Alright Chapter 2! I have to say I actually really enjoy writing Patton, he seems like this character with so much potential its criminal how under used he really was in the show. Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter!
00.23.06 After Incident
S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Enroute to KND Moon Base
Patton Drilovsky, Numbuh 60 to those who know him only by his occupation, walked to the front of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., his trade mark green coat and winter cap stowed in the pack on his pack. The Drill Sergeant brought himself beside the pilot seat, where his colleague Numbuh 20/20 manned the controls.
"Thanks again for the lift, friend." Patton thanked Numbuh 20/20. At the back of his mind, Patton secretly cursed, forgetting Numbuh 20/20's real name.
"Please Patton, the pleasure was all mine." Numbuh 20/20 replied like a gentleman, oblivious to Patton's specific wording. "I was in the neighborhood and I do owe you for all that stuff back in Arctic."
"And how none of us will ever speak of it, ever." Patton nodded. The Drill Sergeant glanced to the three foot thick glass separating the two operatives from the vacuum that was space, making out the inorganic tree that had sprouted on the Moon. "We're getting close, best let them know we're coming."
"Right." Numbuh 20/20 nodded. The somewhat blind sharpshooter reached for a panel on the control panel before him and hit a sequence of green square buttons. A television popped out from the 2x4 ship's ceiling and buzzed to life. "This is Numbuh 20/20 requesting permission to land, over."
"Sorry Numbuh 20/20, permission denied." An operative in red attire replied.
"Um, denied?" Numbuh 20/20 raised a brow. He'd actually never been denied the ability to land, he was stationed on the Moon Base and the thirty minute commute from the blue marble to here was never really troublesome. "Mind explaining there chap?"
"We've had a…bit of an incident." The operative said, downplaying the 'incident'.
Numbuh 60 shook his head. "I've no time for this." Patton popped into view for the operative on the Moon Base to see, suddenly alarming him. "This Numbuh 60, Drill Sergeant and your superior, I am ordering you to let us land. This isn't a leisurely visit, this is business. I have to meet with Numbuh 274. It's very important." Patton gave a stern look to the operative, the same look he used to hard press insubordinate recruits into following orders.
"I-I'm sorry sir." The operative stuttered. "There's been a bombing. Numbuh 274 has been hurt." Both Patton's and Numbuh 20/20's eyes shot open in surprise. "Head of Decommissioning has the Base on lockdown. I'm not supposed to let anyone in or out."
Patton squeezed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Open the doors kid, we're landing."
"But sir, I'd be breaking protocol." The operative replied, attempting to reason with Patton.
"No buts maggot. I am your superior, if Numbuh 501 has a problem with it, she'll take it up with me, you see?" Patton practically shouted. "Now open up. We're landing."
"Y-Yes sir." The operative nodded frantically before cutting the call.
Numbuh 20/20 smirked, glancing at Patton. "Don't mess with the Big Man."
"Damn right." Patton cracked a smile. "Get us on that Moon Base, I've got work to do." Patton turned away from the side of the pilot's seat, moving to his own seat. Patton buckled down as Numbuh 20/20 readied the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. for landing.
After a few minutes of trivial landing procedures, Patton disembarked the 2x4 ship, waving bye to Numbuh 20/20. The Drill Sergeant took the time to search for the Loadmaster on duty, looking for the bright orange attire attribute to the role. He spotted the Loadmaster giving orders to a few subordinates.
Patton approached the Loadmaster and asked him, "Where'd it happen?"
The Loadmaster began to form a question before pausing, something in his brain clicked and then he realized what Patton meant. "Observatory Floor, hallway across from the Decom. Chamber."
"Much appreciated." The Loadmaster nodded as Patton took off.
Time in an organization such as the KND was crucial, single occupant elevator tubes were what operatives like Patton used to get from one deck to the next when situations deemed it necessary. What made the almost instantaneous leap from deck to deck unbearable and the single occupant tubes almost widely despised as this unique after feeling you'd get, the kind of feeling that made you want to vomit right there and then.
Patton held down his lunch as he exited the tube. He could tell this was the right floor. Decommissioning operatives were everywhere, barring up the hallway.
"Move everyone into the chambers." Patton overheard a familiar accent, the kind that belonged to a blonde with too much power. Patton glanced at the corner of his eye, spotting Numbuh 501 barking orders.
"Numbuh 501." Patton announced his presence. "We need to talk."
The Head of Decommissioning turned her head slightly. "What do you want eskimo?"
"To know just what the heck is going on." Patton answered, unfazed by the death glare Numbuh 501 was giving him.
"Can't you tell?" Numbuh 501 gestured to the bent metal and debris. "There was a bomb. Now I'm wasting my time explaining obvious details to a wretch, time that could be well spent catching the culprit."
"You have suspects?" Patton raised a brow.
"Of course I have suspects!" Numbuh 501 shouted, irritated even more.
"Alright." Patton smirked. "Dibs."
"What?" Numbuh 501 asked, suddenly confused.
"Dibs." Patton shrugged. "I call Dibs. I'm lead investigator."
Numbuh 501 began to form a retort, only to be cut off by a thick downplayed Scottish accent. "Too late there boy." Patton and Numbuh 501 turned to find Numbuh 86, standing before them, a smug grin on her face. "Cause I call Dibs on Lead Investigator."
"No way!" Patton shook his head. "I called it first."
"Nu uh." Fanny shook her head, smirking. "You just called 'Dibs'. Dibs wot? Dibs on the stereo? Dibs on those pasties with cream in the center? You got to call something for the Dibs clause to be in effect."
"Hm. That so?" Patton tapped his foot on the floor. "Dibs on co-opting this investigation."
"What?" Fanny exclaimed.
"You heard me." Patton muttered lowly. Soon enough Patton and Fanny were locked in mortal combat, well, at least their eyes were, the ultimate stare down of the century.
"Where did you people even come from? All those within range have been rounded up and awaiting integration." Numbuh 501 questioned.
"I actually just got here." Patton said, not breaking away from the stare down.
"I got here a little ago, after all the commotion was over." Fanny muttered, refusing to lose her bout with Patton. In her mind, this was a battle for control, even the slight flinch would be an admission of defeat.
"Hey!" Numbuh 501 snapped her fingers between the two, causing them both to snap loose of the staring contest. "You two just volunteered for this, now get to work!"
"Oh, right." Fanny shrugged.
"Uh, where are the suspects?" Patton asked.
Numbuh 501 shook her head; she withheld the urge to smack the pair with the curved spiked edges of her helmet. "Down the hall in the Decom. Chamber."
Patton and Fanny turned, practically racing down the hall to get at the operatives held inside the chamber.
"Why'd you cave?" Numbuh 501 looked over her shoulder to the darkly dressed Numbuh 206.
"Because, I'll get a laugh out of it." Numbuh 501 chuckled to herself. "You saw those two, a couple hours of them working together and then I'll say something about expanding our search to the wider organization."
"Hm." Numbuh 206 grunted skeptically. "I hope you know what you're doing."
The metal chamber door pushed inward. Patton entered first, he surveyed the various operatives present. What caught Patton off guard was the four teens present. He was half tempted to just claim they did it and move on case closed. Except Numbuh Infinity was present with them, attempting calm their growing tempers.
"Diplomatic mission." Fanny stated, not particularly surprised. "Numbuh 274 was hoping to kick off his administration with new reforms, I guess this was one of them."
"Hm. I suppose." Patton scratched his chin. He glanced to one of the decommissioning squad operatives guarding the inside of the room. "Hey, you, come over here." He signaled the operative.
The operative left his post, meeting with Patton and Fanny. "Yes?"
"Why were these of all people brought here?" Fanny asked, catching on to angle Patton was working.
"We had a pair of forensic specialists, Numbuh 41 and 43 check out the scene." The operative answered disinterestedly. "Their assessment indicated the explosive used was akin to a typical hand tossed ordinance."
"A grenade." Fanny said to Patton.
"I know what a grenade is." Patton muttered in response.
Fanny observed the operatives gathered, what really caught her eye were three of the operatives in the back. Three of her friends and one of her fellow medics. "We'll hear their stories first." Fanny pointed to Numbuh 362, C4, 12 and her Sector as well as her fellow medic Numbuh 5-10.
"A little specific don't you think?" Patton stated more than asked.
It did seem odd, Fanny mentally cursed at herself. "Then who do you think we should talk to first?"
"I'd like to start with the teens." Patton turned to the Decommissioning Operative. "Is there somewhere we can talk to people in private?"
The operative pointed to a door on the right side of the room. The door was the command room for the decommissioning suite sitting in the center of the room.
"Thank you." Patton smiled.
"Make sure none of the blokes here start yapping to each other." Fanny ordered. "We don't want any stories changing on us during interrogation."
"I'll keep 'em quiet." The operative nodded, gesturing to the 2x4 weapon in his hands.
"Alright." Patton turned to the room full of detainees. Like his days training the fresh recruits in Arctic, Patton's voice boomed loudly for all to hear. "Alright! Listen up! You all know what went down! We're going to start screening each and every one of you! If the assassin is in this room, know this, we will find you!"
Fanny turned to Numbuh Infinity and the Teens. "As a precautionary measure we'll need to start with you. In the name of possible peace, I hereby hope you do not take offense."
"Oh, we take offense." Justin Cavallero, the teen representative announced. Cavallero's teen bodyguards nodded in agreement. "This is practically discrimination."
"You must see it from their perspective." Numbuh Infinity said, cutting in. "This has been a diplomatic mission; this is just an unfortunate event that happens to coincide with their mission."
"And Numbuh 274 just so happens to get blown up? I don't believe in coincidences." Patton steeped in. He pointed to Cavallero and gestured to the command room. "You first loud mouth."
Cavallero scoffed but did as he was told. One of the decommissioning operatives ran to Patton as he and Fanny followed Cavallero in. The operative handed Patton a tape recorder, Patton began to form a question, only to be cut off by the operative. "To document everything they say. So we for sure know nothings getting mixed up."
Patton nodded, satisfied with the operative's reasoning. Patton entered the room last, locking the door behind him.
"Alright boy, start yapping, did you attack Numbuh 274?" Fanny questioned as Patton switched the tape recorder on.
"No, no I did not attack your leader." Cavallero shook his head. "And so did none of my men. We're your guests, we came here seeking peace, but it seems we will not come to that agreement on this day."
"We're going to need more than that bub." Patton crossed his arms. "Tell us exactly where you were and what you were doing, every detail."
Cavallero sighed. "Whatever appeases you."
00.07.09 Before Incident
Breathing in the recycled air was somewhat discomforting. Or at least it was to Cavallero. The teen diplomat disembarked his shuttle, followed closely by his guards. He didn't know them all personally, but they were efficient. They listened and carried out instruction effective enough. Compared to other teens who would be overly concerned about a dance not even a month away, Cavallero was pleasantly surprised by their work ethic.
"Greetings, Justin Cavallero." A kid roughly ten years of age Cavallero deduced as Numbuh Infinity approached the group of teens. "It is a pleasure to have you."
"The pleasure is all ours." Cavallero put on a smile. He was here to achieve peace between their respective factions. He didn't have to like it he just had to do what was necessary to complete his objective. "Jerome Bau, Numbuh Infinity I presume?"
"Your presumption is finely correct." Numbuh Infinity smiled, his tone carrying a hint of surprise and relief.
A number of KND operatives approached from behind Numbuh Infinity, each one carrying what Cavallero assumed to be metal detectors.
"I apologize for the inconvenience." Numbuh Infinity said awkwardly. Quite humanizing for a diplomat.
"It's to be expected." Cavallero sighed as the operatives waved their detectors around his body.
"If your guard would be so kind to set aside their weapons for a moment so we can scan them for hidden weapons?" One of the operatives asked. Cavallero nodded to his guards, who did as necessary.
The KND operatives waved them over, they were clean.
"Hey! Any chance we can get this historic moment on film?" A KND operative ran up beside Numbuh Infinity and Cavallero.
Cavallero shrugged. Why not?
"Rolling!" The operative announce as he pulled out a video camera.
Justin, Justin Cavallero." He himself extended his hand. "Teen Diplomatic Corps."
"Infinity. Numbuh Infinity." A tux wearing, sunglass sporting operative shook Cavallero's extended hand. "KND Diplomat. 'The' KND Diplomat."
"Great!" The operative exclaimed before running off.
"Now, shall we make our way to the conference room?" Numbuh Infinity suggested more than asked.
"Yes, we do have much to discuss."
00.29.34 After Incident
"After that we sat around in the conference room, nothing out of the ordinary just waiting for your leader so we can begin the discussion." Cavallero crossed his arms. "We heard an explosion, we went out to check it out, next thing I know some crazy twelve year old with blonde hair starts shoving us into this chamber."
"Numbuh 501 has the worst temper." Patton muttered.
"Alright, I think we have enough from you." Fanny gestured to the door, we'll interview your guards next, mind sending one in?"
"Eh, whatever gets me home for the Big Game faster." Cavallero shrugged before exiting the room.
"Now, let's see if everything matches up." Fanny crossed her arms.
"And if they do?" Patton asked, earning a nod from Fanny.
"Then we bring in Numbuh Infinity, see his side of the story. If he can validate their stories, then it can't possibly be them." Fanny said to Patton, rather calmly compared to previous interactions.
"Right." Patton glanced at the command room door as it opened. One of Cavallero's guards walked into the room, taking a seat ready for their questions.
One by one Fanny and Patton questioned the bodyguards. Each story like the rest, matching up perfectly. The duo set the last bodyguard out and called in Numbuh Infinity.
"Questions for me now?" Numbuh Infinity asked.
"Yes." Fanny said angrily. "Now, tell us, what happened leading up to the explosion?"
"I waited patiently for our esteemed guests." Numbuh Infinity gestured outside the room. "I greeted them, I oversaw our operatives inspect them, no weapons by the way, and then we made our way to the conference room where we discussed peace, waiting for Numbuh 274."
"Did anyone including yourself disappear out of your sight at all during your time together?" Fanny asked aggressively.
"In future integrations today I recommend you work on your 'bad cop' routine." Numbuh Infinity said dryly, his cold gaze hidden behind his sunglasses. "But, no, none of the teens left my sight, I may be a diplomat but not even I would trust the teens." Numbuh Infinity inspected Fanny and Patton's sudden quirky facial expressions. "I seek peace, yes, but in the long run I am looking out for our best interests, and I assure you I had them under my eyes at all times."
"Alright." Fanny nodded and gestured to the door. "Head on out." Numbuh Infinity nodded and headed for the door.
Fanny and Patton followed, leaving their makeshift interrogation room.
"Damn." Patton cursed under his breath.
"What?" Fanny raised a brow, glancing at Patton while at the same time observing those remaining in the chamber.
"I was really hoping it would've been a teen." Patton shook his head and grit his teeth.
In the corner of the room, Numbuh 1 leaned against the metal as he eyed the various operatives. Numbuh 362 played with her hair. Numbuh C4 sat on the cold metal floor, eyes shifting from one individual to another. Numbuh 2030 glanced tapped his foot twice. Numbuh 416 wiggled a finger as if he were listening to a song playing. Numbuh 9-Lives merely shot a disgusted knowing look at Numbuh 416. Numbuh 57 let her head hang low as she attempted to take a nap. Numbuh 3:16 silently prayed as Numbuh 58 looked to Numbuh 59 for comfort. Numbuh 99 secretly passed gas and tried to hide the fact by looking to Numbuh 49. Numbuh 78 glanced over to Numbuh 42 as Numbuh 34 began fidgeting oddly. Numbuh 5-10 stared out the glass view port to Earth, as if longing to feel the wind again. Numbuh 35 held his hand against his head for support as he tried to forget this day ever happened.
"Cause that means that it was one of them."
And so ends the chapter. All those operatives in the final paragraph are our suspects! Anyways next chapter I will not give a date because I'm done doing that. It'll be done when its done. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, leave a review if you want it'd be awfully kind of you!