And the fourth chapter arrives! This one is kind of short as it's just building up some plot stuff and moving people around, but I liked the bits of character interaction that we get to see in it :) I would like to say a huge thanks to Man of Cartoons for all of you wonderful reviews and kind words, and that I hope you (and anyone else reading) enjoys the chapter!
Time Until the End of the Earth: 4 Days, 19 Hours, 42 minutes
The soldier, who looked to be about ten and was still clutching his weapon tightly, was practically giddy with excitement as he regaled the less then enthused doctor with the whole long tale of how their supply convoy had been viciously attacked by a horde of Fusion monsters, and how he had been the one to single handedly defeat them all and save everyone. The doctor simply nodded and hummed thoughtfully in the right places, hoping that doing so would get the boy through his story faster and get him to stop flailing about. After all, it was rather tricky to wrap an injured arm when the arm kept sweeping around to demonstrate a Fusion monster's size or aim a weapon at unsuspecting infirmary walls.
Sitting in a small, padded chair, Juniper Lee watched the frazzled doctor and excited soldier in amusement. While he wasn't quite as daring and day saving as he claimed, Blaze FireSomething had proven to be quite the decent fighter when they'd been attacked. He'd also managed to sustain the worst of the injuries among her team. Luckily, the burn was relatively small, and had ended up being the only wound graver than a small cut or bruise.
"You know, you don't have to wait," a nurse, no older than Juniper, said as she walked by. "You've already been checked out."
"I know," Juniper said, shrugging. The nurse waited, looking at her expectantly, but Juniper didn't elaborate and eventually the nurse walked away. Juniper didn't really feel like explaining to the nurse that she wanted to make sure the rest of her team checked out okay, or that she was taking advantage of the excuse to get a few minutes of rest. The convoy escort had been a long, thirteen day mission, and despite being sore and exhausted, Juniper knew that as soon as she set foot in the halls she was at risk of being swooped down upon and assigned to another mission—or worse, having her desk job handed back to her. Not because her fellow commanders didn't think rest was important, of course, but because theirs was an army incredibly short staffed when it came to the number of commanders versus number of tasks needed accomplishing. It meant that anyone of high rank, at any time, was liable to be assigned off.
Luckily for all of those who fell into that category, the infirmary had become a safe zone, a sort of limbo in between being out on a mission and being assigned to the next one. As long as you were within its walls, you had a moment's reprieve from the chaos going on all around.
"You're done," the doctor announced, regaining Juniper's attention. She looked up in time to see Blaze leap down from the exam table, eyeing his bandaged arm as if it were a medal of honor. "You need to come back tomorrow to have the bandage changed," the doctor shouted after the boy as he darted for the door, most likely headed for the cafeteria. The soldier shouted a quick 'kay!' over his shoulder before vanishing from sight.
Once he was gone, the doctor shook his head, scribbling a few notes into the folder in his hand before turning to glance over at Juniper.
"You can't stay in here forever, you know," he said. Not that others before her hadn't tried.
"I know," Juniper sighed. She stretched her legs, pulling a face at muscles that were already starting to go stiff. "Don't you think you could maybe say I broke a leg or something?" she asked, "Something to get me off duty for a while?" The doctor snorted at the suggestion.
"If I did that, then within the week someone would be down my throat, wanting to know why all of the war's best fighters had all mysteriously broken their legs." Juniper laughed.
"This is true," she agreed. She yawned widely, stretching and then climbing to her feet.
"Heading to the cafeteria?" the doctor asked. Juniper nodded, rubbing at a stomach that was distressingly empty. "Good. Then you should go back to your quarters and get some rest." Juniper rolled her eyes at the doctor.
"Yeah, I know," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "What else do you think I'm going to go do?" The doctor gave her a flat look.
"Knowing you hero types and your save the world complexes, you'll be back out in the field as soon as you've finished lunch." Juniper rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Yeah right," she said as she headed for the door. "I'm not that crazy." The doctor just nodded, a look that said 'yeah, sure' on his face as he walked away. Juniper grinned as she headed out into the hallway, knowing she was going to prove the doctor wrong as she turned, pointing herself in the direction of the cafeteria. She was going to go have—she checked her watch—an early lunch, and then she was off to bed.
Juniper made it two steps before excited barking caught her attention. Turning on her heal to look back, she spotted a small pink dog hurrying her way, waving a piece of paper excitedly. Recognizing the messenger dog, Juniper let loose a mental sigh, silently praying that Courage was just heading past, off to go find someone in the cafeteria.
It was not to be.
"For me?" Juniper asked, still hoping that maybe Courage was mistaken as he bounced around at her feet. Courage nodded, thrusting the paper towards her. "You sure?" she checked. Courage gave her an annoyed look, pushing the paper towards her hand. "Okay, okay," she said, taking the message. As soon as she did, Courage darted back the way he'd come. Juniper sighed and glanced down at the message.
Juniper, come to the command center as soon as you get this message.
It wasn't signed with Gwen's name. As the girl was currently in charge of two divisions that both handled troop assignments there was little guessing as to what the note entailed.
"Great," Juniper grumbled, stuffing the note into her pocket. So much for lunch. Changing her direction, Juniper made her way to command, wondering what could be wanted of her now, and knowing sadly that it wasn't going to be to offer her a few days vacation.
Thump. Thump. Thwack.
"Yeah, take that, and that!" Numbuh Four said as he bounced back and forth, punctuating each 'that' with a punch. The punching bag he was attacking swung wildly with each hit, and he jumped around to intercept each swing with another hit.
"Isn't someone supposed to be holding the punching bag?" someone asked, causing Numbuh Four to jump. With an exclamation of surprise, he whirled around, fists raised, to find himself facing one of the army's messengers. The younger boy looked entirely unfazed by Numbuh Four's stance. Holding out the paper in his hand, he said, "You're needed in the command center."
"The command center?" Numbuh Four asked while reaching out with one hand to steady the still swinging punching bag. Mac nodded. "Why?"
"I don't know," Mac said, shrugging as he glanced at his note. "It just says I'm supposed to find anyone from your team who's here and send them up."
"Oh yeah?" Numbuh Four said, taking the note and looking it over. Mac nodded, while gazing up at the boy admiringly. Noticing the look, Numbuh Four straightened a little, trying to deepen his voice a little as he spoke next. "Well, Numbuh Five is on a mission, and Numbuh Two is in command of the flight control room, but Numbuh Three is here. I'll go get her for ya."
"Cool, thanks!" Mac said, grinning. "I'll let Gwen know you're coming." With that, he turned and hurried off, intent on his new task. Once he was gone, Numbuh Four looked back down at the note still in his hands. It didn't give away anything of what Gwen wanted the KND operatives for.
"Gwen?" Numbuh Four muttered, glancing back down at the note in his hand. Like Juniper, he was well aware of Gwen's responsibilities, narrowing down the possibilities. Pocketing the note, Numbuh Four shrugged. Whatever it was, he was sure it couldn't be that bad.
Juniper Lee marched through the small reception room, a kind of waiting space for the headquarters' messengers, waving cheerily to Mac as she passed, and pushed open the command center's doors with no request for permission, simply a single knock to alert that she was coming. While most would be much too terrified to even consider attempting something so brash, Juniper knew that, as a member of the army's top soldiers, she was given a little more leeway concerning her behavior around the army's commanding officers. Actions that might have earned someone of lesser rank a mission assignment to "patrol" the city's sewers instead resulted only in quick glances, a few half hearted waves, and, occasionally, an annoyed look.
Such as the look Mandy was currently fixing Juniper with. Juniper, for her part, was little effected by the shorter girl's glare, returning it with a broad grin as she dropped into one of the chairs around the table. After all, under the annoyed look was one of clear relief as Mandy nudged a pile of folders towards Juniper.
"Uh, thanks," Juniper said, frowning at the reports before turning to Gwen. "You wanted to see me?" she asked, while positioning herself in a way that best showed off her ragged clothes and the bruise on her cheek. Not that she honestly expected such a play for sympathy to get her anywhere, but it was always worth the try.
"I did," Gwen responded, taking in Juniper's appearance with a sympathetic but otherwise unrelenting look. "I heard your last mission was successful."
"Of course," Juniper said, lounging back in her chair. "But something tells me you didn't call me up here to talk about that."
"You're right," Gwen said, folding her arms across the table. "I have a new assignment for you." She ignored the face Juniper pulled.
"What kind of assignment?" she asked.
"I'll explain when the others get here. I think it's better that you hear it all at once." Juniper watched Gwen expectantly, waiting for the girl to elaborate. She didn't, however, and silence descended over the pair as Gwen returned her attention to the form she was filling out, leaving Juniper to rock her chair and wonder who she would be working with next. It was about that moment when she noticed Nigel sitting just off to the side. She smiled, waving in his direction. Numbuh One managed a tense, half smile before returning his pensive stare to the map spread out before him. Frowning, Juniper let her chair fall back onto four legs. Whatever she'd been called in for, she was realizing it was a lot bigger than she'd anticipated it to be. This point was only made the more clear when, a few minutes later, Numbuh Three danced into the office, Numbuh four following in her wake.
"Reporting for duty!" Numbuh Three announced, snapping into a salute in the middle of the command center. Juniper smiled at the girl's antics, which garnered a brief glance from Mandy and a welcoming nod from Gwen. Numbuh Four stepped around his teammate, who remained in her pose, and dropped into the chair beside Juniper. The KND operative glanced at Juniper, his look questioning, but she could only shrug in return. She knew no more than he did at the moment.
Gwen didn't address the group right away, continuing to fill out the form before her. When she finished, she read over what she'd written once, and then signed the paper with a neat flourish. Setting down her pen, Gwen sighed softly, finally meeting her fellow commanders' gazes.
"I have a mission for you," she said, meeting each of her soldier's gazes as she spoke. "I know some of you have only just returned from out in the field," she glanced at Juniper, "but I wouldn't have called you here if I thought someone else could do this." That had everyone straightening a little, even Numbuh Three, who had finally dropped her salute.
"What kind of mission is this, exactly?" Juniper asked, leaning forward in her seat. While Gwen was technically in charge of missions centering on major battlefield operations, the forces she had currently gathered at the table—commanders of combat, medical, and special operations teams—suggested another type of mission.
"Search and rescue," Gwen told her, affirming Juniper's suspicions. "One of our reconnaissance ships was recently shot down by an enemy that, according to our reports, doesn't exist. Not in that region, anyway. I want you three to find the missing team."
"Who exactly are we looking for?" Numbuh Four asked, having also noticed the unusual command power of his new team. Gwen's expression grew heavy, but it was Numbuh One who answered.
"Numbuh Five and her team," he said, directing attention to his end of the table. A small gasp escaped Numbuh Three as she covered her mouth. Numbuh Four sat up straight, every muscle tense. Hands clasped behind his back, Numbuh One carefully ignored their reactions as he continued. "She's only got recruits with her. She was supposed to be conducting their first field test."
"A field test in enemy territory?" Numbuh Four demanded.
"We didn't know there was anyone in that jungle—fusion or otherwise," Gwen quickly said. "Like I said, all reports indicated neutral territory. Since this attack has confirmed otherwise, we're sending in only the most highly trained until we can get a better idea of the situation we're up against."
"Do we have any idea where this nonexistent enemy is?" Numbuh Four asked.
"Within mostly unexplored jungle. Its exact location isn't known." Numbuh Four stared at Gwen.
"Do we know anything about this place?" he asked. Gwen's expression was apologetic as she responded.
"No."
"So, we're going in blind?" Numbuh Three asked. Gwen nodded.
"Unfortunately, you'll have to." Gwen spun the paper on her desk around with one hand, and pushed it forward. "You have twenty minutes to gather the equipment you'll need and then report to hanger four. There will be a ship waiting for you, along with a more detailed description of your mission, including Numbuh Five's last known location." Leaning to the side so she could see out the open command center door, Gwen motioned to the boy waiting just outside.
"Take that to hanger four," she said, handing Mac the form she'd just filled out "Make sure they know this is now their top priority." Mac nodded, taking the paper and hurrying from the room. Gwen watched him go, and then turned back to her team. "I know this is a dangerous mission, but I wouldn't send you if I didn't think you weren't all more than capable of it. Don't worry about going after Fuse or trying to capture any territory. This is search and rescue only. Find Numbuh Five and her team and come home safe." Judging by the determined looks she was receiving, Gwen felt confident she's picked the right people for the job. "Hurry. Time is of the essence right now."
Knowing that they were dismissed, the trio rose and started for the doors. They were stopped short when Numbuh One stood, calling to his teammates.
"Kuki, Wally," he said, causing them to turn back around. He glanced down for a moment before meeting both of their gazes. "Be safe." His teammates smiled in response—one a grin, the other a smirk.
"We'll be fine," Numbuh Four boldly assured him before he followed the girls out the door. Numbuh One sighed when he was gone, dropping back into his seat.
"You'd better be."