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Codename: Kids Next Door
Operation F.I.N.I.S.H.
Finding
Indecisive
Nigel
Is
Sure
Hard
DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Kids Next Door or its franchise. If I did, this fic would have become an episode.
Chapter 5
Though old, the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. still ran fine, and Numbuh 2 had no problems remembering how to fly it. His fellow teammates also remembered perfectly how their own devices worked: Numbuh 4 on weapons, Numbuh 3 on the defense mechanisms, and Numbuh 5 as both the tracker and the commander.
The only problem they did run into was deciding where to go first.
They were flying aimlessly around, more like hovering in space, wasting gallon after gallon of fuel. No one really made a comment on this; they were still getting used to the idea that they would finally see their leader after so many years, so flying wasn't that big of a priority at the moment.
Numbuh 5 was sitting in the leader chair, staring at a large map of the world, wondering just where to start first. A huge planet, so many countries, so many continents to search for him, it was mind boggling. It was at that moment that it hit her.
Well, 'it' turned out to be a rubber band that was flung at her head.
Though it didn't hurt her in the slightest, she still glared angrily at Numbuh 4, the one who had flung the rubber band in the first place.
"What?! I'm bored! And, I'm starving over here! Does this hunk of junk have any soda, or at least a piece of candy? I'll take anything, even a stupid piece of caramel for all I care," he told her, sinking down in his chair to the point where he was almost laying on it.
That's when the actual idea hit Numbuh 5.
"Whoa, hold up. Say that again."
"I'm bored, and I'm starving."
"No, after that."
"Does this hunk of junk-"
"NO! AFTER that, Wally!!!"
"Uh, even a piece of caramel?"
"Bingo!" Numbuh 5 jumped in her seat excitedly. She then ran to the opposite side of the ship, grabbed a piece of paper off the wall, and thrust it in his face. "Look what today is!!!"
Wally mumbled through the paper, "How can I, there's a cruddy piece of paper in my face!!!"
Numbuh 5 groaned and snatched back the paper. Upon closer inspection, the others realized it was a calendar.
"Today is May 5th, idiot!"
Numbuh 4 shrugged. "And tomorrow's May 6th. Big whoop."
"Don't you realize what May 5th is?!?" When no one answered, she said, "It's the 5th day of the 5th month, and it's been 5 years since we were in Guatemala!"
"So that means…the ritual Heinrich…I mean, Henrietta, did the last time, someone else could do it right now?" Numbuh 2 said uncertainly.
"Bingo again! I betcha Numbuh 1 got sent on some kinda mission to Guatemala, to stop whoever's trying to do the ritual!"
"Well then, why're we wasting time just floating around in space?! Let's go!" Numbuh 4 said excitedly, jumping out of his seat like Numbuh 5 had.
"You heard the guy, to Guatemala, Hoagie!" Numbuh 5 agreed, settling back down in her chair.
She entered a few coordinates into the system for Numbuh 2 to follow, and they zoomed out of space towards Earth.
When the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. finally landed, everyone immediately jumped out onto the hard soil ground. Numbuh 5 led the way, map and compass in hand. Numbuh 3 stood behind her, followed by Numbuh 4, and Numbuh 2 in the very back.
"Alright, Sector U's tree house is…45ᵒ in that direction," she said mostly to herself, pointing off into the North. "Which means the pyramid must be about 90ᵒ in the opposite direction." She now pointed South. "So we've gotta go that way."
"Can we make it there on foot, or do we need the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. again?" Numbuh 3 asked her, looking off into the distance.
Numbuh 5 scanned over the map for a moment, then said, "We can walk it, there aren't many wooded areas, and there's a path, but Numbuh 5's not sure how long it will take us to get there. Numbuh 4, what time is it?"
"Uh…1 o'clock."
"Which means it's actually noon right now." She looked back up in the direction of the pyramid, then back down at the map. "Numbuh 5 thinks we can make it in time, but we'll have to sleep at the GKND's base camp; we'd never make a full trip in one day."
With that, she led the way in the direction of the pyramid, her teammates following closely behind. As the map showed, there was a long dirt path they walked along, away from some of the high growing vegetation. Besides the occasional bird call, the walk was quiet and rather peaceful, until…
"Ugh, my feet hurt!" Numbuh 4 complained.
"We shoulda brought the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., we'd get there in no time!" Numbuh 2 joined in. They were lagging behind, both at the back and at the same pace: no faster than a snail.
Numbuh 5 sighed. "Would ya quit you're whining? We've only been walking for a half hour! We used ta take longer trips than this all the time!"
"Used to. Not anymore!" Numbuh 2 pointed out, finally collapsing to the floor with a thud. Numbuh 5 stopped to look down at him.
Shaking her head, she told him, "Numbuh 5 has no idea how you lost all that weight in the first place." Numbuh 2 had lost a considerable amount of weight since he was a child, a mystery to everyone else, since they expected him to be thin with all the missions and fatter when he left the KND. Yet the exact opposite had happened.
"I donno, and I don't care," he mumbled. Numbuh 5 just rolled her eyes.
"See, Numbuh 2's got the right idea!" Numbuh 4 then proceeded to just fall right on the ground and relax. Or so he would have, if he hadn't lain off of the path and onto a baby cactus plant. It took him a second to realize the cactus was even there, mostly because of his thick sweatshirt. But when he felt it, he sprang up and ran around in circles, screaming, "GET'R OFF ME! GET'R OFF ME!!!"
Another eye roll from Numbuh 5, who covered her face with her hand in embarrassment at her team. "Ugh, Numbuh 5 can't wait to get off this country…"
After running around for another minute or so, Numbuh 4 finally smartened up enough to stop running and yank the plant off his back. Though he hadn't smartened up enough to cover the hand with anything, so now not only did his back hurt from the needles, so did his right hand. And the running around resumed, waving his hand wildly, trying to get rid of the cactus but too hysterical to actually let go.
"Ugh, Numbuh 3, can you get the dim-wit to calm down while I get Mr. Lazy off the floor…" Numbuh 5 muttered.
But no one answered.
So Numbuh 5 tried again, more loudly. "I said, Numbuh 3, can you calm down Numbuh 4 while I get Numbuh 2?"
Again, no answer.
"That's an order, Numbuh 3!"
Nothing.
Numbuh 5 took her hand off of her face to look around, and only saw Numbuh 4, who stopped running around, and Numbuh 2, who had finally sat up. They too were looking around confusedly. Numbuh 3 was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Numbuh 3?" she asked them.
Both of them shrugged and shook their heads.
"Oh great, this is just great, we've lost Numbuh 3!"
The realization her teammate was missing hit her hard. They'd lost a comrade under her leadership. It was one of the most humiliating and degrading scenarios that could happen to a sector leader.
It was also the most fatal. Because not all lost operatives are found.