Numbuh 545 did not notice the person behind him, until they said, "How is the cadets' training going?"
He jumped to a salute at once, to the person who had once had to salute him instead of vice versa. "Numbuh 24.5 sir!" he exclaimed. "You escaped!"
She nodded once. "Indeed I did, Numbuh 545, with the help of a… accomplice." She glanced behind her, where the masked person stood waiting. She mouth, I'll talk to you in a minute, to which they saluted and exited the small cave.
"Sir, are you certain that the GKND doesn't know these caves exist?"
"Impossible," she said, turning her attention back to the training officer. "Some scouts just reported to me that the Galactic Kids Next Door just sent reconnaissance ships to scan our tree houses; they found nothing." She looked out over at the ten cadets, who currently had a ten minute break. Two were throwing a Whizbee to one another, and laughing raucously; another three were running around playing tag, while four more were gathered around the last.
It was a young boy, about eight years old, Marcela guessed. His bleach blond hair was all over the place, and he appeared to be explaining something to the other cadets, who all watched him with round eyes.
Following her gaze, Numbuh 545 chuckled slightly. "Ah, that's Cadet Hapray, quite the role model. He's one of the best I've had, impeccably polite too." He coughed several times. "Unlike someone I knew…"
Numbuh 24.5 ignored this. Her old tricks from when she was ten were something of a joke both she and Numbuh 545 were fond of.
An idea suddenly hit her. She observed Hapray more carefully this time, taking in account his body language. He was gesturing animatedly to emphasize whatever he was talking about, and when one of the others asked a question, she could tell that he replied sincerely.
"Numbuh 545," she said. "They'll be assigned operatives in one day's time, correct?"
"Yes, sir," he replied warily.
"I request that Cadet Hapray be assigned to me."
His mouth fell open, and for a moment, he spluttered. "B-but sir!" he cried, "You've never had a cadet assigned to you before! Are… are you sure you can handle it?"
"Absolutely," she replied firmly, without hesitation. Seeing his uncertain look, she added, "I don't have time to argue with you about it, Numbuh 545. I'd prefer not to make it a direct order."
He saluted her, albeit grudgingly. Nodding in satisfaction, she said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to speak with our guest." With that, she turned around, heading in the same direction that the masked person had previously taken.
"Ah, Numbuh 1," said Numbuh Infinity, smiling a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "So glad you could join me."
They both stood at the bridge of the Galactic Kids Next Door, looking out over the various vessels flying around the space station like a bunch of hornets. Numbuh 1 had a feeling he knew exactly why he'd been called here by Numbuh Infinity, but he wasn't about to make assumptions.
"Did we already send out ships to collect data on the KND from Adlenir?" he asked.
"Affirmative," replied Numbuh Infinity. "However, when we got there, their tree houses were… deserted. It was like they vanished off the face of their planet."
Numbuh 1 digested this news; somehow, it didn't surprise him that they would've evacuated their bases. They must have been expecting an attack from the GKND- which he had no doubt they would get soon enough. He wondered if this had something to do with the Black 'n Blue Bruise code Numbuh 24.5 had given to Numbuh 842.
"What would you like me to do about it?" he asked, trying not to sound too disrespectful.
If he was disrespectful, Numbuh Infinity ignored it entirely. "We have decided," he said slowly, turning away, "That you will go on a reconnaissance mission. Try to discover where they're hiding, and report back as soon as possible. I want as much information as you can uncover."
Numbuh 1 couldn't help but feel slightly nervous at having such a huge solo mission. "Are you certain that I should go it alone, sir?" he asked.
Numbuh Infinity chuckled quietly, making him feel even more anxious now. "Of course not, Numbuh 1… that's why we brought in an old friend of yours to help you. We're under the impression that you've done a reconnaissance mission of sorts with her before…"
He pressed a button on his wristwatch, muttering, "Bring her in." The doors to the bridge slid open, and Numbuh 1 nearly reeled back in shock as two galactic guards brought in someone he was not expecting to see.
"Let… me… GO! Dumb boys!" shrieked Numbuh 86. She stopped kicking long enough to sneer at the two of them. "Oooooh, look, if it isn't the two boys who saw fit to abandon the Kids Next Door a couple years ago. Well I am NOT thrilled to see ye!"
"Likewise, Numbuh 86," said Numbuh Infinity coldly. "Before you join Numbuh 1 on his mission, I'd like to just ask you a single question."
She smirked widely. "And what makes ye think I'll answer?" Numbuh 1 had to admit that Fanny had a point; she would most likely never help them, not in a million years.
"I have my reasons… tell me, would you like to know where Numbuh 60 is?"
At those words, Numbuh 86 froze. Her eyes went wide, and for the first time she sounded completely uncertain of herself. "What… you… know where… Patton is?" Her voice shook slightly.
"I'll ask you the question before I tell you that… so, here it is: what did former Numbuh 362 tell you the day before her disappearance?"
At that question, both Numbuhs 1 and 86 stared at him in shock. Fanny was the first to recover. "Rachel hasn't been seen for years; why do ye want to know?"
"That's none of your concern," replied Numbuh Infinity. "I'd suggest you tell me, or Numbuh 60 will disappear as well- only this time, his disappearance will be on your conscience!"
Nigel could barely believe what he was hearing. He'd never have thought Numbuh Infinity was capable of this kind of cruelty; he had gone after one of the few people who cared about Numbuh 86 just to get her to cooperate. He was finding himself less and less sure that Numbuh Infinity was right, and he was beginning to see what Numbuh 24.5 had been claiming all along.
Fanny hung her head in defeat. "Rachel's vanishing is already on my conscience," she murmured. "I let her do it… the day before it happened, she just told me I wouldn't see her again. She didn't tell me where she was going, just made me promise to take care of the KND fer her. I should've stopped her then, but I did nothing." Then her head shot back up and she glared at Numbuh Infinity. "Of course, based on what you've been up to, maybe it's a good thing ye can't find her!"
"I see…" muttered Numbuh Infinity. He looked Numbuh 86 directly in the eye. "If you want to get Numbuh 60 back, you'll have to accompany Numbuh 1 on his spy mission. Take our guest to mission prep, please." He motioned to the guards, who saluted and exited the bridge, a no-longer-struggling Fanny between them. As they exited, she shot Numbuh 1 a look that said, 'What is wrong with you?'
"Sir," said Numbuh 1, "What's all this about Numbuh 60?"
"I had to ensure her cooperation," he replied, not sounding at all bothered. "And before you ask… Rachel McKenzie is a dangerous figure in this entire fiasco with planet Adlenir. I'm almost certain that she's allied with them."
"Speaking of Rachel… you do know that that mission Fanny and I were on together ended up backfiring? That we accidentally apprehended Numbuh- I mean, former Numbuh 362 instead of the target?"
Numbuh Infinity nodded. "I am aware of this, Numbuh 1. However, I have complete faith in you. Besides, Numbuh 86 is more of the… bait, than anything else. You should go to mission prep and get ready."
Numbuh 1 saluted and exited, wondering just what Numbuh Infinity meant by 'bait'.
About an hour later, he found himself in a stealth fighter, with Numbuh 86 seated in the other pilot seat. She was scowling- no surprise there- and looking away from him. Numbuh 1 knew it wouldn't be long before she started rambling in fury.
Sure enough, she opened her mouth- only to be cut off by him.
"If you're going to start yelling, please don't take too long," he said wryly. She trembled with rage, but sounded surprisingly calm.
"I just wanted to know… what possessed ye to work fer such a power-hungry brat? Honestly, Numbuh 1- he's even worse than Numbuh 363 was, and that's saying something!"
Well, he certainly hadn't missed her constant accusations and insults, but it was a bit of a relief to be working with someone he knew. Still, Numbuh 86 was one of the people he had missed a lot less.
"I had little choice in the matter," he replied. "I've been busy fighting tyranny, as well as the disease of adulthood; I don't have time to worry about Numbuh Infinity!" That wasn't strictly true, though. He knew that Numbuh Infinity had been growing a distinctly darker personality than before, and he often caught himself wondering if he was doing the right thing.
"Disease?" she asked, gawking. "Oh, please; I'm a frickin' teenager too, ye know! And it isn't bad at all. In fact, not a whole lot has changed. How can adulthood be a disease?"
Numbuh 1 sighed, deciding not to explain it to her. He just followed orders. She huffed, turning away again, but it wasn't long before she asked another question.
"Ye didn't have anything to do with Numbuh 60's kidnapping… did ye?" she asked in a more hushed voice. When Numbuh 1 shook his head, she sighed with relief. He almost smirked slightly; if he didn't know any better, he'd say she had a thing for Patton- but he knew better than to mention that aloud. He didn't really want to die yet.
"Good," she muttered. "Maybe I can work with ye… just a little."
He ignored this comment, activating the cloaking device on the fighter. Adlenir was in sight now, the blue planet still resembling earth greatly. He spotted the larger moon, and could even make out the moonbase on it. The smaller moon, with the training base, was hidden behind the planet itself. Numbuh 86 observed their destination with narrowed eyes, but he could tell that there was uncertainty there as well.
Landing wasn't all that difficult for him; the fighter set down easily, in a thick forest. He and Fanny exited the fighter, weapons at the ready. He had opted to take a laser gun, while Fanny had chosen a teddy bear launcher. Numbuh 1 pressed a button on his own watch, causing it to show him a radar screen.
"My ship's scanning the area for enemies," he explained when she raised her eyebrows. Shrugging, she simply moved away through the undergrowth, Numbuh 1 following her.
He had no clue where to start; where did you find a bunch of KND operatives when they weren't in their tree houses?
"Hey, Numbuh 1?" hissed Numbuh 86.
"What?" he hissed back.
"I was just wondering… how much do you care about Rachel?"
He looked at her in surprise. "Um… I don't know, a lot I guess… why?"
For some reason, Fanny looked almost angry. Then she sighed a little. "It doesn't matter, it's just… she cared about you a lot, ye know… and she was a different person after ye… left. I'm pretty sure she almost cried when she was trying to get Sector V to tell her where ye went."
Numbuh 1 tried to push away the sudden feelings of guilt he had, but they persisted. All at once, his radar began beeping. It showed four dots, moving toward them fast.
He was about to grab Numbuh 86 and run for it, when it felt like the back of his head exploded. He struggled to stay conscious, but it was no use… in a few moments, everything went black.
Numbuh 24.5 regarded the prisoner before her. Numbuh 1 and his companion hadn't been too difficult to apprehend, but she was still suspicious. He was unconscious at the moment, strapped into a lie detector chair that one of the operatives had managed to salvage from their now-deserted moonbase.
She turned around to the person standing in shadow behind her. They had purposefully made it so that the interrogation room had little lighting; it unnerved those being questioned, making it easier for the lie detector to work.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked hesitantly. She knew it wouldn't be easy…
"Yes."
"Well then, good luck."
Numbuh 1 groaned a little; his head felt like it had just been mashed by one of the Delightful Children's robots. He forced his eyes open, panicking slightly when the area came into focus. He recognized the chair he'd been strapped into- a lie detector chair.
"Welcome back to the real world."
He was instantly annoyed; he didn't really want Numbuh 24.5 gloating in front of him, making comments like, "Now you know what it's like being a prisoner." He glared at her, where she stood with her hands behind her back, looking professional.
She sounded almost apologetic, however. "This is, unfortunately, something that had to be done, Numbuh 1," she said. "We'd like it if you just answered our questions without fuss."
"Where's Numbuh 86?" he snarled.
"She's fine," said Numbuh 24.5, rolling her eyes. "She was only too happy to tell us what she knew. It's you that we're concerned about now."
She paused, cocking her head slightly. "Well?" Nigel spat. "Are you going to question me or not?"
"I'm not your interrogator, Numbuh 1; someone else requested that position."
He was instantly confused. He could imagine that Numbuh 86 would want to question him, but Numbuh 24.5 probably didn't trust her enough to allow her to. No one else on the planet knew who he was.
"Who?" he asked.
Numbuh 24.5 stepped off to the side, and another person came forward. He recognized what they were wearing to be the same attire that the Supreme Leader's rescuer was. But it wasn't that that completely shocked him. For the first time since this mission had begun, he felt fear; real fear, because the person's eyes were completely cold, devoid of emotion.
"Hello, Nigel," said Rachel.
Wesley Hapray watched while Numbuh 545 made two of his fellow cadets do pushups. He tried to quell the butterflies in his stomach, but he just couldn't; today, they'd be getting their operative assignments.
What if he got an assignment to a horrible operative? What if he just couldn't handle it? What if he was told he wasn't good enough to be in the KND, and sent home? What if…
"Wes?" Zoey asked, looking at him with concern. "Are you okay?"
He looked down at another fellow cadet, eight years old like him. He suddenly felt the butterflies in his stomach increase, and he noticed how her blue eyes sparkled…
"Wes?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Zoe. Just nervous," he said, cursing himself for stuttering.
She giggled a little. "That's okay, Wes; we all are."
She beamed at him, a radiant smile on her features. Wesley knew he had a giant crush on the girl before him; his mom made fun of him for it nonstop. So did his little sister, for that matter.
"All right, cadets!" called Numbuh 545. "Your assignments are as follows… Cadet Flaron, you are assigned Numbuh 6 of Sector F!"
"Hey, that's pretty cool," said Zoey, smiling shyly. "I didn't think I'd get an assignment in Sector F." Wesley wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave a quick squeeze, before pulling away quickly, feeling heat on his face. She gave him a peculiar look, before shrugging.
"Cadet Hapray, you are assigned to Numbuh 24.5, Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door."
Jaws dropped everyone, and he felt slightly self-conscious as the gaze of every cadet in the small cave where they trained turned on him. He pointed at himself, mouth open in a silent question. Realizing how undignified this looked, he straightened and nodded.
Inside, he could barely believe it. As far as he knew, no one had ever been the protégé of Numbuh 24.5, not even when she'd been a field operative. He wasn't sure if he should count himself lucky, or be completely afraid.
After a few minutes of waiting, Numbuh 545 said, "Dismissed! Everyone must now go find their various assignments, on the double."
Cadet Hapray swallowed, and steeled himself to meet his new mentor as he dashed out of the room.
As he hurried down the hallway, he nearly crashed into a redhead teen. "Watch it, boy!" she bellowed as he ran past her. That was odd; he'd never seen her before.
"R-r-rachel?" Numbuh 1 spluttered, receiving what was probably his worst shock yet. "But what… how… why…"
The gaze with which she regarded him held no pity; the brown eyes that used to be warm and friendly (unless she was berating him) were glaring at him with such force that he was sure she could've blasted him through the wall behind him. Her blond hair, which was normally neat and short, had grown out a little, and now looked ratty and disheveled. He knew what the black suit she wore was now: it was the same thing she used to wear back in the E.L.I.T.E. squad.
Her posture hadn't changed; she still held herself the same way, and she still had that look that every Supreme Leader had. He could even see that both Numbuh 24.5 and Rachel had that steely glint in their eyes.
And she completely ignored his rambling.
Turning to Numbuh 24.5, she asked her, "How will we get him to tell us what we want to know?"
Numbuh 24.5 scowled. "If you're thinking torture, get it out of your head now. We do not torture our fellow kids- or in this case, teens."
Rachel actually looked a little taken aback that Numbuh 24.5 would assume she was thinking that. "No- that's not what I meant. I meant that he might not tell us anything."
"Well, that depends," said Numbuh 24.5. "Will you answer our questions, Numbuh 1?"
Recovering from his shock, he considered this for a moment. Numbuh Infinity had not specifically order him not to give away any of the GKND's secrets, so he was free to tell them whatever they wanted. Plus, he was starting to lose his confidence in Numbuh Infinity's capability to do the right thing.
"I'll tell you whatever you want to know," he said sincerely. Numbuh 24.5 looked relieved, but Rachel's face remained impassive.
"What is the Galactic Kids Next Door's next move against Adlenir?"
He blinked at her several times, surprised at her bluntness before answering to the best of his ability.
"I can't give you details," he replied, and there was genuine regret in his voice, "But there definitely will be an attack on this planet at some point. As I said, I don't know anything apart from that."
"Green," said Numbuh 24.5, looking down at a device she held in her hands.
"Where has Numbuh Infinity imprisoned Numbuh 60?"
He swallowed, slightly nervous at the way she was almost drilling him with questions. "I don't know for sure… my guess is somewhere in the main prison block, where people won't noticed him too much."
"Green."
If Rachel was surprised by his honesty, she didn't show it. "Are you aware that Numbuh Infinity is actually the Supreme Leader of the Galactic Kids Next Door?"
"What?"
"Green."
"But that's impossible!" he cried. "Numbuh Infinity's the ambassador, not the leader!"
"Wrong, Numbuh 1," said Numbuh 24.5. "Rachel's been utilizing her spy skills on the Galactic Kids Next Door for some time now, and all the orders given trace back to Numbuh Infinity. He just uses his ambassador thing as a cover for who he really is. From what Rachel has observed, everyone's in the dark about it."
Well, he thought, that would explain why he's always so self-assured.
"Are you aware that the Galactic Kids Next Door are actually the ones who sabotaged the computer of your tree house to fall in love with you, thereby severing any connection you had to Lizzie Devine?"
He just stared at her this time.
"Are you guys trying to make me join you?"
"Yep," replied Numbuh 24.5, sounding perfectly serious. "Although Rachel would rather see you thrown in one of our cells." At these words, Rachel shot her a dirty look, which didn't seem to faze Numbuh 24.5 at all. "We do need help from an experienced operative such as yourself, you know. I believe that your assistance would be invaluable."
Suddenly, another kid sprinted into the room, saluting rigidly. "Cadet Hapray, reporting for duty, sir!"
Rachel looked confused, but Numbuh 24.5 smiled hugely. "Cadet Hapray, good to see you! I presume that, if you're here, Numbuh 545 gave you your assignment?"
"He did, sir!"
"Excellent," she said, still smiling at the eight year old cadet. "I'm in the middle of an interrogation at the moment, but you may observe if you wish. Please keep any noise at a minimum."
"Yes, sir."
"Oh- hold on a moment, Cadet Hapray," she said. "I suppose introductions are in order. This," she said, indicating Rachel, "Is Numbuh 362, former Supreme Leader of the KND on planet earth and E.L.I.T.E. spy for me. The boy in the chair is Numbuh 1, field operative of the Galactic Kids Next Door."
The boy looked alarmed at the mention of the GKND, but he nodded and sat in a corner, his eyes bright with curiosity as he watched the proceedings. Numbuh 1 wondered why there was even a cadet there in the first place.
The rest of the interrogation went by without much incident, with Numbuh 1 answering the question to the best of his ability. Numbuh 362 (he realized that she was still an operative while on this planet) remained passive throughout. Still, it felt like the questioning took forever, and he just wanted to get away from her chilling gaze.
"Come on, Cadet Hapray," called Numbuh 24.5. "I'll show you where my temporary office is…" The kid followed her with quiet dignity, something Numbuh 1 admired. All at once, he was alone with Rachel.
She made to exit, but before she could he asked, "Rachel… why do you hate me?"
She froze when he asked the question. Without turning around, she answered, "If you weren't so blind, you'd know the answer already."
With that, she left, not even looking back.
However, a scream from somewhere not far off caused her to hurry back in.
"Come on!" she yelled, grabbing his arm. He was pretty sure that it was Numbuh 24.5 who had screamed.
"WHAT is HE doing here?" screeched Numbuh 24.5, fire practically spewing from her ears. The two guards holding the teen between them gulped simultaneously at their leader's fury.
"W-we're sorry, sir!" one of them said nervously. "He turned himself in."
Remembering that she had an eight year old under her care, she did her best to calm down. She thought she would never see Jasper Ranson- a.k.a. former Numbuh 456- again. She glared at the black haired boy only one year older than her, irked to see him completely calm.
"Very well then," she replied, getting back into leader mode, "You are dismissed. I think I can handle this coward"- he flinched at that word- "on my own."
Just as the guards were about to leave, Numbuhs 1 and 362 burst into her office, panting.
"We heard you scream, sir," said Numbuh 362, saluting her.
Numbuh 24.5 shrugged. "It's nothing major," she said. "Just an unfortunate blast from the past. I'll soon have him decommissioned and sent home to his mommy."
Numbuh 1 frowned, and she could see the suspicion beginning to grow on his face when he looked at Jasper. "Is that Numbuh 456?" he asked.
"Not anymore, Numbuh 1," said Cadet Hapray grimly, answering for her. "He broke the rules of the KND. He can't be an operative anymore. In fact, he shouldn't even be aware of its existence."
"Look," said Jasper, beginning to look irritated. "I don't know how I got my memories back, they just sort of… came to me. I want to help!"
Numbuh 24.5 looked over at Rachel and Nigel. "Did you hear something?" she asked dryly. "Guards!" she called again. They came back in, looking away from Jasper in disgust as they prepared to drag him away. Before they could, however, he stated something else.
"I know about your fight with the GKND."
That made Numbuh 24.5 sigh. Suddenly, she felt incredibly tired, and she was forced to wave the guards away a second time. She glanced over at where Numbuh 362 and Numbuh 1 stood. Her protégé stood with them, looking unsure as to what he should do.
"I want you guys to leave as well," she said, not caring if she sounded rude. "Cadet, you may ask Numbuh 362 anything you'd like to know about my position as Supreme Leader. She'll most likely know the answer."
"Okay, sir," he said with a shrug, following them out of the small little cave that was her office. Numbuh 24.5 waited until their voices receded down the hall before turning back to the intruder.
"All right, how much do you know?" she asked, glaring at the fifteen year old. If he thought she would ever forgive him for what he had done- or rather, what he hadn't done, he was sorely mistaken.
"All I know is that you're practically at war with an intergalactic organization that seems to be hell-bent on eliminating you," he said with a shrug. His dark blue eyes stared at her with curiosity, clearly wondering what her reaction would be. "The enemy most likely has more advanced 2x4 technology than you do; you're going to need all the help you can get."
She glared at him, but could not ignore the truth in his words. She paced back and forth in front of him, the desk that she had placed in here behind her. "There's no way we can trust you to do the right thing," she said.
"I know," he replied; Numbuh 24.5 nearly shook with fury at how he didn't sound guilty at all. "But you may have to, Marcela."
"Don't call me that!" she shrieked, making him wince. Inside, she cursed herself; she really needed to be able to keep her cool in front of him. Taking several deep breaths, she somehow regained her composure.
"I didn't have a choice, you know," he said, more softly now. "I didn't want to run, but I had to."
She trembled in rage. "You left us all to die," she hissed at him.
"You think I wanted to?" he asked, louder now. "You think I wanted to leave you behind? She threatened me! She told me that if I didn't run, didn't humiliate myself, she'd kill you, Marcela."
Numbuh 24.5 frowned over at him. "What are you blabbering about?"
He exhaled slowly, meeting her eyes again. "Look, just hear me out, all right?"
In answer, she sat on the edge of her desk, gesturing for him to continue.
"You've heard of Numbuh 501, right?" he asked.
"Who hasn't?" she answered. Numbuh 501 was a legend among the Kids Next Door for being the leader to save kids all over Adlenir from total agefication. At only eight years old, the girl had taken charge, beating back the evil adults and bringing peace for the first time since the KND's establishment.
"Well, the Dark Teen was her." Ignoring the skeptical look she shot him, he continued. "There's a side to the story that most people don't know about… she was an excellent leader at first, but later she started going a little crazy. People said she had mood swings- one minute she'd be screaming at her subordinates, the next she'd be giving away candy to them. Her orders were random and didn't really have anything to do with fighting adult tyranny whatsoever. So the head of decommissioning at the time decided that it was best to take action.
"Numbuh 501, of course, did not take kindly to the idea; however, the decommissioning squad managed to overwhelm her and remove her DNA from the code module. Unfortunately, she managed to escape while on the way to chamber where she'd lose her memory. She disappeared for a long time, never to be seen again- until two years ago."
"Why would she want to discredit you?" snarled Numbuh 24.5.
"Because," he answered, "The head of decommissioning who stopped her was my older brother. She thought that through punishing me, she'd be punishing him too. She confronted me while I was in the Supreme Leader's office- how she got in undetected, I'll never know- and told me that she knew of the mission I was planning with Sector F against her. She told me that she wouldn't hesitate to kill you, specifically, if I didn't make a fool out of myself. So I did."
"She was already killing me," spat Numbuh 24.5. "I could barely breathe at the time. It was a miracle that I managed to get her away from me."
"She could've killed you a lot faster; she could've snapped your neck."
Numbuh 24.5 sat in silence for a few moments, taking all of this in. Jasper seemed honest, but she was far from forgiving him. Still…
"Okay, you can help us," she muttered. "But as a regular operative; no special treatment whatsoever. And if I so much as get a hint of betrayal from you, Numbuh 914 won't have to do his job, because I'll decommission you myself."
"Fine," he replied, looking relieved. He paused for a moment, before saying, "So you've taken a cadet, then?"
She nodded curtly, and then whipped out her communicator. "Numbuh 842, are you busy?" she asked. "No? All right, we have an old operative wanting to help us; would you mind showing him where the majority of operatives are sleeping? Thanks." She turned back to Jasper. "You can wait in here for her to come. In the meantime, I have some business to attend to."
She pressed another button on her communicator. "Hey, Numbuh 362. Please escort Numbuh 1 and Cadet Hapray to Lower Meeting Room A. I'll be there in a little while with Numbuh 3 AM, Numbuh 842, Numbuh 914, and Numbuh 86."
It turned out to be a council of war. Numbuh 362 could see that the majority of discussions took place among the elvens; all she did was add a suggestion here and there. Numbuh 86 had quickly gotten along with Numbuh 914, seeing as how they were both heads of decommissioning at some point.
The meeting was adjourned after about an hour. Wesley Hapray went off on some assignment for Numbuh 24.5, while Numbuh 3 AM and Numbuh 842 went off to inform the many field operatives about their plan. In the end, Numbuh 24.5 had made the decision to hit the GKND first, and to hit them hard. Numbuh 1 was ultimately on their side now, and agreed to lay out a tactical readout of the space station that was the base for the Galactic Kids Next Door.
Numbuh 86 was told to assist Numbuh 545 in cadet training, while Numbuh 914 was told to take care of various tasks. As for Numbuh 362 herself… she had to be the one to fill in Numbuh 1 on whatever he wanted to know about the Kids Next Door on Adlenir. Numbuh 24.5 seemed to trust him, but Numbuh 362 did not.
"How is this place even big enough the house the entire organization?" he asked as they headed down a long tunnel, lit by makeshift light bulbs.
"It's a giant system of caves that stretches almost halfway across the continent," she replied curtly. "There are hidden entrances all over the place; we're only taking up a small part of it." Turning right, she entered a computer lab. It was deserted; all of the science geeks were getting some sleep, under Numbuh 24.5's orders. Rachel had no doubt that if it had been up to the nerds themselves, they would still be doing their research right now.
Numbuh 1 stood beside her in silence for a while, as she typed furiously on the computer. She wished he would go bother Numbuh 24.5 instead of her.
"Are you alright, Rachel?" he asked hesitantly.
Clearly, he didn't expect her response to be a mirthless laugh, because he looked almost taken aback. "Alright?" she asked. "Why would I be okay?" There was a dark amusement in her eyes. Then, suddenly, she felt something break inside her. All the hard resolve she'd had in her latest missions, all the emotion she'd bottled up inside these past years came pouring out.
"How could anyone expect me to be fine?" she asked again; this time her voice shook. "The best operative earth had vanishes. Ha! Only Sector V really got to see my reaction to that. Did I show it to anyone else? NO! And why not? Because I was the frickin' Supreme Leader, the person everyone respects but never wants to be friends with. Could I act all depressed, just because of one operative? Of course not, because then I would barely be able to hold them together. Even after Numbuh 5 took over… I could never be me. So no, I am most certainly not all right."
She didn't even notice her fists were shaking now. No, no, no, this wasn't what she should be saying to him!
"I had to leave, you know," he remarked. He sounded like he was desperately trying to convince her. "It was for the good of kids everywhere"-
"Really? And yet here we are, fighting against the very force you sought to aid not so long ago."
Now she was making him angry, and she felt slightly satisfied to see his eyes narrow. He opened his mouth to say something, when someone walked in the door.
"Whoa…" said Jasper, staring at the both of them. "Uh… yeah, I'll just be leaving now." Not wanting to get involved, he quickly hurried out of the computer lab.
"What is it, Numbuh 257?" asked Numbuh 24.5. She was trying to go fetch a sleeping bag so that she could crash for awhile, but as always had no such luck in that category.
He held out one of the many recording devices they had planted throughout the cave system, to maintain security. "I think you should listen to this, sir. It's… rather important."
She frowned, but pressed the playback button. At first, the voice was distant, but it soon came into focus.
"… capturing her would be difficult… excellent martial arts skills…"
"That does not matter," came a second voice, which Numbuh 24.5 recognized as Numbuh Infinity's. "Rachel McKenzie is essential if we are to be victorious. The time has come to reveal yourself…"
Numbuh 24.5 knew what this meant. Two things: one, there was a traitor in their midst. Two: Numbuh 362, wherever she was, was in great danger.
She took off, ignoring the alarmed voice of Numbuh 257 behind her.
Jasper headed down the tunnel, searching for another computer lab to research what he was looking for, when a blue blur whooshed past him. He sighed, reaching out to catch the person's arm.
Numbuh 24.5 gasped for breath, trying to rip herself free. "362!" she panted, eyes wild. "Where… is she? Danger…"
He pointed back in the direction of the computer lab, and followed her as she ran towards it. "But I wouldn't go in there, she and Numbuh 1 are…"
They reached the entrance, which revealed Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 362. For a moment, he and 24.5 froze in shock.
"…fighting," Jasper finished, staring at the scene before him. "Or… I guess making out works too."
Author's Note: Couldn't resist the 1x362 goodness! Yep, Rachel was spying on the Galactic Kids Next Door of her own accord, until she found out about Numbuh 24.5 making an enemy out of them, and she decided to help. Jasper has returned, and that means trouble for Marcela…
And who is the traitor?
Anyway, please, someone review. So far, it seems like only one person has been reading this story. I'll keep writing no matter what, but still. Even one word reviews are accepted! Just please review!