lazing few were running around playing games and throwing balls around. This scene shouldn't be too odd. It was almost like this everyday up here.
But she had sent all these kids home hours ago. What were they doing here?
"What in the name of gum is going on here?" Rachel asked aloud as her eyes rapidly scanned the floor. She rubbed at her lids vigorously and looked again. They were all still there. "Why are they all up here this late?"
"Stand aside please! I need to get this mission specs to B-Wing right away!"
The nasally voice caught her attention, and Rachel twisted to the left to see Herbie waddling along carrying a stack of sheets in hand. Taking what she got, Rachel pushed off the safety railing and ran to the operative before he got out of sight, which was a pretty simple task. The blonde placed herself in in his path and held her hands up for him to stop. "Numbuh 65.3! Wait!"
"Sorry! Really busy here!" Herbie brushed off as he skidded past her. The boy then turned and hurried down the spiral stairs. "Got to get these specs in the system so the computer can assign the missions when the new year gets here!"
"Just hold on a second!" Rachel screamed out, her fingers reaching out to the boy. Growling to herself, Rachel ran towards the railing and her hand reached out to grab it. Using her agile prowess, she flipped herself over and went down towards the second floor. She positioned herself to land at the foot of the stairs, and the moment she landed was at the exact time Herbie reached the bottom. He yelped, dropping the papers in shock, but Rachel couldn't care less right now. "This is more important! What –"
"Look at what you made me do! Those were in categorical order!" The round boy exclaimed interrupting her. After calming down, he snorted as he bent over and began scrambling the sheets in his hands. "But I suppose it doesn't matter. It will take me, at most, two point three minutes to rearrange them. I'll still have twenty seconds to make it in time. But I don't have time to talk –"
"Make time!" Rachel sneered as she jerked the boy up by the shoulders. "I need someone to tell me what's going on around here! Besides, you shouldn't be rearranging anything at all. You and the others went back to Earth over two hours ago!"
"O-Okay, you're starting to scare me, lady!" Herbie gulped as the girl glared at him. Man, why did everyone feel the need to pick on him? "Please let me go. I wanna get this done and get home. Besides, Numbuh 60 will chew me out if I slack up!"
"Numbuh 60? Why should he matter? You're not under his command!"
"Of course I am. We all are! He's the Supreme Leader!" Herbie corrected as he rose a brow at Rachel. "Did you stumble out of the infirmary?"
"Not you too!" Rachel groaned as she suppressed the urge to shake him. "I'M the Supreme Leader! Numbuh 362!"
"Numbuh 362?" Herbie muttered. Suddenly his eyes filled with recognition. "Oh! Numbuh 362! You used to be the best spy in covert operations."
Rachel paused for a moment, before she snarled right in the boy's face. "Listen here, Herbie. I didn't get to go home, I sprained my wrist doing paperwork, my cookies got stolen by some idiot, and I was literally kicked out of my own office! If I don't start getting some answers, I swear on Zero's shades I'm gonna –"
"HEY! What's goin' on here?"
The two blinked at the Irish accent and looked to the side to see Fanny stomping up to both of them. Herbie was frozen at the fact the infamous Numbuh 86 was marching up to them, and Rachel was surprised to see another face who by all means should not be here. But before any of them could react, Fanny suddenly swiped Herbie out of Rachel's grip and held him up by his collar as she glared at him.
"This stupid boy giving ye trouble, lass?" Fanny growled out as she glowered at the operative in her hold. "Don't worry, I'll straighten 'im out!"
Herbie frowned at the redhead as he pointed to Rachel. "Are you blind? Notice the sweat and quivering due to fear? I'm clearly the one in need of assistance here, not her!"
"Shut it!" Fanny snorted in disgusted before offering Rachel an apologetic look. "Sorry about this nerd. The lazy idiot should be doing his job, instead of pickin' wee girls!" Herbie's head just dropped. Not even bothering to try arguing anymore.
"Numbuh 86! Thank goodness." Rachel breathed out in relief. Patton and Herbie may be in question, but she could always count on the redhead to give it to her straight. "Everything is just so weird, and nobody will even tell me what's going on."
"Aye, it really does get crazy during this time of year." Fanny nodded in sympathy. "Why don't ye check in with Numbuh 9-to-5? If ya ain't got any work ta do, yer free to go home."
Rachel blinked at Fanny's wording, and now felt a little anxious of how the Irish girl was talking to her. Her tone didn't sound as that of a friend's, it sounded more like a kind superior guiding a lost agent. "No, Fanny. I don't think you understand."
Fanny looked confused. "How do you know my name?"
"Fanny it's me. Rachel?" She asked motioning to herself. Anxiousness bubbled in the pit of her stomach, making her feel uneasy. "Numbuh 362?"
"Numbuh 362?" The girl muttered out like everyone she had questioned prior. But then suddenly, her face lit up and she dropped Herbie. The boy was forgotten as Fanny rushed up and took her hand, rigorously shaking it with starstruck eyes. "Numbuh 362! You used ta be the best spy ever! It's a great honor ta meet ya!" She then gasped as if remembering something. "Hey! You remember me, right? We used ta be classmates in the academy!"
Rachel stood dead still as Fanny shook her hand. After she let it go, she simply let he arm dangle down. The blonde didn't know what was right anymore. Patton claiming he's the Supreme Leader. Kids still being at the Moonbase when they shouldn't be. And Fanny and Herbie only knowing her as the operative who 'used to be the best spy'. Her breath picked up a hitch, but she forced herself to be calm. "Numbuh 86, who…who's the Supreme Leader?"
"Oh, that guy." Fanny scoffed a bit. "That'd be Numbuh 60. Don't get me wrong, he's a good leader. But he's still a stupid boy. Just not AS stupid."
Hearing the words out of Fanny's mouth just seemed to hit home for some reason. Rachel felt her hands shaking a bit, but not in anger. "No Fanny, I'M the Supreme Leader. Patton's just the Arctic Commander." She then rose a finger at the redhead as she took a step back. "A-And you're the Global Tactical Officer!"
"Wow. I'm just Head of Decommissioning, but ye really think I can be Global Tactical Officer?" Fanny beamed at one of her idols. But then her expression dropped as she rethought what the blonde just uttered. "Wait, did you say you're the Supreme Leader?"
"Yes!" Rachel yelled. "I've been Supreme Leader ever since Chad betrayed us!"
"She's nuts." Herbie muttered insultingly as he adjusted his glasses. "Everyone knows that after Chad betrayed the Kids Next Door, the Supreme Leader was Numbuh –"
"Don't make fun of her!" Fanny growled as she slapped the rude boy upside the head. "She obviously hit her head a bit too hard while doing some super extra doubly important mission that would make YOU cry to yer mommy!" After giving the mission assigner an ear full, she stepped towards Rachel with a hand stretched out. "We'd better get you back to the infirmary, lass. Get some rest and –"
"I'm fine! Really!" Rachel proclaimed as she slapped her hand away. Looking around something, she stopped as she noticed all the kids still walking about around. Thinking of an idea, she put her fingers to her lips and let loose a high pitched whistle. All activity stopped and soon every kid was looking at her in wonder. "Hey, everybody! Who's the Supreme Leader?"
They all looked at her as if she was brain dead before answering in unison. "Numbuh 60."
"N-No! He's not your leader," She then pressed her hands into her chest as her look became desperate. "I am!"
The deck was silent as they all stared at the blonde. After a minute, it was broken by a small giggle and then a small girl jumped up and down in excitement. "Are we playing pretend? I love pretend! I wanna be an astronaut Queen of Mars dancing with the prince of Rainbow Monkeys!"
"Heh heh, yeah, and I'll be jolly ol' Saint Nick!"
"Ha! I can top that. I'm the one and only Yipper Showdown King!"
Soon the floor erupted into roaring laughter as younger operatives began playing games of pretend and the older kids made jokes at Rachel's expense. The girl herself slumped in defeat, not knowing what was worse. The fact they were all mocking her, or that they had all said Patton really was their commander. This…this had to be some dream. No. Not a dream.
This was turning into a nightmare.
"Alright, alright! ENOUGH!" Fanny shouted using the screeching banshee voice she was known for. Everyone covered their ears and the redhead continued as they all became silent. "We all gotta finish up everything so we can all go home! So stop lazin' about like some boy and do it!"
"This…this isn't right." Rachel mumbled to herself as she held her head. This couldn't be right. Couldn't be true. She couldn't understand anything. Finally, the blonde snapped as she threw her head back and let out her frustration in one shattering scream. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH EVERYBODY?"
Fanny jumped at the sudden screech and Herbie yelped and cowered. The redhead looked to the blonde who was shaking her head. The Head of Decommissioning looked a bit torn. She respected Numbuh 362, she was a symbol to girl operatives everywhere! But, if she kept acting this way, she was going to be forced to do something about it. Whether she wanted to or not.
"Listen, Numbuh 362. I don't mean ta be rude, but yer making a scene." She racked her brain, trying to think of a way to settle this without dragging the blonde away. "Is there uh, someone here with ya? A teammate or somethin'?"
"Oh yeah, she's with me."
Rachel stiffened as the voice entered her eyes. She slowly rose her head from her hands and shifted glanced over her shoulder at the boy who was coming up from behind. His clothing was different. A dark cerulean hoodie covered his torso, and his baggy leggings covered the tops of his sneakers. His hair was more unkempt and he moved around with much more comfort and ease. But those violet eyes, and the way he munched on the cookie.
The blonde glared as she recognized Henry. "You!"
"Sup." Henry replied as he suckled his fingers, savoring the cookie's taste. His eyes moved from Rachel, to the two operative behind her and greeted them with a nod. "Friends of yours?"
Fanny narrowed her eyes at the new boy. "Who are you?"
"Numbuh 1946, at your service."
Herbie's brows rose. "The janitor?"
"Yes," Henry deadpanned. "The janitor." The boy shook his head before smirking in Rachel's direction once again. "You look confused Rachel, feeling a bit out of place?"
Fanny looked between the two. Rachel face seemed to be fixated in a permanent glare at the dark haired boy. She couldn't blame her. The guy had a smug smirk, like he knew everything and he was oh so cool. Just like an idiotic male. Well she wasn't going to let him bother her idol! "What would Numbuh 362 want ta do with some stupid janitor?"
"I'll remember that next time you spill soda in your quarters." Henry smartly snipped as he snorted at the redhead. "But anyway, right now my job is to show Numbuh 362 around the Moonbase. Kinda like a tour guide. There's been some…changes since the last time she's been up here." He quirked up a brow as he looked towards the blonde once again, figuring he had her now. "So whatddya say, Rach? Ready to take a little stroll?"
Rachel's look never lightened one bit as Henry went on, no matter what he said. She kept trying to eye him for some weakness, some flaw in his stance or tone of voice that gave him away. But his confidence never shook in the slightest. His form was relaxed as he awaited her answer. Her eyes narrowed as she spared a look to the rest of the deck. Answers. Those were what she was after at the moment, and Henry was making it pretty clear that he was the only one who had them. The blonde couldn't believe it. Some random con-artist had backed her into a corner, and now if she wanted out of this, she was going to have to go along with his silly little game.
Whether she wanted to, or not.
"Fine." Rachel stiffly replied as she stood straight, fists clenched a tad. It was obvious she didn't want to, but she apparently had no choice. "I'll go with you."
"Gosh, you make it sound like such a bad thing."
Fanny and Herbie held indecisive looks (well truth be told, Herbie was far more concerned with his paperwork then Rachel, and really could care less of who the crazy chick went with) and nervously glanced between Rachel and her so called tour guide. Something seemed a tad off, but she had other work to do and really couldn't interfere unless the girl said different. "Are ye gonna be alright with him, lass?"
"Yes, Numbuh 86. I can watch my back."
"Of course ye can!" Fanny rapidly nodded. How stupid of her. No one could get the drop on the Numbuh 362. The two strange kids began to walk back up the stairs, and before they could get out of sight, the redhead gave a frantic wave to one of her KND idols. "Happy Holidays, m'am! It was great meetin' ye!"
Rachel stopped halfway up the stairs, and glanced down at Fanny with a stricken look. The Irish girl's face was filled with excitement. Like she had just met some celebrity, and not a friend. "Yeah…you too." She then tore her look away, her hand trailing along the railing as she walked out of hearing. She could briefly making out Fanny saying something along the lines of 'I can't believe I met Numbuh 362!' before reaching the peak of the stair case. Rachel looked around to see this floor was pretty much empty, all the real activity was going on below. Her gaze wandered further down the catwalk and there was Henry, lightly strutting along waiting for her to catch up. With a frown settling back in, Rachel picked up the pace to get along his side.
"You freaked out, didn't you?" Was the first thing out of his mouth as she caught up with him. The boy only stuffed his hands into the pouch of his hoodie as the walked along the barren floor above all the happenings where no one paid them any mind. "Ya see, that would funny if it wasn't so old. You guys all act the same down here. But then again, I guess just taking my word for it makes it too easy. Heh, so typical."
"I've had enough of this." Rachel growled as she came to a stop. She held her ground, not moving an inch. She waited until Henry was forced to stop and look back at her. "Drop the act. Who are you, and what do you want?"
"I told you, I'm your guardian angel," Henry answered without messing a beat. "And I'm just here to give you what you want."
"I know! You've said that already, and I'm not believing one word of it. It's just some plot to mess with my head!" Rachel snapped out before she blinked. Wait. Head. That's it! Without a rational cause, her hands flew up to the sides of her head, and she dug into her scalp; looking like she was trying to find something and yank it right off.
Henry's eyes widened at her erratic behavior. "What are you doing?"
"You can't fool me, Chester!" Was all Rachel said as she kept trying to pull at her head. "I'll get this stupid headband off! And once I'm out of this nightmare, I'm going to do something that puts me on the permanent naughty list!"
The angel boy rolled his eyes at Rachel's ridiculous actions. "You're not wearing a Happy Headband." She still continued for a few more minutes, and he found it somewhat amusing. Who knew that Numbuh Three Sixty-Two would act in such a manner. "You do know how utterly stupid you look right now, right?"
"It just doesn't make any sense!" Rachel muttered out, ignoring Henry somewhat. Either that helmet was on really tight, or something else was going on. "What's happening to me?"
"Geez, you're really making me work this, aren't ya?" Henry groaned as he loosened his limbs for one more grand explanation. "Okay, open those ears of yours, because I'm about to make this as crystal clear as I can possibly make it! You are NOT the Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door anymore. I used my totally awesome powers to bend reality to suit your demands. I made the elements of space and time my…you know, and turned back the clock. I chatted up ol' Father Time himself and made it where you wussed out and didn't take the job! You didn't take charge after Chad tried to fry you all, and the next schmuck got stuck with it!" Once he was finished, he caught his breath and coughed into his hand as he composed himself. "Are you really gonna make me run that by you again?"
Rachel stared at the boy for moment. After contemplating, she held her head and sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have drank all the milk that late."
"Oh, come on! After what you go through daily, am I really that hard to believe!"
"Yes! Because what you just said defies the laws of physics and reality!"
"We're in a high tech base built by kids, in a treehouse, on the moon and you wanna talk to me about physics?"
"Argh!" Rachel made a strangled sound as her fists grabbed bunches of her hair. And people wondered why it was so short. "That's…that's different!"
"How is it different? Just because you don't see me everyday?" Henry asked with a light tone. "You believe in what the Kids Next Door stands for. Believe in that fat guy who lives up north. Believe in the spirit of this holiday, and you don't see those. How am I different?"
"You…you're just…" Rachel fumbled, trying to come up with an intelligent and logical response that. But, she couldn't. Because, coming up with a logic response to this would be partially admitting she believed all this was actually happening. And she didn't want to! Then she suddenly stopped, and stared at Henry again, who just stood there looking as same as ever. Finally getting an idea, she pointed at the boy with an air of victory. "You have to be wrong! B-Because I have solid proof I'm still Supreme Leader!"
"No you don't."
"Yes I do!" Rachel childishly rebuttaled as she dug around in her pockets. "My moonbase security card! It gives me access to everything up here!"
"You don't have a moonbase security card. You don't work up here."
"It's right…i-it was just…" Rachel stuttered as her eyes widened. Where was it? Her hands leapt away from that pocket, afraid to find out it was empty. She moved to another pocket to find something else. "My ID!" Rachel grinned as she pulled the card out. "It says –"
"Operative: Rachel T. McKenzie. Codenumbuh: 362. Cadet Next Door Class of 2000 Graduate. Age Eleven. Sector Q. Goes on and on like that, and says nada about you being Supreme Leader."
Rachel choked on her words as she realized he was right. But she would not give up. "M-My Global Command key –"
"You don't have one," Henry interrupted yet again. "No card. No key. No proper ID. You don't have any of that because you're not in charge anymore. Everything you obtained while you were Supreme Leader is gone now."
Rachel was slowly succumbing to the harsh truth, but still refused to see it. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. "Harvey's Christmas cookies!"
"Gave those me, they're mine now remember?"
"No no. Not those. The ones I saved for my cookie break!" She answered as she dug into her pouch. "If everything was gone, then I wouldn't have them. But I do! Because they're right…" And once again, she found herself freezing in shock. She bent over and stretched her pouch out, shaking a bit when she saw it was empty. "T-they're…"
"They're gone." Henry finished for her. "Your brother only gave you those cookies because you were staying at the moonbase filling out paperwork. But since you no longer have any paperwork to do, you have no reason to stay up here. No reason for him to send you any cookies."
Rachel's hands exited her pouch and she leaned against the railing for support. Everything was gone. She had nothing on her person to prove otherwise. She wanted to say someone stole them. Say Henry pick-pocketed them when she wasn't looking. But she was always on alert, and he hadn't came anywhere near her. Besides, even without proof, everyone else's words and mannerisms spoke the same tale. Patton, Fanny, even Numbuh Sixty-Five Point Three. They all acted the same way. They all said the same thing. Every single one of them pointed to one conclusion.
She, by some sort of cosmic prank, wasn't Supreme Leader anymore.
Rachel was silent for a long minute after that. As if even thinking the sentence made it harder to believe otherwise. Her brown eyes looked up a Henry through her bangs. The boy just stood there, waiting for whatever she had to say. She then closed her, not believing what she was about to do. About to say. But, obviously trying to label it as a lie or some joke gone wrong wasn't doing anything but making her look like a fool. They said there were several stages of denial, maybe it she was finally at the acceptance stage.
Or she had completely lost her mind. That was in the air too.
"Say…say that maybe what you say is true. That I'm not…you know what any longer." Rachel carefully began, frowning at how Henry's smirk returned. For an 'angel' he sure was a cocky one. "What's the point of it? Some sort of trick?"
"No tricks," Henry said sincerely. "You kept saying how being the commander kept you from doing so many things, right? How you got nothing out of it and it made you give up so much, how you couldn't be a kid. Well, I'm just giving you what you want. I gave you a second chance." The angel smirked as his arms folded across his chest. "I gave you your time and childhood back."
Rachel studied Henry with a contemplative stare until she lightly shook her head in negative. "It can't be that simple, nothing comes for free. What's the catch?"
"No catch. Not one you would care about from what I've seen." Henry shrugged as he turned, walking down the hallway once again. "I'd go to say you'll be quite pleased with the results."
"Why do I doubt that?" Rachel mumbled as she slowly followed behind, feeling as thought the boy wasn't finished with her just yet. "How do I know the Kids Next Door isn't in some state of disaster because I'm not, or wasn't, here to lead it?"
"Heh, well since I get the feeling you won't take my word for it, come and have a look for yourself." Henry responded as he glanced over her shoulder. "Shall we?"
Rachel only rolled her eyes as she fell in step with Henry. The two reached a door at the end of the hall and the metal doors opened automatically allowing them to pass. Once out, Rachel looked down from the catwalk to see yet another deck of busy children like always. Not much difference from the room she had just come from. Upon seeing them all working, she turned to Henry with a question ready to fire off. "Why are they still here working? Everybody went home hours ago." A dreaded look crossed her face as she recalled Patton militaristic work ethic and attitude. "Patton wouldn't force them to work on Christmas Eve, would he?" She only knew Arctic Commander Patton, not Supreme Commander Patton.
"Give him some credit. He's not that harsh." Henry eased with a wave of his hand. "No, everybody's still pretty busy because they never left for home. At least not yet. I rewound the clock a bit so we would be here earlier this evening so the world would be more awake and active. Much more to showcase that way."
"That so?" Rachel ask suspiciously. "What are you supposed to be 'showcasing' then?"
"You tell me," Henry tipped his head to the side motioning to the children below. "What do you see down there?"
Rachel took a second glance down over the railing, this time looking for something she didn't notice before. But nothing came to sight no matter hard she looked. "…Nothing. At least nothing out of the ordinary." She explained. "I just see kids working. Some on computers, some with papers." Suddenly she paused as her hand snapped out, catching a flying disc that had wandered up to her location. "Some with wisbees." She said lightly amused as she studied the toy in her hand.
"Hey, what's-your-face, a little help down here?"
The blonde only gave a ghost of a smile as she tossed the wisbee back to the kid below. But any trace of a smile disappeared as she heard Henry's chuckle. "I just see them doing what they're always doing. Classic daily Moonbase. Normal."
"Oh, so they're NOT panicking and about to fall into disarray? Huh, wasn't expecting that."
Rachel frowned at the angel, for his tone sounded sarcastic at the end. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"According to what you said before, the Kids Next Door would crumble into madness without you leading them. They don't look all that mad to me." He said as he looked down, before frowning at one boy who was petting his M.U.S.K.E.T like it was a kitten. "'Cept that guy, I would keep an eye on him."
"I didn't say that." Rachel mumbled as she tried to defend herself. Though after remembering her first conversation with the kid, she had to shamefully admit there was more truth to his words then she would care to admit. "Not…exactly."
"Whether you did or not, you've gotta see that the Kids Next Door isn't held together by just one kid, not even their Supreme Leader." Henry went on. "They've survived without you before, and they will after you're long gone. Even if some sole hero isn't there to save them, even if they're beaten down and forced into hiding; as long as there are kids, there will always be Kids Next Door."
Rachel looked off to the side, trying to come up with something to save face. "I know, but what about all I've done?"
"What did you do, exactly?"
"Excuse me?"
"Hey! Hey! I didn't mean it like that!" Henry jumped as Rachel snarled at him insulted. Darn, there should be courses on how to choose your words right when talking to a girl. "I mean sure, you were there to lead during some big hitches, but uh, you were just kinda there because you had to be. Other then leading like Supreme Leaders do, you really didn't play that major of a role in anything."
"I chewed my way through a twelve inch wall of fresh grown broccoli to stop Father from controlling the KND! With NO cheese! That doesn't qualify as major to you?"
"But that whole situation didn't happen here." Henry said as he rose his hands up. "I.T happened while you were still in command, and you calling a game of Tag caused Father to end up taking your place. But! Since you were never the leader, I.T never happened." He then chuckled at his own wording. "Heh heh, see what I did there?"
"You're a riot." Rachel grumbled as she folded her arms. They had long since left the second command deck and now she was following Henry to who knows where. "I thought you were supposed to be making see why I would want to go back to being Supreme Leader." Yeah, she just admitted she wasn't. But that didn't mean she couldn't classify it as some dream later.
"I just call 'em like I see 'em." Henry shrugged. "So, how are you holding up so far?"
"You have to ask?" Rachel moodily replied. "If any of what you just showed me is true, then I've just found out all my hard work and the sacrifices I've made don't mean jack! How do you think I feel?"
"Pretty crummy, I'd imagine. Oh! That reminds me." Suddenly, he turned to where his back was facing her, and when he turned around to her shock he had a cookie tin in his hand. Like he just pulled it out of some hammer space. He popped the lid and took one out, where he proceeded to munch away on it. "Man you're lucky! My grandma couldn't light a match, much less bake such awesome cookies."
"AH HA!" Rachel suddenly called out as she recognized the tin as the one Harvey sent her. "I GOT YOU! That's the tin and cookies Harvey sent up! But I thought they were 'gone'. How do you explain that, Mister Angel?"
"Because they're mine." Henry said as if Rachel's shouts and accusations didn't even faze him. "You willingly gave me these cookies before I granted your wish, so they weren't yours anymore and I got to keep them." He swallowed the last bit, and gasp delightfully as the tin suddenly disappeared into thin air. "Ah, isn't the power of giving oh so sweet?"
"I give up." Rachel moaned, not even bothering to strike up an argument. She hadn't been having a good track record as of late. "What else are you going to subject me to before this is finally over?"
"Hmm, let me consult my schedule." His hand went up to stroke at his chin as his eyes trailed around in thought. "Let's see, I granted your wish, you went through your little denial period, and we just finished up discussing how much the Kids Next Door has, or rather, hasn't changed without you." He then smiled as the walked under the next door. He looked around to notice the busy hanger bay and grinned to himself. "So I think we're pretty much done up here. Right on time too."
"What? That quick?" Rachel asked mildly surprised. "We're finished?"
"On the Moonbase, but you've still gotta lot to see." Henry smiled as he turned to the large window, smiling down at the glowing blue hue of Earth way down below. "I've given you your freedom back. You're not bound to stay up here anymore. You get to go home."
"Home?" Rachel repeated as she walked past the angel to gaze out the window herself. Supreme Leader or not, she hadn't been back down on Earth in over two weeks. Despite her cynical and snarky attitude about the whole mess she was entangled in, the prospect of going back planet side was very appealing. Enough get her heart beat pumping in anticipation. But then she became serious once more. "After what I've seen so far, I have to wonder what could possibly be waiting down there."
"I'm sure it'll be enjoyable." She heard Henry speak behind her. "I've released you from that boring job, and now you get to go down and have fun on Christmas Eve like any other kid." Even though she couldn't see it, she could hear the smirk in his voice. "Just like you wanted."
Rachel said nothing, opting to stare a bit longer. But after breaking her trance she closed her eyes as she sighed. "Well then, how are we getting down there?" She was met with silence, which caused her to frown. "What? Got nothing smart to say?" She opened her eyes and turned to face the boy. "Why won't you…" Her form then froze as saw no sign of Henry. He was gone again. "Hey! You're just leaving me here?" Again, no smug voice greeted her, and she grumbled. "Some guardian angel you are!"
The blonde then wandered back out to the center of the hanger, many other operatives passing around her. But no kid was the one she was searching for. After a short few minutes, she gave up and focused on the current situation. Apparently she wasn't Supreme Leader anymore, Patton was, and other operatives she knew during her reign only knew of her as that girl who 'used to be the best spy'. Wasn't that peachy.
She then thought over what Henry had said, and what she had been shown so far. Honestly, nothing had really changed as far as she could see. Everything was being handled fine up here under Patton's leadership, and that was something she couldn't question. The boy had a strict doctrine, and made sure everything was ship-shape. But he also would never work kids to the bone…well actually since he used to train cadets, that was kinda his job. Okay scratch that last part, he would never ask an operative to do something he couldn't do. Yeah, he was fair.
But still, that wasn't the complete point. As far as she could see, nothing had gone majorly wrong in the Kids Next Door now that she wasn't leading it, at least according to how Henry implied it. The real stickler was that they had even been spared some of her royal screw ups. Because she never became Supreme Leader, Father never did. Which meant his plan to transform the KND Branch system in the largest broccoli farm and force feed it to kids never came to be.
So what did that mean for her then? What was any of it even worth it? Every command she ordered, every task she performed, every act she did in service to her duty had been erased and it seemed none of it mattered. What was that supposed to imply? That her reign didn't really amount the anything? It was like all the paperwork she filled out and all the extra hours she squeezed in didn't really count. As long as someone just as qualified, like Patton, was around, it appeared that the job would get done no matter who did it. And Henry was right in a way. Other then taking the job when no one else would and leading them, she hadn't done anything life changing. She hadn't brought the KND back from the dead like Numbuh Zero. She wasn't the first girl to be Supreme Leader like Numbuh Two to the Second Power. Some job the angel was doing. All she had seen was that her work didn't seem to carry any weight.
Or, maybe it was something else. There had to be more to it then that. No matter who was Supreme Leader, the job and title should never be taken lightly and never too seriously or one would get overwhelmed…Wait, was that it? Was that to show her that she didn't need to take her duty so seriously twenty-four seven? And not treat every little problem like it was then end of the world?
'Not that it matters. Nothing I do means anything now.' Rachel mused to herself as she pushed thoughts like that aside. Then she blinked and corrected herself. 'Oh, my mistake. Nothing I did means anything now.' She thought sarcastically. She was supposed to be enjoying her childhood should she? Well she didn't see how she could up here. Henry apparently wanted her to go back on Earth.
Too bad he left her without a ride!
"How am I supposed to get home?" She mumbled to herself. She wasn't Supreme Leader, so she just couldn't hop in any random ship she pleased. Irritated, Rachel glanced to the sky thinking Henry was somehow looking down on her, laughing. "Well? What now?"
"Numbuh 362! There you are!"
Rachel blinked at the male voice. It wasn't Henry, but it sounded familiar at the same time. Curious, Rachel looked in the direction it came from and was slightly surprised to see another kid marching up to her. The dark skinned boy was bundled in a bright yellow winter coat, which wasn't odd given the season. He kept coming up to her, never stopping and his amused smile never leaving. "Heh, they weren't fooling around when they called you the best spy back in the day. Make sure to use those hide and seek skills next time we're on a mission why dontcha?"
'Why does everyone keep saying that?' Rachel sighed a bit. She regarded the boy again, but a name still wasn't coming to mind. But it was on the tip of her tongue for some odd reason. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"
"Hah. Very funny, Numbuh 362." The boy frowned at what he thought was a bad joke. He then shook his head and pointed over his shoulder. "Now come on, we're fueled up and we got to back to the treehouse. I don't know about you, but I rather avoid Numbuh 359 whining about missing the Yipper special."
"Numbuh 359?" That codenumbuh. Why the heck she feel like she knew that operative? Right before Rachel asked why this kid was asking her to come back to his treehouse, it hit her like a speeding C.O.O.L.B.U.S. Numbuh Three Fifty-Nine was the Diversionary Tactics Officer of Sector Q. That meant the kid in front of her was, "Numbuh 361!" Indeed it was. Numbuh Three Sixty-One was the Sector Leader of Sector Q.
He was the leader of her old sector.
