Welcome faithful reader to final chapter of Numbuh 322! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Kids Next Door Moon Base
Jimmy Wilkins was an outlier who opened doors for girls. Willa March was a social butterfly who in her spare time played match maker. The pair had gone through Arctic Training together, eventually being assigned to the Moon Base.
At precisely two o'clock in Colorado, the pair of KND operatives had caught a sudden case of chicken pox. The shuttle meant to carry the operatives for their night shift sped through space, aimed at its destination, the KND Moon Base.
The shuttle passed through ray shields that protected the kids working on their 2x4 space craft from the vacuum of space. The shuttle touched down, and out of the would be empty craft, stepped out Jimmy Wilkins and Willa March. To the unsuspecting operatives who populated the landing bay, two teen infiltrators stood with them.
"Welcome to the night shift, mates." The Load Master greeted the pair. "Report to your stations as soon as possible. I recommend grabbing some Hot Chocolate from the cafeteria. It's going to be a long night."
'Jimmy Wilkins' offered a kind smile in response. The Load Master then walked off to continue his work of greeting and assessing the flow of operatives. The pair of operatives then walked off, bringing with them backpacks filled with unknown contents. The duo walked by what appeared to be wrecked S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P.
The S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. was in several pieces and almost by miracle the cockpit had held together. There was evidence of a fire that had been put out, as noted by the scorch marks on the metal flooring and the foam that covered the 2x4 ship's exterior.
The duo continued walking, paying no mind to the gathered hanger crew who aimed to haul the wreck to the ray shield and toss it into space.
Up above on a scaffolding by the far wall, stood Numbuh 322 watching over the hanger through the scope of her 2x4 sniper rifle. Earlier she'd arrived on that burnt out wreck of a ship, quickly leaving it for emergency crews to take care of.
She'd been informed by a guilt ridden teenager of a planned bombing of the Moon Base. It was a race against time to find the culprit. Thankfully, Kayla was given all she needed from the teenager. The two operatives who were replaced hailed from Colorado.
Now, Kayla stood tracking the pair of Colorado natives with her rifle as they lugged bags of equipment with them past her ruined ship. Kayla neither smirked nor glared, rather staring blankly and coldly through the scope as she studied the pair.
Besides the loud racket she'd caused earlier, Kayla intended to handle this matter as discretely as possible. She wanted to face the teen who stranded her on that Island, she wanted to see his surprise and his look of defeat.
This wasn't about the Kids Next Door anymore. This was about her and she knew it.
Kayla watched them make their way out of the hanger. She quickly gathered her gear and made her way down, hoping not to lose the pair of teens in the vast halls of the Moon Base.
'Wilkins' kept a fast but modest pace. 'March' kept a smile on her face and waved back to an operative who seemingly knew her. The duo were on the clock. They needed to set up shop and get out fast.
Kayla shadowed her targets like she'd done any other. She gave them breathing space but kept them in shooting distance. She steered clear out of the paths of other operatives, lest get tripped up in the awkward moment of trying to figure out who would step out of the others way.
Kayla followed the duo down a long corridor, one she knew by heart. The hall was desolate as the only ones present were only them. The opportunity was presented to them, unless Kayla acted she knew they would begin to run in order to swiftly plant their bomb.
"Reese Martin!" Kayla shouted loudly as she began to catch up with the teens.
'Wilkins' froze in his feet and slowly turned to glance over his shoulder. 'Wilkins' eyes widened slightly, more intrigued than shocked by Kayla's appearance. "Who?" 'Wilkins' played innocently, hoping to bypass this confrontation.
Kayla rolled her eyes as she drew out her rifle and quickly took aim. Kayla lined up the shot and pulled the trigger, rapidly propelling a sharpened pencil out of the barrel and at 'Wilkins'.
'Wilkins' froze up in the moment as the pencil came speeding at him. 'March', on the other hand quickly moved in front of 'Wilkins' and produced a pair of scimitars out of her chameleon arms. She swiftly brought one scimitar upwards, slicing the pencil down the middle, causing its two halves to harmlessly fly past the duo and land somewhere behind them.
"Get moving sir." 'March' said as her armor shifted and changed, revealing Galil. "I'll deal with her."
'Wilkins' nodded and began to run for it. Kayla let off another pair of shots, only for Galil to cut them out of the air with apparent ease.
Kayla glared at the teen, unamused by her expert sword play. Kayla holstered her rifle on her Combat Satchel and dug into her pockets, producing a magazine for the rifle. She pulled two pencils out of the magazine and tossed it aside. Kayla took a pencil in each hand and aimed the pointed ends by her pinky finger. She took a fighters stance and let her facial expression do the talking for her.
"Have at thee!" Galil shouted as she ran forward.
Kayla could see the eagerness in Galil's eyes. You'd have to be a devoted mess of a person to agree to blow up a place full of children. That was her downfall, Kayla assessed quickly.
Kayla was back on the Island, staring down one of those beasts as it ran at her. The beast charged in its ever changing form and leapt forward at her. Kayla dodged to her left, spinning on her heel in order to bring down her glass shard into the beast's inner thigh.
The beast spun angrily, breaking the glass in Kayla's hands in two. It swiped at her, cutting at her hair. But Kayla had powered on through, taking the chance to ram forward and head butt the beast's chin.
The beast backed away, attempting to recompose itself, only for Kayla to throw the glass shard at its chest like a dart. Kayla jumped forward into a kick aimed at the shard, impaling the beast with it even further.
The operative snapped out of her flashback to find Galil slumped against the metal hull of the hall. Galil looked at the pencil sticking out of her ribs and then back to Kayla, who towered over her, drawing her 2x4 sniper rifle.
"You all loose in the end." Galil spat defiantly.
Kayla's retort was a simple smack with the butt of the 2x4 sniper rifle.
Satisfied with her work, Kayla returned her attention to 'Wilkins', who was still running down the hall, looking for a turn or another door to duck into, someplace safe where he could arm the bomb he no doubt carried in his back pack.
Kayla quickly raised her rifle and took aim at the teen in hiding. She pulled the trigger and shot a pencil, sure that no one would get in the way of its path this time.
The pencil struck 'Wilkins' from behind, catching itself in his shoulder armor. He turned to see Kayla running at him, firing without aim as a flurry of pencils began to rain down upon him. 'Wilkins' brought his forearms upward in order to protect his head, succeeding entirely as the pencils struck his upper body and arms.
'Wilkins' lowered his arms, only to be greeted by the butt of Kayla's rifle. 'Wilkins' fell over and Kyla took the opportunity to bash the butt of her gun against his face until she was sure her was knocked out.
Kayla checked the backpack he wore, finding the bomb unarmed. Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. She tossed the bomb aside and took the bag, recognizing some value in taking the teen's belongings, especially when finding the numerous weapons it carried.
Kayla began to drag 'Wilkins' by the collar, calmly walking back the way they came from. Along the way Kayla passed by a stirring Galil. Kayla kicked her in her face repeatedly until she'd fallen back into unconsciousness.
"There's a teenager down this hall!" Kayla shouted as she dragged 'Wilkins' into a more populated hallway.
Numerous operatives, still on alert from recent events involving exposed teenagers amongst their ranks, quickly took the initiative to investigate. Kayla wordlessly walked off with the unconscious 'Wilkins', heading back to the hanger.
As word spread of the teenager, more and more attention was directed to the hallway, no one questioned the sight of Kayla walking off with a body. Kayla boarded the shuttle the pair of teens flew in on. Kayla manned the controls and then the shuttle took off.
Hours Later
When Reese awoke in the familiar internals of the shuttle he'd arrived in. His Battle Ready Armor had been shredded reveling his true form to the world. He groaned and attempted to stand, only to find himself tied down to a rolling chair. The teen caught sight of Numbuh 322 leaning against the metal hull. She turned and stared blankly at the teen.
"Who do you work for?" She asked calmly.
"Piss off." Reese said defiantly.
Kayla nodded and bit her lower lip. She pulled out Reese's pack, the one he'd brought the bomb in. She crouched and began to dig through the contents of the bag, removing a knife from the bag. Kayla looked over and began to approach Reese with the knife. Reese looked mortified, his mind already making conclusions on what the kid intended to do to him with the knife.
"Where can I find your boss?" Kayla asked, reaching out with her free hand and grabbing the back of the chair. Kayla began to drag the chair across the ship.
Reese's protests fell on deaf ears as Kayla opened the door controls. The doors plopped open and Kayla moved Reese forward so his face was pointed outside. Reese froze as Kayla tipped his chair forward.
"Answer my questions." Kayla spoke coldly. "Or I drop you."
"Oh god!" Reese exclaimed. The teen stared downward at the long fall to the landmass below. While it would brand him a traitor for sure, Reese was now beginning to consider giving in to the kid's demands.
Reese recognized Kayla the moment he saw her. She was the kid who rated a bomb on a plane. She'd come back from it all and was there to greet him on the Moon Base. It said a lot about one's character when their drive pushed them to beyond their perceived limitations. There really was no sure way to judge the truth to her threats.
"I'm waiting." Kayla muttered.
"Samantha Lynch!" Reese shouted over the sounds of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s engines. "Her name's Samantha Lynch!"
"Where can I find 'Samantha Lynch'?" Kayla growled, tipping the chair even more to intimidate Reese further.
"Rhode Island!" The teenager shouted. "We're based in Rhode Island! You can find her there!" Reese began to cry. "There, happy? Now pull me back in!"
"You know where we are?" Kayla asked rhetorically, pointing downward at the land mass below. "When I returned from here, a business company talked one of my peers into finding this island with her 'nose'." Kayla pointed the knife at Reese's nose. "The grief you've cause me has a name after all."
Kayla retracted the blade, discretely moving it against the ropes that bound Reese to the chair. She leaned forward against his ear and coldly whispered, "Welcome to Rainbow Monkey Island."
In one swift movement, Kayla cut the ropes, causing Reese to fall out of the chair. The teen's screams fell on deaf ears as Kayla calmly threw the rolling chair back into the ship. She stepped back and hit the door's 'close' button.
Kayla calmly walked to the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s and began to plot a course to Rhode Island. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. flew off into the rising night as once more Kayla left that cursed Island behind her. Only this time she did so with a victorious smile.
And so ends 'Numbuh 322'! The final prelude story to the climactic end of Phase 1 of The Legends Universe! Don't worry, Numbuh 322's adventures will continue! SEQUELS!
Next: The Prospectors!