Author's Note: This chapter really is sort of inspired by the feel of two songs by T.A.T.U. - Perfect Enemy and Friend Or Foe? (I've got to stop listening to them…another song of theirs is actually how I determined how this story would end, and it gave me an idea for a chapter of Malchik Gay…Hell, they're the whole reason I got the ideas for Malchik Gay and She Loves Me Not) The following quote is from the former.
The things I loved before are now for sale. Keep yourself away, far away from me. I forever stay your perfect enemy.
Hoagie pulled on a space suit, setting the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. to auto-pilot. It was set to maintain its current location. He secured a line a tether line to the hook inside the ship before putting on his helmet. With everything set, he jumped from the bus, landing on the force field surrounded the Kids Next Door Moon base. It was a fairly new device…it had been created shortly after Fanny's first attack. By now, the adults and teens probably all knew how to hack into it. It had been hacked a mere month ago…and the Kids Next Door scientists these days…Hoagie sighed. They were still wasting too much time on a cootie vaccination to actually be bothered with important matters.
He pulled out his lunch-box like computer and plugged it directly into the force field. From here, he could maximize it and change the coding. Perhaps enough to buy them more than just the singular hour. He fiddled around a bit, biting his lip as he typed. He was going as fast as he could, but he had no idea how much longer before Fanny and the others would arrive. "Let's see…almost there….Got it!" He cried. The previously invisible force field was starting to become visible. It flickered for a moment, not there anymore, and Hoagie felt himself bob on the tether line. He used the jets on the back of his space suit to propel him away, watching as the force field turned into visible blue zeros. They started from where he'd left the computer, slowly growing. He started to head back to the ship, knowing he was running out of time - if the zeros encompassed the Moon Base before he got back in, he'd be locked out until someone, specifically the Global Kids Next Door Supreme Leader, used the password that would allow him to deactivate the force field. The password could only be entered inside, and only while a Kids Next Door Operative on the outside had a computer with them to enter the other code.
But Hoagie hadn't taken a radio with him, so it was get back inside now, or go head home.
Except that when he turned to go back, Fanny was floating there. She had on Battle Ready Armor and a clear, almost bowl-like, helmet. And she was holding Hoagie's tether.
He stared at her, horrified. She looked for a moment like she was going to cut through it - she already had a laser from her wrist going. Instead, she sighed and turned it off. "Ye owe me one." She said simply, flying under the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. and disappearing from sight. Hoagie was thrown off for a moment. Is she..helping me?
He realized immediately that that was not right, though. She was heading towards the Moon Base, her hands glowing red. She touched the force field. It turned into a moat.
Hoagie reeled himself in, getting back into the ship as fast as he could. He had to stop this…they were going to get in. Damn you, Fanny, he thought bitterly as he finally made it back on board the ship. He quickly untied himself and got behind the wheel. "I trusted you….they were right." He sighed, "So I'll be the one that stops you," He said determinedly, trying to form a new plan. Fanny knows about the back entrance of the Moon base, but they changed the passwords to everything…But Cree's good at hacking, so that's not going to stop them for long. By now, they've probably gotten ahold of at least ten operatives. That will multiply… He sighed. There was no time. He could not create anything, especially not when he didn't have any materials. The Birthday Suits could not be recalibrated this quickly. Even if they could, they were locked away.
"This is suicide," He said, thumping his head down against the wheel. But his sense of right would not allow him to abandon his friends. "..Oh well. Wouldn't be the first time a Kids Next Door Operative did a suicide mission. At the very least though," he vowed to himself, "I'm going to take her down. I'm not going to let Fanny get away with this…"