A/N: Hey again! Sorry I'm a few days late, there's been a significant increase in homework, tests, band, ballet (pointe work hurts) and movies that I have been told I HAVE to see. I have conquered 3 of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and THEY RULE! So yeah, I hope you like chapter 5. Mostly an informational chap, completely from Joey's sector's POV. Okay, read on!

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Kids Next Door Mission...

Operation: F.O.R.G.E.T.

Fragments

Of

Recovery

Gradually

Enable

Team reunion

CHAPTER 4 – Epidemic

I sat uncomfortably in my seat, and not just because it was in need of a serious re-stuffing. Numbuh 263 had seemed so agitated when we had received that video transmission in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. It was like he thought something was going to attack at any moment, but whatever it was, it was dragging out the process. It set me on edge to see our usually calm and collected leader so timid. I now sat in an old cushioned, seat in the moonbase global meeting room, a stadium filled with millions of thrown together office charis, plastic kiddy chairs, padded metal stools and classroom seats with curved backs. fidgeting and listening to my teammates talk in concern about whatever it was that was so important it had to be announced to the entire KND in the safety of the soundproof arena.

"Who do you think has got numbuh 263 so worked up?" numbuh 303 asked, her voice soft and meak. We were all concerned, and were edgily awaiting answers to the growing number of questions.

"Well, it can't be a villain we know, or it wouldn't have gotten him so worried," numbuh 505's wit never failed to give us an advance in investigation, and just because the target was our leader, doesn't mean she didn't throw her entire mind into it. After a few minutes, and more talking and thinking and sharing ideas about who or what could be so important that an emergancy meeting had to be called, most of which were found to be a dead end, numbuh 8,860 stepped up on stage, and gradually, the rest of the stadium fell silent.

"Greetings fellow Kids Next Door. As you have probably heard, things are happening within the KND, and though we tried to handle the matter without making it public, the problem is getting out of hand. We have been forced to tell the entire Kids Next Door, so that we may have more brains and eyes on the case. Numbuh 263, please take over." As he walked steadily off the raised platform, you could still hear his shaky sigh, picked up by the all-inclusive magnification of the microphone. That only pushed us further to the edge of our seats.

We saluted again as Robert took the stage, nodding solemnly to numbuh 8,860. He looked slightly more secure than on the video screen in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. but not fully himself, not content or satisfied or proud, not like if this had been graduation of a class of Cadets. But he still had it in him to shout out our battle cry, in a surprisingly strong tone.

"Kids Next Door RULES!" He yelled, raising his fist to the sky. Everyone in the stadium copied. This was one of the times I felt lucky to be a Kid Next Door, and more united than ever with my fellow operatives. Millions of kids, all together under one roof, from across the globe, shouting the same battle cry, on the moon, where no adult has ever tried to make a settlement. Well, successfully tried to make a settlement anyway.

"Fellow Kids Next door operatives, throughout the past weeks we have been experiencing something that has never been recorded in the history of our organisation. Up until now, this situation has been kept under lock and key from everyone except myself, and a few other operatives, scientists, field agents and 2/4 technology officers who have been working tirelessly to try and fix, even just explain the problem."

The tone of his voice told me and everyone watching that this was no ordinary problem. This was a threat to the entire KND. The entire stadium watching on with worried eyes, their gazes causing Robert to take a big, heaving breath to steady himself. There was none of the usual whispered chatter amongst the kids towards the back. The coughs and heavy breathing that were ever-present in past meetings had diminished under the silence. All that remained was the ticking of the massive universal clock that hung at least fourty feet above the centre podium, and the faint crackling from the microphone.

"Operatives have begun to turn on their own teams," he finally surrendered to the fact that this was too big a problem to keep secret any more. "At first there was one case. Jesse Grey. He was close to decommisioning and we put the case down as an early conversion to the teens, as we have seen happen many times before. But over the following week, cases started popping up over the globe. Operatives as young as eight, with 5 years of the kids next door left, suddenly start rebelling against their sectors and any other kid that tried to reason with them. Never, never in the entire KND history has this happened. Now, our most recent tally has suggested that over two hundred of our own have turned bad. And we don't know how many of us will turn in the coming weeks. No-one is safe. Even some of the most faithful agents we know have turned. Our scientists are starting to make the conclusion that this 'infection' is not a matter of choice; like a sickness, you cannot choose whether you contract it or not. Though they have no leads on how or why this is happening. Anyone could be next."

His voice sounded strange. Overworked, tired and unsure. And long past the playful and cheery demeanor of a child. The muffled whispers of the kids in the seats around me reached my ears, but didn't register. I was staring forward, at the podium that numbuh 263 stood on, fidgeting and afraid. I couldn't seem to register what was happening. The soopreme leader, who was supposed to put an end to the tension and the circulating worried glances standing shorter than the shyest cadet operative.

"Why..?" I breathed, though thinking there was no point to asking what was obviously unknown. This was... it felt like a story. It couldn't be real, but it was all too vivid and solid for my liking. Robert took another shaky inhale.

"Furthermore, the rebel operatives disappear after they effectively take out their teams. We have not heard anything from any of the vanished kids in the nearly two months this has been happening. One or two of them have even taken another team member with them, one that was still on out side. We don't know how or why this is happening, but with the help of every operative here, that I know you will all give, we will do anything in our power and more to find who is responsible for this." Everyone in the hall nodded seriously and determinedly.

"Now, we may not still have the skill of some of out former operatives, but we do have the skill of our own. We do have the experience to conquer the toughest of problems, as they have showed us how. But, we will have to unite, unite as one organisation to overcome this seemingly unsolvable dilema. Scientists, give up your homework time and work as much as your parents will allow. We will need the mind power and technology you possess. Field agents, train to your breaking point. We have to be top of our game and one step ahead of the enemy, physically as well as mentally. Pilots, pull out every maneuver, every tactic, every strategy you have. We need to be everywhere, land and sky. Keep up, for those who fall behind will be an easy target. Look out for your own, but do not hesitate to raise a weapon on who you thought was your best friend, because they may not be themselves in the least. Keep your guard up, never turn your back, and most of all, stay true to the one cause we are all fighting for; the Kids Next Door cannot, and will not die. We are eternal, but that doesn't mean we will let them wound us without fighting back, and winning."

There was silence.

Every set of eyes was glued to that stand, where one boy had just managed to inspire millioons of kids, including himself, and convince them that even though there were many who would not be on our side for much longer, we could take the bullet as if it didn't exsist.

More silence.

I knew that numbuh 263 wasn't going to speak any more. He was too intent on keeping the moment intact. It was clear that no-one was going to say anything. This moment may have been surreal, but it was going to turn into eternity if someone didn't end it. So, I stepped in.

For the first sector V, I thought. The KND isn't going down without a fight, and we're gonna make them proud.

I stood up in my seat, feeling the atmosphere weigh down on me. If I failed, I will have ruined the most memorable moment of all of these kids' time in the KND.

"Kids Next Door RULES!" I cried, eyes shut tight and white-knuckled fist raised above my head. Numbuh 202 next to me almost fell off his seat in shock, but wasn't too shaken to get up beside me, despite his usual shyness. One by one, kids around the arena began to stand. Some faces were familiar, some were new, but all of them wore the same expression of wild and defined determination, an expression that suited the Kids Next Door perfectly. Within a single minute, everyone in that one large, open hall on moonbase was on their feet. And one final cry echoed through the hearts of all who were able to hear it, and all who threw their voice into the cacophony.

"Kids Next Door RULES!"

A/N: So, yeah. That's it. I promise chapter 5 will be longer and better! I'm sorry if this was disappointing, but without this chapter I couldn't continue with the story and all the juicy bits. I tried to liven it up a bit with the whole inspirational speech thing (don't ask about that, it was all my crazy mind's doing) Review if you like, review if you don't. I really don't care, as long as I can bring all you KND fans out there a bit more adult-tyranny fighting goodness! But then again, I could well be that person who sort of ruins your love of the show a bit, just 'coz of what you put in your fic or how you write... I don't know, I can never seem to see my writing from any other point than; "that's wrong" or "you should have changed that." **sigh** I'm jabbering again, aren't I? Okay, better go before my parents find out I'm still on my laptop at 9:30!

-Numbuh 25