Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.
UGH! So much has happened lately. First my computer crashes MULTIPLE TIMES! Then, I get all these assignments at once! Then it was my birthday last Friday, so I was happy. :) But seriously, that's why I wasn't updating. Sorry guys. Enjoy this chapter; it's longer than my other ones!
Chapter 12: Trap?
Harry, Celeste and Truman almost collapsed with exhaustion when they reached the light. Thinking of the enemies that may be waiting for them, they covered it up with a little cough. Standing ready to battle, they narrowed their eyes and adjusted them to the light, which was blinding compared to the darkness.
They had run into a circular room. It was glowing bright red, setting the dangerous tone. There were black pillars evenly spread at the back of the room, a large gold and red throne sitting in the middle. The walls of the cave had gold glitter decorations and completed the celebration look. It smelt different from the other tunnels, they realised. Instead of wet mud, dirt and dead plants, the smell of chicken filled the air.
It was awkward, just standing there and not fighting. They had been expecting Father or Anne-Marie to show up and start trying to defeat them. They still expected them to pop up, but that expectation was becoming less and less likely. Tension was becoming confusion as they realised no one was going to ambush them.
"Okay, I'm confused..." Truman broke the silence. "There aren't any pathways, right? So why aren't Father and Anne-Marie here?"
"They could have been behind us," suggested Celeste, eyeing the throne. "Someone must have planned something, though."
Harry stayed quiet, his mind reeling. What was the trap? Had they passed it? Where were their enemies now? He hoped it wasn't a wild goose chase.
Without warning, smoke entered the room. It was coming from the walls, something that troubled the operatives deeply. Most of it was targeted at the throne, where it swirled around before turning a dark gray. The smoke gradually cleared and revealed a silhouette. This silhouette was of a man, and was outlined with red. He had yellow, glowing eyes and was smoking a pipe.
"Hello, Kids Next Dumb."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Can't you come up with anything new?"
Father's eyes narrowed. "Be quiet!"
"Make us!" Truman yelled with bravery unfitting for his character.
"Sure, we'll do it the hard way..."
Everyone turned around to see the familiar face of Anne-Marie. Even in the dark and muddy cave, her clothes were spotless. She winked at Harry and blew him a kiss as she slowly walked towards Father. She loyally stood beside him and smirked. Her look was directed especially on Celeste, whose teeth were clenched.
They stood there for what felt like a whole century. They glared at each other, taking in their opponents every move as if they would attack them then and there. Another minute later, Anne-Marie let out a screech that echoed around the room. Her nostrils flared and her cheeks made her look like a tomato.
"Where is he? It's just like him to be late!" she complained to Father, who ignored her.
"I'm right 'ere, where else would I be?"
Harry, Truman and Celeste had become anxious at their enemy's stealth due to the silence of their footsteps. A boy, about fifteen, was standing there. His hair was a dirty blonde and he wore sunglasses that made him look devious. His denim jacket was covered with dirt and, to their surprise, blood. His brown trousers and black shoes were covered with the same elements. He had obviously been ruffed up before coming.
"Ugh, finally Nix." Anne-Marie ran over to him and pulled him to the throne. "You've had me worried." She turned to the clueless operatives. "This is Nixon Uno, from my timeline. He's come to help us."
Harry was furious. This boy wasn't and couldn't be related to him or his parents. Upsetting images flashed through his mind. Nixon was growing up in his place, meeting the others, becoming leader of Sector V and living his life. He raised his hand to slap himself when he saw a teenage Celeste and Nixon kissing. However, he didn't so he wouldn't arouse suspicion. He had to keep his nightmares inside.
"Come and get-"
A sharp object pierced him in the stomach, making him lean over and cough. He raised his head and was met with an evil smile from Father. He dropped his head again and examined the wound. Luckily, it wasn't too deep and he pulled the weapon out. It was an archer's arrow. Looking up again, he noticed the bow in Father's hands, but no other arrows. Father had planned to shoot him down from the very beginning.
Looking at Father's face made him angry. He felt his face heat up and his self-control left him as soon as he ran to the villain. He kicked and punched at Father, who hadn't been expecting him to regain energy. On the contrary, Harry felt more energised than ever. He had never concentrated on something so hard in his life. His attacks were more powerful than they usually were because of the frustration and the willingness to protect his friends.
To the left of him, Celeste was about to spar with Anne-Marie. They had their hands defending their front and were walking in circles. Their expressions were both the same: narrowed eyes with mischievous glints. Neither wanted to attack or be attacked, but they had to some time.
"He's mine, Stork."
Celeste's eyes never flickered. "How's that?"
"Think about it. When this is all over, I will be in power and every boy in the country – no, the world – will want me. That includes Harry," boasted Anne-Marie, dropping her stance and puffing her chest out proudly.
Celeste took the opportunity to strike. She kicked Anne-Marie in the stomach, making her move her hands around her belly. She slapped the girl in the face while she was down, weakening her. She was thoroughly enjoying this and wanted to savour every moment. Taking in the scene, she almost missed when the girl gained strength and attempted to punch her. She blocked the punch and flipped Anne-Marie so she was sprawled out on the floor.
Truman was dodging punched by Nixon and doing perfectly. Not going through proper training, he never learnt the essential karate like the other Kids Next Door. He had what Father taught him, which wasn't much. He had never been allowed to fight at the front. Upon coming to Sector V, he learned a few moves that would help him, but he never seemed to get them right. He had never been good at athletics anyway.
"Ha! Is that all you've got?" Nixon shouted as his fist missed Truman narrowly.
"No!" Truman cried defensively. He punched Nixon in the head and fished in his pocket for a knife he always carried. He slashed Nixon's jacket and shirt, grazing his skin in the process.
"Whoa! Calm down, man!" Nixon lifted his hands in surrender.
Just as the three operatives were about to finish their opponents off, Father started laughing. They stared at each other quizzically and looked at Father as if he was crazy.
"You idiots! You think we'd let you go this easily? I – Hey! What are you doing?"
Harry had produced metal handcuffs and attached them to Father's wrists. He nodded to Celeste and Truman, who did the same to their enemies. They moved them to the centre of the room so they were all back-to-back with each other.
"Why were you laughing?" Harry demanded to Father.
Father began wriggling. "I was just saying how..."
"How what?" Harry was growing impatient.
"You idiot!" Celeste whispered harshly in his ear. "Don't you see what he's doing?"
Harry didn't think he'd missed anything. It was only when he checked again he realised that Father was trying to grab something from his pocket. Or at least, he thought it was a pocket. It was hard to tell when all you saw was black. Harry was quicker, however, grabbing the item before Father could. He pulled out a remote with one red button.
"And what does this do?" Harry asked, sounding amused.
Father stared at his shoes. "It opens the pathway out of here..."
"Great! Let's get outta here, guys!"
"No, Numbuh 361!"
Not hearing his teammates' protests, he eagerly pressed the button. Instead of opening part of the cave like he was expecting, a loud rumbling was heard. A scream came from the other side of the wall, which was followed by shouting. An opening eventually did appear, but what he found inside alarmed him.
Melissa, Thomas and Kellie clumsily ran out of the dust storm surrounding them and fell to the floor, coughing. The other three rushed to their side to help them. After being assured their friends were okay, they gazed where the dust cloud had been. It had cleared to reveal broken, metal bars. The only conclusion they could come to was their friends had been restricted behind them.
"Did we miss the butt kicking?" Thomas questioned, scrambling to his feet. He was battered, bruised and still tired, but he was alright.
Truman nodded. "Yep, you did."
Thomas groaned and slapped his palm to his forehead, but didn't say anything else. Instead, he lent a hand to Kellie, who still needed to stand. Melissa was being assisted by Celeste. Once all six of them were together again, Harry quickly informed Melissa, Thomas and Kellie about their fight and Nixon. Thomas frowned in jealousy at all the action, Kellie's eyes opened wide and Melissa's eyebrows were raised.
"Well, if they're all good to go," Melissa pointed at the three villains, "then I suppose we should go change the past."
"How are we going to do that?" Kellie wondered. "It's not like we have the time machine here."
Melissa didn't say anything and casually strolled to Anne-Marie. She bent down and, much to the blonde's annoyance, dug through her pocket. It was if Melissa was mimicking what Harry had done, only with Anne-Marie. She picked out a silver box, the box that had trapped them before.
"Anne-Marie never showed us the side of this," started Melissa. "I'll show you." She rotated the small box in her hand. On the side pointing at them now was an inscription.
AMSB TIME TRAVELER 2029 MINI
"AMSB?" asked Truman.
Melissa nodded. "Anne-Marie Santles Beatles. She made this. I saw the writing before, just when we were about to go into that cloud place. I didn't know what it was then, but I know now. It's exactly like my time machine, by the looks of things, so I know how to work it. You guys ready to change the past?"
"Wait, what part are we going to change?" Celeste asked.
"Our parents decommissioning, I guess. We have to... Decommission them," Harry answered before Melissa could.
"What? Why?" Thomas had never decommissioned anyone before, and his mother said it was a tough job when he met her ten year old self.
Harry's eyes softened. "If we just stopped ourselves from going, we'd lose a member of the team."
His eyes rested upon Truman and the others followed his gaze. Of course, it was clear to them all now. If they stopped the battle with Father from happening, Truman would be "Son" forever. Or, at least until they could find a way to get him back in the present, but they didn't want to risk that.
Harry stepped forward and gathered his team.
"Let's go."
Sorry if that sounded a bit rushed. Review! It's my food. :D