I don't own the usual stuff along with "What Makes You Different" from The Backstreet Boys. Okay readers, it's time for Part 2 of this incredibly long segment in my KND fanfic. There's less arguments in here, but the chapter is nonetheless still complicated. Still the same stuff as before, except this chapter has a lot more romance in store for you. A certain somebody realizes his feelings for another person and a certain somebody confesses feelings about another (not to another mind you). For those of you who like my 5/1/10 triangle, my 1/10/9 triangle, 3/4, and 274/362 you'll be very happy.
All right. I know I'm just rambling now. Let's continue the transmission.
Continuing Transmission…
Now downloading Kids Next Door Mission…
Real
Evil
Situations
Cause
Unhappy
Experiences
Log 8—The Ties That Bind Us-Part 2
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: KND Headquarters (Sector V)
"Is that the best you can do!" Nigel yelled.
"Oh, so ya think ya're bettuh than Numbuh 5 at fightin' too?" Abby shot back.
Kuki giggled. "Wallabeeeeeeeee! Where are yoooooouuuu?"
"You are acting sooooooooo retarded Numbuh 3," Naomi snorted in disgust. "Almost as retarded as Rainbow Monkeys."
"Those freckles are meant to be a sign of beauty Numbuh 13," Eric whispered poetically.
"Ah actually think they're a substitute fur pimples," she replied.
Hoagie jogged around and around the room. "Gotta get in shape…gotta eat veggies…gotta get in shape…" he chanted.
"Has anyone seen my glasses?" Zen squinted and smacked into a wooden pole. "Ow!"
Due to their teammates' crazed frenzies, Matt and Wally had retreated to the dining room. They were safer in there and could discuss what to do without the noise, except for the occasional shouts next door.
"Ya think the clones 'ave anythin' ta do wit' this Numbuh 9?" Wally asked Matt. "'Cause that wuz the first thought that came ta mah mind."
Matt shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine Numbuh 4." He shook his head. "Okay, tell me what happened when the others started going out of control."
"Well when Numbuh 5 wuz the first one ta act nutty among the othuhs, Ah felt somethin' strange in mah head. Almost loike someone wuz speakin' ta meh…without knowin' it."
"That's weird," Matt commented. He sat down and pondered what Wally had just told him. "If that's the case…then can you try to hear that voice again?"
"Ah dunno if Ah can do that."
"Well try to focus on where you heard the voice. Just concentrate on it…or maybe it's an innate thing. Just try to focus."
Wally shrugged. "All roight. You're the leaduh when Numbuh 1's a nutjob." He closed his eyes and concentrated deep within the core of his mind. "It's…it's strong."
"These cheese fries are the best!"
Matt looked concerned. "What are you thinking about Numbuh 4?"
"Um…cheese fries?" Wally grinned weakly. "Well, the voice is thinkin' 'bout cheese fries. Ah'm not thinkin' 'bout anythin' in general."
"What did the voice sound like?"
"Well…it sounded a lot loike meh. In fact, Ah think it wuz meh on'y Ah nevah focused on cheese fries the whole time." He glanced around the room. "Say there aren't any around 'ere are there?"
The Diplomat nodded firmly. "I think I may have our answer then." He paced the floor. "You told me that you suspected our clones had something to do with our friends' weird states of mind. I think you're right and if you're right, then those thoughts in your head are your clone's thoughts. They're the thoughts of Wallabee Beatles, not you Numbuh 4." He grimaced. "Does that make any sense?"
The Aussie shrugged. "Somewhot."
"Okay." Matt stopped pacing, hands behind his back. "You're hearing your clone's thoughts because you're strong enough to resist what he's thinking. You can hear his thoughts and I bet he can hear yours due to your connection with him. You're his twin brother." He closed his eyes. "I should try and see if I can hear Matthew's thoughts in order to prove my theory."
For a minute all he could hear was silence and of course Wally scuffling around in the room. Then he heard another voice, a voice that sounded exactly like his and yet not so; the voice of his clone Matthew.
"Sooner or later one of the Kids Next Door is gonna figure out that we're controlling their minds through our link. It's only through the ties that bind us that we can do this."
Matt opened his eyes. "I can hear him."
"Then what the heck are we gonna do?" Wally asked him desperately. "We can't let the clones use the others as puppets for destruction!"
A small smile crept up Matt's face. "Strange as it may seem…I think I know what can help us."
Time: 12:05 PM Location: Kids Next Door International Headquarters, Moon Base
Rachel paced around and around the floor of her prison, her sharp brown eyes keeping a strict eye on the activity outside. Unfortunately there wasn't anything save for her other teammates confined in their own individual glass prisons.
Sighing, she stopped pacing and glanced over at Fanny's confinement. She mouthed, "Anything happen yet?"
The fiery Irish girl shook her head and mouthed back, "This is sooooo boring!"
Rachel nodded grimly and resumed her pacing around the prison cell. Every now and then she checked her watch for the change in shifts.
"Will you cut that out?"
Startled, the young agent halted in her steps. She lifted her eyes to behold Chad standng right outside her glass prison, a frown on his face.
"I have to go to the bathroom," she said flatly, glaring at him.
Chad groaned. "Oh for Pete's sake." He looked around but there were no other teenagers in sight. "Okay, I'll have to take you." He typed in a code to release the lock on her door, making sure to keep it hidden from the other KND operatives. Rachel stepped outside and they made their way through the base. "Don't get any ideas about trying to contact anyone outside on Earth Numbuh 362. We've got the whole place bugged."
Rachel snorted. "Gee, you sure don't miss a thing don't ya?"
He sighed. "Like I said Numbuh 362, it didn't have to be this way."
She laughed cruelly. "Yeah right. Keep telling yourself that and you just might believe it Chadworth."
That's it. In response, Chad grabbed onto her arm and twisted her around to face him. "You're really starting to get on my nerves kid," he growled angrily. "I never wanted you to get hurt by Matthew at all okay? Why else do you think I tried to reason with him?"
Rachel winced."You're hurting me."
He released her, but didn't stop talking. "You kids just like to make things harder for yourselves. You keep pushing and pushing at other people's buttons until they finally lose it and only then you realize your mistakes."
She winced again and then narrowed her eyes at him. "FYI pretty boy, I'm a kid and like all of the kids in this organization, I do what I can to survive. Besides, how could you expect there to be another way around this?" Her eyes winked back tears. "Did you or did you not see the look in Matthew's eyes? He doesn't care about anything except destroying us and he'll literally destroy us! Don't you get it Chad? It's not about taking down organizations or kids vs. adults anymore! This time, people will die!"
Chad stared into Rachel's brown eyes and saw pain and truth. The shock in his blue eyes told her he'd never once thought about the true consequences behind the creation of the clones. Whirling around, she stalked through the bathroom door and slammed it behind her.
He remained there, lost in thought. What if…Rachel's right? What if…I'm really sacrificing lives? Is this whole conflict worth killing off thousands of kids only to replace them with seriously evil carbon copies?
For the first time in a long time, he began to doubt his role in the conflict.
You don't run with crowd
You go your own way
You don't play after dark
You light up my day
Got your own kind of style
That set you apart
Baby that's why you captured my heart
Time: 12:30 PM
Location: KND Headquarters (Sector V)
Matt rummaged around through Zen's few supplies, occasionally throwing out a few junky trinkets. Wally watched him uneasily.
"Eh Numbuh 9, don'tcha think Numbuh 11's gonna notice that ya went through 'is stuff?"
"He'll understand once he's back to normal." Matt pulled out a ping-pong paddle with several knobs on its front. "Man, this guy needs to get out more."
Wally knelt down beside him and picked up a card box with a single button on it. He pressed it and a pile of cards streamed out into his lap. "Wiiiiiieeeerd."
After turning over a few more contents, Matt's hand finally wrapped around a strange object. It looked like a small black tazer with shiny knobs on the ends made from paper clips. "I found it!"
"Cool!" Wally stared at the box for a few seconds. "Whot is it?"
"One of Numbuh 11's many weird inventions," Matt explained. "Last time he made something like this it was something to turn people into animals and back into people. I don't remember when he went about using that one." He frowned. "Anyway, he told me this one is something made to zap brain wave links or something like that. It was too complicated to get so I got the simplified version."
Wally nodded. "Ah get it. So we gotta use this thing on the others to change 'em back ta normal?" Matt nodded. "Sounds loike a plan."
A worried frown froze on Matt's face at that moment. "One problem Numbuh 4. This thing will knock them out and it might hurt. It works just like a real tazer y'know."
Wally grimaced. "Then we'll just have ta take that chance. It's bettuh than whot's goin' on now."
"I dunno Numbuh 4, you sorta liked the treatment from the new Numbuh 3 just fine," Matt teased.
The tough blond Aussie blushed and scowled. "Ah want the old Numbuh 3 back; not some psychotic clone."
His friend sighed and nodded. I really don't wanna hurt them more than they already are. But if we don't do something, they'll end up killing each other off. He stood up and walked out of the room, Wally at his heels.
"Who do ya think should be the first one ta try it on?"
"Definitely Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 5," said Matt earnestly. "They're practically a heartbeat away from death as it is."
No sooner had he said those words, the said duo emerged into view. They were still arguing and fighting with each other, while Siri looked on in cruel amusement. Matt's stomach tightened. How could two great friends do this to each other? He shook his head. It all came down to the clones. Once he destroyed the neural link, everything would be okay.
"You bettuh take back what you said 'bout me!"
"You first!"
"I said you first!"
Matt walked closer. "Um…Numbuh 1? Numbuh 5?"
"WHAT!"
Matt winced. This is not gonna be easy. He sent Wally a message with his eyes: Help me out here. Wally nodded and walked straight up to the two.
"Sorry 'bout this guys." He curled his hands into tight fists.
"About what?"
POW! POW!
Siri's eyes immediately changed back to normal. "Oh my…Numbuh 4!" She knelt down beside her two unconscious friends. "How could you…why did you do that?"
Wally glared at her suspiciously. "Is that really you speakin' Numbuh 10, or is it the clone?"
"Clone? What are you talking about?" Her eyes changed to become sneaky once more. "Go away little Aussie. You're boring me."
Matt quickly walked around behind her. I'm sorry about this Numbuh 10. He rapped the back of her neck hard with the side of his hand.
"ACK!" The girl let out a shrill cry but it was cut drastically short as her body hit the wooden floor. Matt stared down at her sadly before turning towards the other operatives.
"Knock out the others Numbuh 4."
"You got it."
I know sometimes you feel
Like you don't fit in
And this world doesn't know
What you have within
When I look at you
I see something rare
A rose that can grow anywhere
And there's no one I know that can compare
Time: 12:40 PM
Location: Delightful Children's Mansion
Matthew lifted his head, frowning. His twin's thoughts were running through his head faintly like a runaway movie.
"We have to get them back to normal and the only way to do that is to destroy our link with the clones. Even if they already know our weaknesses, at least this'll be one more calamity out of the way."
The clone looked at the others. "He's destroying the neural link."
Abigail and Nick glanced at him. "Who is?"
"Numbuh 9," said Matthew seriously. "I told you he'd eventually figure out that we were behind his friends' delusions."
"'E's not the only one," piped up Wallabee. The blond Aussie had finally stopped gorging himself on cheese fries. "Mah own twin is also aware o' whot's goin' on."
"Maybe that's why we can't speak through their thoughts anymore," Nick muttered to himself. "I was wondering why I wasn't able to torment Numbuh 5 or Numbuh 10 anymore."
Abigail shrugged, her smirk never leaving her face. "Oh well. It wuz fun while it lasted, don'tcha agree?"
"You bet," said Syria evilly. She giggled. "I seriously enjoyed infuriating Numbuh 5. Seems like somebody was jealous."
"O' course mah original wuz jealous o' you," Abigail remarked. "Aftuh all, she's in love wit' Nick's original unlike me. No offense Nick."
"None taken," said Nick brightly. He held out his arm towards Syria. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take this extra time to explore the mansion a bit. Care to join me?"
A strong flare of jealousy erupted in Matthew's stomach but he suppressed it. After all, it wasn't his feeling of jealousy; it was Numbuh 9's.
Syria smiled. "I'd love to. You're such a gentleman."
As the pair left the room, Wallabee, Hank, and Aaron made small retching sounds with their mouths. Natalie and Kay scowled at them for being immature, while Kyoko merely thought it was cute.
Matthew shook his head. How could they all take this so lightly?
"I know what yo' thinkin' an' I think ya should stop," Abigail said to him. She was grinning. "Jus' take dis all in stride Matthew. They still don't stand a chance against us an' you know it."
He smiled half-heartedly and nodded. She's right; I'm being stupid. He looked at Abigail again. Despite the fact that he felt it was wrong, he did think she was quite pretty in the light.
"Heh, I guess you're right. Besides, it's not every day my 'big brother' is this smart."
What makes you different
Makes you beautiful
What's there inside you shines through to me
In your eyes I see all the love I'll ever need
What makes you different
Makes you beautiful to me
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: KND Headquarters (Sector V)
Wally panted as he slowly pulled Hoagie over towards the other operatives in the middle of the living room. They were all lying on their backs in a circle.
Matt gently placed Naomi into the circle; the last operative. "Okay, that should be all of them." He glanced around the messy room. "Well…except two that is."
"Really?" Wally looked around them. "Two more? Ah thought we got 'em all." That's when it hit him. "Oh. Oh."
Matt looked miserable. "I'm really sorry about this Numbuh 4. I—"
"Eh, no worries Numbuh 9." Wally grinned self-consciously. "Whot good is this thing gonna do if we can't destroy our neural links too? Only…" here the boy paused. "Erm…why don'tcha work the thing on meh before you? That way, Ah know how ta work it."
Matt's miserable expression lightened. "Fair enough." He gently went over to Kuki, the closest of the operatives near him, and lifted her head in order to inject the tazer into the back of her skull.
Wally wriggled around agitatedly and then blurted out: "Numbuh 9!"
"Yeah?"
"Uh…could ya…use that thing on meh now?" Matt looked at him in astonishment. "Ah mean…if it doesn't work…Ah don't wont Numbuh 3 ta be your first test subject. Ah mean…aw heck, Ah'm probably not makin' any sense roight now!"
Matt smiled understandingly. "You're actually making a lot of sense Numbuh 4. Okay, I'll use this thing on you first. I can see you don't want Numbuh 3 to get hurt."
The other boy blushed. "Yeah well…go on already before Ah lose mah nerve!"
Matt straightened and put Kuki down. He beckoned for Numbuh 4 to turn around and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. Quickly, he lifted the tazer and jammed into the back of Wally's head.
"AGH!"
Wally gave a small cry of pain before his body collapsed. Matt immediately knelt down beside his body and twisted the knobs on the tazer. Then he pressed the single red button on the side panel.
Electricity snaked around the knobs and jolted Wally's cranium. Matt winced as his friend's head jerked a bit before falling still. When the process was complete, which was actually pretty quick, Matt pulled the tazer out of Wally's head. Heh, at least there aren't any marks. This tazer's just like a barcode scanner except it sticks to people.
He waited around for a few anxious minutes before Wally's eyes fluttered open and the kid sat up. "Are you okay?" he asked hurriedly.
Wally closed his eyes and then opened him. Seeing Matt's anxious face, he grinned. "Ah think it worked Numbuh 9. Ah don't 'ear any thoughts but mah own."
Matt breathed a sigh of relief. "Cool. Now that we know it works, could you try it on me?"
"Okay."
Matt briefly instructed Wally what to do with the tazer and then braced himself for the pain.
ZAP!
It was the strangest feeling he'd ever felt in his life. The pain was nothing more than a split second before every thought of his own was gently wiped away. He could barely hear his clone's thoughts now…in fact; his clone seemed to be speaking directly to him.
"So big brother, you actually managed to find a way to destroy one of the connections between us. By all means, I congratulate you."
"How is it you're able to speak to me Matthew?"
"You don't know?" A chuckle seemed to escape from Matthew's lips. "Ah well, it really doesn't matter. You and I cannot converse for very long anyway. This is what your neural tazer does before you regain complete ignorance of my thoughts and me of yours."
Matt grimaced. "What you guys did was not funny. You could have gotten us killed."
"Matt, that is exactly what we are programmed to do. Don't tell me you've forgotten. Anyway, we were just having our fun. Not that I did anything right?" Matthew seemed to smirk. "Until we meet again face-to-face big brother…oh and if I were you, I'd confess your feelings toward Siri…before someone else steals her heart away."
"WHAT! Hey, come back here!"
"Numbuh 9!"Wally slapped the boy's face a few times. "Wake up already!"
Matt coughed and opened his eyes, aware of the stinging pain in his face from where Wally had hit him. "Agh, Numbuh 4! I'm up! I'm UP!"
The blond boy released him, but his eyes were wary. "So did it work or not?"
"It worked," Matt told him breathlessly. Oh boy did it ever work. "What happened while I was out?"
"Well Ah got kinda sick o' waitin' for you ta come back ta the real world so Ah went an' zapped the others." He shrugged. "Then when ya didn't wake up after ten minutes Ah got worried so Ah tried ta wake ya up the old-fashioned way."
Matt grimaced, still feeling the pain in his cheeks. I wish he hadn't. "So did the others wake up yet?"
"Ask 'em yourself," Wally replied, gesturing towards the unconscious operatives.
All at once, Kuki began to stir. Wally went over to her. "You back ta normal yet Numbuh 3?"
Kuki's eyes opened, revealing her normal violet irises. She frowned and then smiled. "Hi Numbuh 4!"
Phew.
Matt glanced at Nigel and Abby who had woken up simultaneously. Tension still radiated between the two operatives, so thick he could feel it even from this distance. Luckily, Zen had woken up between them so they couldn't immediately reach for each other's throats.
"Where are my glasses?" Zen asked blearily. He was rubbing his eyes and squinting.
Both Matt and Wally blanched. They remembered him crushing them beneath his feet. "Uh…um…well…"
Zen shook his head. "Oh well, lucky thing I always have a spare." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a case, removed an identical pair of spectacles, and put them on.
The two boys stared. HE HAD A SPARE!
Siri's eyes fluttered open. "Ooooh…my head…"
"Numbuh 10!" Matt forgot about Zen and dashed to her side. She sat up gingerly as if doing so quickly would only make her headache worse. "You okay?"
She nodded, gazing at her other teammates. "You've got some explaining to do."
You got something so real
You touched me so deep
You see material things
Don't matter to me
So come as you are
You've got nothing to prove
You won me with all that you do
And I wanna take this chance to say to you
Time: 1:20 PM
Location: Kids Next Door International Headquarters, Moon Base
Chad impatiently checked his watch. Rachel had been in the bathroom for at least a little over an hour now. What is keeping her? She never struck me as the emotional type. With a sigh, he rapped on the door with his knuckles.
"Numbuh 362, are you done yet?"
"GO AWAY!"
Chad frowned. "Numbuh 362, if you don't get out here; I'm going in."
"You can't! This is a girl's restroom!"
He bit his lip to control his temper. "I'm gonna get in serious trouble if you don't get out here."
"Oh and you think I care?"
That did it. "Look, this bathroom is for any gender so I'm going in!" He barged right through and found himself in a pretty normal-looking bathroom with several stalls. However, his irritation melted away at the sight of the usually calm Numbuh 362 slumped in the corner of a stall. "Numbuh…362?"
She looked away from him. "I thought I told you to go away!"
"Well apparently I've always had this little authority problem," he replied before kneeling down next to her. "What's wrong?"
Rachel snorted. "'What's wrong?' he says. What isn't wrong? The Kids Next Door is doomed, the adults will finally win, millions of kids will die, and I'm pouring out my problems on a traitor! That's what's wrong!" Her eyes began to fill with tears.
Chad shook his head. He began to feel really bad for her. "You're stressed out aren't you?"
"Oh you're so observant."
"Hey Numbuh 362, I just…okay, look if I hurt you that other time, I'm sorry okay? Just…get back to your cell. I…I won't let anybody else hurt you." He prodded her. "Okay?" Man, I really suck at this stuff.
"Why do you care?"
"Because…I can't stand seeing you like this." Chad prodded her again. "I promise…I won't let anyone else hurt you. Whoever defies that…will answer to me. Okay?"
Rachel still kept her head bent down, so he leaned inward so he could see her face. The problem was Rachel lifted her head up at just the right moment, or maybe the wrong moment. It didn't change what happened next.
Their lips accidentally brushed against each other.
Immediately, Chad pulled back. Rachel stared into his blue eyes, her bottom lip trembling. Then, before he could stop her, she flung her arms around him and buried her fact against his shoulder. He turned bright red. "N-Numbuh 362?"
She could feel his embarrassment and yet at the same time, she felt just a flicker of hope.
"Call me…Rachel, okay Chad?"
What makes you different
Makes you beautiful
What's there inside you shines through to me
In your eyes I see all the love I'll ever need
What makes you different
Makes you beautiful to me
Time: 1:25 PM
Location: KND Headquarters (Sector V)
"So that's pretty much what happened," Matt finished explaining to the operatives. They were unusually silent.
At last, Nigel spoke up. "So we were…controlled?"
"Loike puppets on a string," Wally confirmed.
Kuki giggled and flung her arms around the startled Australian boy. "And you saved the day didn't you?"
Wally turned bright red, but he could feel a swooping sensation in his stomach. "Ah well…Numbuh 9 did most o' the work."
Complete utter silence once more. Then Nigel stood up and walked off. They could hear him board the elevator and the silence hit again.
Matt stared at the spot where he once sat. He shook his head. Nige…
Naomi picked up Mr. Snuffles and held him close. "I'm soooooooooo sorry Mr. Snuffles! I'll never abuse you like that ever again!" She glanced at the others. "I never knew my clone could be such a jerk!"
"But you aren't one," Hoagie told her with a reassuring grin. "And that's a fact."
While the others discussed what had transpired, Abby glanced at the elevator. She felt an urge to go speak to Nigel, let him see some reason.
Siri bit her lip and placed a hand on Abby's shoulder. "C'mon Numbuh 5. You oughta get cleaned up."
Abby shook her head. "Not jus' yet Numbuh 10. There's somethin' Numbuh 5 has ta do first."
"After you get cleaned up," said Siri firmly. "One of Numbuh 1's punches broke the skin and I don't want it to get infected."
"But…"
Siri stared at her with concerned hazel eyes.
"Okay."
Nigel stood on the roof of the treehouse, his eyes gazing down into the streets far below. It was sort of nice up here; it was the closest he could be to flying without wings.
He could still feel the bruises on his face and his arms where Abby had hit him. He touched his shoulder gently.
Why couldn't I control it?
He was supposed to be the leader of Sector V and yet he wasn't strong enough to prevent his clone from hurting his best friend. He wasn't strong enough to prevent himself from hurting his best friend. That painful fact hurt more than the bruises.
I should have been stronger.
Angrily, Nigel stalked over to one of the tree branches and banged his head against it once. "Ow!" Well that didn't do anything except give him a massive headache.
Why wasn't I stronger? Numbuh 9 and Numbuh 4 were strong enough to control it.
No, he should correct that. The two had been strong enough because their clones had been around for some time. Maybe the neural link wasn't as strong as ours.
"I should've known," he muttered to himself. "I should've done something to prevent it all!"
"But ya didn't," a voice called to him. "Ya couldn't."
Nigel gasped and raised his eyes to behold Abby walking towards him. She looked better than he did, minus the small rip on her hat.
"Are you okay?" he asked her quickly.
She shrugged. "Numbuh 10 an' Numbuh 11 fixed me up pretty good. You'd be surprised on how much Numbuh 11 knows 'bout first-aid." She bit her lip. "Are you okay Boss?"
He snorted. "Don't call me that."
"Well sorry," Abby said sarcastically. She was about to snap some more but at the sight of his dejected face, she relented. "What's duh matter wit' you?"
"Nothing Numbuh 5." Abby glared at him with her "I don't believe you" look. "Really, it's nothing."
She still had the look on her face.
"I'm serious!"
"Uh huh." Abby whirled away from him, wincing as she did so. She clutched at her stomach. "Ugh."
Almost immediately, Nigel was at her side. "Are you okay Numbuh 5?"
Abby nodded. "Yeah…jus' a little sore, dat's all." She turned to smile a bit at him—and her smile faded. Nigel was looking even more downhearted than ever and he was shaking. "Numbuh 1?"
He shut his eyes tightly and then latched onto Abby, hugging her tightly. Startled, Abby stared down at his trembling form. "N-Numbuh 1?"
"I'm so sorry!" he cried. He clung onto her in way that if he ever let go, terrible things would happen. "I never meant to hurt you. I take back everything I ever said and did! I don't blame you for hating me Numbuh 5. I don't blame you at all!"
Abby's jaw dropped. He thinks I hate him? How could he think that of all things? Okay sure they had exchanged bitter words and physical pain, but it wasn't something that couldn't be fixed. How could he think I hate him…especially when I—
"I wish I could turn back the clock…I should've been stronger." Nigel tightened his hold on her. "My actions were unforgivable."
"Oh stop it Numbuh 1!" The words flew from her mouth before she could think them through properly. But hey, that was just her nature: coming up with thoughts on the fly. "Jus' stop it okay? What's done is done."
Nigel stopped and took a deep breath. Abby pushed him away from her and held him at arm's length. "Numbuh 1…I don't hate you. Yo' mah best friend. Okay, so duh clones had a hand in tryin' ta make us kill each othuh, but I fo'give you. An' I'm sorry too." She looked at him nervously. "Ya really don't think Numbuh 5's stupid do ya?"
"Of course not!" Nigel burst out. "You're one of the smartest people in this organization. Besides…that wasn't me speaking, that was my clone." He cocked his head at her. "You really don't think I'm a bad leader do you? Because if I am, I can—"
Abby's laughter interrupted him. She let go of him and shook her head, a smile on her face. Nigel glanced at her. She looks…so pretty when she smiles. He immediately squashed that thought.
"Don't change yo'self Numbuh 1," she said, still smiling. "We all know you ain't perfect, but as far as leaduhs go; yo' duh best we could evuh have—an' dat's duh truth." She took a deep breath. "We'd be lost wit' out ya."
He smiled at her, his sunglasses slipping down his nose to reveal his blue eyes. But unlike the moments earlier when they were icy and filled with rage, now they were the normal endless depths of trust and wisdom of before. "Like the time when Numbuh 4 tried to be the leader instead of me?"
"Man baby, I wuz so exhausted aftuh dat," Abby agreed.
The two shared a laugh, the sun beginning to shine on them both. Abby suddenly caught onto something. "Do ya think the othuhs will be worried about us?"
"Not really," Nigel replied. "After all, unless we're leaping at each other's throats, they have nothing to worry about."
They both laughed again, stopping when Abby hitched in her breath again. She shook her head at Nigel's worried face. "I'm okay Numbuh 1. It's jus' mah stomach again." She giggled and then hitched in her breath again. Her hands went to her face. "Laughin' kinda hurts a bit."
Nigel felt really bad now. It's my fault she's in pain. Who cares about my own pain? He reached out, intending to place his hand on Abby's shoulder, but missed and instead found his hand over her own against her face.
Both kids blushed simultaneously at the contact.
"Um…"
"Uh…"
Slowly, Abby's hand slipped away but Nigel's stayed on her face. Her blush deepened as he gently slid his fingers over the bruise on her cheek. She shivered.
"You okay?" he asked her quietly.
"Uh…yeah." That was all that could have come from her mouth at the moment. She took a deep breath. "N-Numbuh 1?"
Nigel, sensing her tension, pulled his hand away. He was trembling like mad and his fingers tingled. "What? I mean, yes?"
"I…I…" She closed her eyes and then said, "I think we bettuh go downstairs. We have ta…formulate how ta save duh Moonbase."
Nigel steeled himself up and nodded. He was still trembling, but not as much. "Go on ahead Numbuh 5. I'll catch up."
Abby smiled weakly and left the rooftop. With a frustrated sigh, Nigel gazed down at the street again. What on earth had possessed him to do that? He clenched his hands into fists, trying his best to suppress the surge of adrenaline in his system. This is so stupid.
Nigel looked back towards where his best friend had left…only maybe this time she was no longer his best friend. He groaned and sunk down to the roof. These strange feelings towards Numbuh 5…he couldn't make them go away.
I…think I like her.
This first acknowledgment of his feelings made him feel a little better but it would have been nicer to just talk about it to someone. I can't tell Numbuh 5…and Numbuh 9 probably wouldn't understand. He's too wrapped up in Numbuh 10 for all I know.
That's when it hit him.
Numbuh 10…
You don't know
how you touch my life
Oh in so many ways I just can't describe
You taught me what love is supposed to be
It's all the little things that make you beautiful to me
(So beautiful)
"You like her?"
Nigel shuffled his feet nervously. Once he'd gotten back downstairs, he'd asked Siri to come to his room. She'd insisted on coming anyway so she could bandage up his injuries. Turns out, his confession shocked her a lot less than he'd imagined.
"I don't really know Numbuh 10." He flopped back onto his bed, wincing as his sore back hit the mattress. "I just…think I do."
Siri frowned. "That isn't the same as definite. Have you given this some serious thought?"
"Not really," Nigel said sheepishly. He rubbed his head. "I…I just became aware of my strange feelings towards Numbuh 5…since you guys came around. I mean, well, ever since Lizzie and I…" He didn't finish.
The Sensible One bit her lip in sympathy and moved to sit next to his lying form on the bed. She patted his hand gently. "It's okay Numbuh 1. You don't have to say anything about that." A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "I'm actually kinda glad you chose to talk about this to someone. I mean it's good to get something this complicating off your chest."
"Yeah I suppose." Nigel sat up fast, causing her hand to lift up and fall on his shoulder instead. She chuckled and went back to wrapping his arm. "I don't know what to do about it though. The more I try to ignore my feelings, the more they keep bothering me."
"So you've acknowledged them," said Siri thoughtfully. "That's a good start. My opinion on the rest is to wait and see if she truly is the one that you like. As it is right now, it's too soon to confess anything, especially if you've just gotten over Lizzie." She tilted her head at him. "You understand right?"
He nodded and smiled. "You're right Numbuh 10. Thanks."
"No problem," she replied, returning the smile. She finished wrapping his arm and leaned over to place a Band-Aid the lower part of his cheek, stealing a caress of his face. He blinked and pushed her hand away. "Hey! I wasn't gonna hurt you or anything."
Nigel felt foolish. "Um…I can do it myself." He took the Band-Aid away from her and placed it against his cheek.
Their fingertips brushed against each other.
Siri bit her lip and pulled her hand away. Nigel swallowed nervously. "Eh, so…your injuries all bandaged up?" she asked him.
"Uh…yeah," he laughed shakily.
"Well okay then. I guess I'll see you later." She stood up to leave.
He cocked his eyebrow at her. "How do you know so much about this? It's not experience right?"
Siri laughed. "No. I don't have any experience in the romance department." She shook her head. "I just read a lot of books. Don't look at me like that Numbuh 1," she said warningly at the strange look on Nigel's face. "I don't expect guys to look at me in any way other than quick attraction." She smiled in a sort of flustered way. Not really.
Nigel bit his lip. She looked cute with that smile on her face and her hazel eyes shining with amusement. "That's too bad. You're far too pretty to not have anyone look at you with affection Numbuh 10." The words were out of his mouth before he even stopped to consider their effect on her.
At once, the smile on his friend's face vanished and her eyes took on that of curiosity. Her face flushed. "Uh…are you just saying that to be nice or do you really think that Numbuh 1?"
To be perfectly honest, I have no idea. Nigel looked away so she couldn't see his flustered face. "Uh…well…hasn't anyone told you you're pretty?"
Siri blinked. Actually yes, plenty of people had told her she was pretty. Nearly all of the KND operatives her team had met on certain missions had told her she was pretty, and her own teammates never hesitated to say so. Even her so-called parents at one point had said she was "nice-looking".
But none of those comments had ever made her feel so awkward and so…flattered?
"Numbuh 10?" Nigel was waving his hand in front of her face. "Are you in there?"
The blonde girl flushed even more red than before, this time out of embarrassment. "Uh yeah. Sorry." She shook her head, suddenly feeling that she needed to get out of there and do something. "I'd better go."
Nigel nodded, feeling her uncertainty. Well, how else would she act?
Siri leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. It was small peck, but it still caused his face to turn as red as his shirt. "Thank you Nigel." Smiling softly, she strolled out of the room.
There was complete silence for a minute before the boy emitted the smallest of sighs.
"You're welcome…Siri."
It's a funny thing really…sometimes I think I like them both…
What makes you, what makes you different
Makes you beautiful
What's there inside you shines through to me
In your eyes I see all the love I'll ever need
What makes you different
Makes you beautiful to me
(song ends)
Abby leaned against the back of her couch, her hat drawn over her eyes. For personal reasons, she was thankful that she was alone in her room. She didn't think that she would be able to keep from spilling out all of her hidden thoughts to Numbuh 10 if she'd come in to check up on her.
Her thoughts drifted back to that moment up on the roof. She sighed.
"You're one of the smartest people in this organization."
Her hand lifted up until it rested against the bruise on her face where his fingers had touched. She shivered and drew her hand away.
Doesn't matter Numbuh 5. He doesn't love you. He wuz only tryin' ta make up fo' what happened.
Restless silence and then another sigh.
He will nevuh…feel that way about me…
Elsewhere in the treehouse, Matt fiddled with the neural link tazer. He hadn't given it back to Zen yet, because he felt he needed to hold onto it just for a little longer. It made him feel closer to his clone without having it too dangerous.
What was he talking about before?
It was pretty obvious that his twin knew about his carefully hidden feelings toward Siri. Heck, it was probably pretty obvious that his twin felt some sort of way toward Numbuh 10's clone—if he was capable of feeling anything as wonderful as love.
"Until we meet again face-to-face big brother…oh and if I were you, I'd confess your feelings toward Siri…before someone else steals her heart away."
Matt shook his head. I don't get it, but I don't like it. I won't lose her to anyone.
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Kids Next Door International Headquarters, Moon Base
It was a strange sight to Fanny and the other operatives of the KND Moonbase as Chad led Rachel back to her cell. Strange, due to the fact that Chad wasn't gripping her arm hard enough to break it and he was looking at her with a strange sort of pained expression. His face showed what he would probably never say; that he wasn't going to let anybody hurt her.
As for Rachel, there was a small tentativeness in her steps. Her eyes seemed to soften when she looked at Chad.
Fanny watched this through puzzled green eyes. Okay…whot is going on here?
Reluctantly, Chad opened her prison and Rachel walked in. He shut the glass on her, but not before he mouthed: "I'll do whatever I can to keep you and the others safe."
Rachel's mouth slowly lifted into a placid smile. "I'll hold you to that," she mouthed back.
Chad nodded and walked back to his post. Fanny exchanged a quizzical look with the operative in the cell next to her. Whot the heck in going on with those two?
Time:2:00 PM
Location: KND Headquarters (Sector V)
Zen checked the calendar in his book right next to the digital clock. Only five days left…five days before I say goodbye...
Next Chapter…Log 9—As Strong As We Are United: The Kids Next Door have managed to end the binding connection with their clones, but the results leave many unanswered questions and feelings behind. However, these must be placed aside as Sector V and Sector F begin their ascent to rescue the Moonbase from enemy clutches and get one step closer to saving their organization. But lurking around every corner of the transformed lay many challenges and with each challenge, the operatives must find the strength in their individual talents to pull through. Next time on Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation: R.E.S.C.U.E.!
"Who did you send in the mission?"—Numbuh 86
"Secter V, Numbuhs 1 -5!"—Numbuh 362
"We're... DOOMED!"—Numbuh 86, Operation G.R.A.D.U.A.T.E.S.
"Are we men? Or are we KIDS?—Numbuh 4, Operation G.R.O.W.U.P.
"There will always be someone to do things the easy way, but you must learn to do things the RIGHT way,"—True Master, Teen Titans: The Quest
Extremely sorry for not updating sooner peoples! I've been so swamped with finals and College APs that I can barely think straight. I know, excuses. Hey, but at least I updated. (So you have to review now)
Oh yes, my chapter for Saga of Destiny is coming along slowly so I don't know when I can update soon. I'll try to work as fast as I can. Till next time readers!