A/N: Hey! Not much to say about this chapter, but read! Lately, I have been working on a lot of other stories (all KND, of course) and I have only finished one of them. Huh. You can read it if you want. It's a 2X5 one-shot, called 'Hot Chocolate and Cookies.' And I've been working on a couple more one-shots. And another big project, which will be revealed once this story is over!
AH! I want to tell you, I'm really excited about it! Okay, I can't keep it in! It's- **gagged and chained**
Abby: Uh sorry guys. She's not allowed to tell you any of that.
Wally: Yeah. And if she does, there are gonna be confidences!
Hoagie: Don't you mean 'consequences'?
Wally: Whatever.
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Kids Next Door Mission...
Operation: F.O.R.G.E.T.
Fragments
Of
Recovery
Gradually
Enable
Team
Chapter 25- Going Public
Lunchtime, and Nigel, Hoagie, Kuki and Abby were sitting at a table in the cafeteria, prodding at their lunches.
'Where's Wally?' Kuki asked, looking up from her tray.
The others frowned in thought.
'I haven't seen him since History,' Hoagie replied, wondering where he might have gotten to.
But at that exact moment, as if on cue, the missing boy made his way up to the table.
'Look who decided to- hang on, what happened to you, boy?' Abby said, cutting off one train of thought as she noticed the bruises and scratches that scattered Wally's face. He should probably have been trying to conceal them in some way, probably should have been ashamed but he wasn't. He was happy with himself.
'Ah finally got revenge on Ace,' he said proudly, which got him a response of raised eyebrows.
'And how much trouble did you get into for it?' Nigel questioned, almost laughing at Wally's swagger, which was now back to normal after taking down his mortal enemy.
'Enough ta almost get me suspended,' Wally began, still not phased,
'But not enough ta make it not worth all tha yellin'.'
The others nodded slowly, all thinking the same thing;
What are we going to do with him?
'Alright, so moving on,' Hoagie said suddenly, trying to get the conversation up and running again. 'What are we doing for christmas?'
'Well, Ah'm off ta Australia in a bit unda two weeks,' Wally answered straight away, looking even more happy than before.
'And school finishes two days before that,' Kuki added.
'So, are we gonna do something?' Abby interjected, hoping that all of this would actually go somewhere.
'How about a kris-kringle?' Nigel suggested, poking at some sort of limp vegetable at the end of his fork. 'It makes it easier, so we don't each have to buy four presents.'
Everyone seemed to like that idea. By the end of lunch, they had agreed that the names would be drawn that afternoon, before they headed up to moonbase to talk with Robert and Joey and any other operative who wanted to be there.
The rest of the day passed much like the morning had; boring, boring and more boring. And by the time the last period had begun, everyone felt like they could just fall asleep standing up.
But their energy levels were revived once the end bell rang, and the stampede for the doors began.
~(*)~
It was 3:07 exactly, and Sector V senior were outside the treehouse, with all of their names stuffed inside Abby's hat, ready to be picked.
'Who wants to go first?'
'I will!' Kuki cried enthusiastically. She squinted her eyes closed, something she was all but used to, and stirred the little scraps of paper around with her hand before finally picking one out. Her eyes glittered with excitement as she unfolded it, but then switched to confusion.
'Uh, what do I do if I pick myself?' she asked. The others only laughed, and told her to pick again. So, the whole routine was repeated. And she picked out herself again.
So, third time lucky, she peeked at the note, and found Hoagie's name written across it, in Nigel's not-so-neat handwriting.
'Alright then, I'll go next,' Hoagie said, reaching into the hat and pulling out the paper at the very bottom.
It was Kuki.
He found himself a little disappointed, as he had had something in mind for Abby that he was kind of hoping to give her. Would he be able to do that, to give her something outside of the kris-kringle thing? He didn't know, but he hoped so.
Nigel went next, pulling out Wally.
Then Abby, who got Nigel, then Wally, who obviously got Abby.
He was also a little let down at not picking Kuki, but also kind of relieved. He wouldn't really know what to do if he had.
'Okay, so that's all done, now onto the next order of buisiness. What's going on with everyone? Noticed anything interesting?' Numbuh 1 (not surprisingly) asked.
'Geez, Numbuh 1, lighten up,' Hoagie said, smirking. 'Anyway, I'd rather hear about Lizzie!'
Abby laughed loudly, holding up her closed hand for a fist-bump, which Numbuh 2 (albeit a little shyly) acceppted it happily.
Nigel scowled, refusing to answer through the team's giggling.
'Ha! But seriously, it has been kind of weird,' Kuki said finally, straightening up from where she'd slid down the tree in her mirth. 'You know, sometimes I forget that nobody else remembers, and I have to stop myself from blabbing. I passed Fanny in the hallways today, and almost ended up calling her Numbuh 86.'
The others nodded, but there was obviously something that everyone had on their mind. There was silence for a while, with no-one wanting to admit to their thoughts, in case the thing that they thought everyone was thinking was really what only they were thinking. But finally, Wally spoke up.
'I-I kind of want to bring them back,' he said, looking at the ground. Immediately there was a chorus of 'me too's.
'But we can't, right? I mean, it would be way off-limits. Think about how crazy the other operatives are gonna go tonight when they find out about us!' Abby made the negative case, but the look on her face said that she wanted all their comnrades back, all the people from their generation.
Needless to say, everyone was a bit nervous about the meeting that night.
All the other KND operatives were going to be there. And Sector V were going to be unveiled to them. Nobody knew what reaction they were going to receive, but they all just hoped they were positive.
It was then that the younger Sector V arrived, all together, and all on their bikes. Of course, they were all tricked out, rocket engines on the back, gear systems built into the handlebars.
'Hey!' Joey called, hopping off his bike and letting it fall to the ground, running over to the base of the tree where the other five were standing.
'What's up, Joey?' His brother called back, ruffling the little boy's hair as he stopped in front of him.
'Are we ready to go?' Numbuh 505 asked, also dismounting her bike and wheeling it over with a tired sigh.
'Yeah. Where's the ship?' Kuki asked, looking up to the treehouse. When she had last been there, when little Nigel the cat had lead her there, Abby had been waiting. They had sat there, talked, then left. Nothing special. Nothing amazing, but it was still a significant part of the reason she was there as Numbuh 3 today. Without that day, her memories might not have been so close to the surface, and so, she might not have been pushed over the edge when Nigel and Hoagie had taken her into the SCAMPER that day.
'Up in the treehouse. We'll feul up and then go straight afterwards, if that's okay.'
Nigel nodded.
'Yes, that should be fine. It'll give us a bit of time to look around the place before we leave,' he said, looking eager to get back to his room. Come to think of it, so did Wally and Hoagie. They kept looking up at the treehouse, with faraway looks on their faces. Abby and Kuki exchanged a glance. Even though they had been up there only days ago, that was before... everything. It would be so much better to go up there and actually know what the heck was going on, and to be able to enjoy it instead of treating it like a half-dream.
Not to mention the headachey-vision thingys.
Everyone began to make their way up the tree, with half of them in the elevator and the other half waiting for the next one to come down. Obviously, not all of them would fit in on one load.
By the time the last load (the younger Sector V) were up there, all the older operatives were already in full swing of their 'blast-from-the-past' tour of the treehouse. Each of them had promptly run off to his or her own room as soon as the elevator door had opened. Now, they were in the middle of searching through the other main rooms; the TV room, the Briefing room, the kitchen, all the other places that had memories attatched. Over here was where Kuki had nearly got concussion falling over the side of the balcony (and everyone else had almost died laughing as she freaked out), and there was the couch on which Wally had been beaten a record two gajillion times in a row at Space Intruders 4. There was the terrace where Abby and Hoagie had first used the 'L' word, and the TV where Nigel had watched KND nightly news, every night, without fail.Everything there, it seemed, had sentimental value. It made the team feel even more lucky to be back.
But then, all too soon, it was time to leave for Moonbase. They said their silent goodbyes to the old, creaky floorboards that they loved so much, and boarded the SCAMPER, where Numbuhs 2 and 202 kicked it into gear hastily, and they set off.
~(*)~
It was 4:45 by the time they arrived at Moonbase, nerves wavering all around inside them. The brightly red-lit treehouse just shone back at them. It still kept that exact same shade, that exact intensity, even though they were now teens, it was all the same.
Once inside, the members of Sector V junior lead their predecessors up to Numbuh 263's office, where he was leaning back on his chair in frustration, exhaustion, nerves, with his eyes closed.
'Uhm, Numbuh 263, sir? We're here. When does the meeting start?' Numbuh 303 called out to him, her voice showing concern. Robert stirred, then stopped for a few seconds, before finally heaving his eyes open as though they were made of concrete, and he looked at everyone through tired lids.
'Hi guys,' he said plainly, with a slight yawn.
'Hey. So, when does the meeting start?' Numbuh 121 said, leaning on his desk.
Robert checked the clock on his desk.
'About eleven minutes.'
'Well, shouldn't you be up?'
'Yep.'
He finally got up, reluctantly, stretching out his limbs and standing up groggily.
'Let's head off to the arena then,' he sighed, beginning across the room towards the door. The others followed, and five minutes later, they were in the middle of the arena, looking around at the billions of seats.
The worst thing about being here, Hoagie thought sadly, is that only a fraction of these seats will be filled, when it should be all of them.
'Okay, so people should start arriving in about another five minutes. Robert, you ready with your speech?' Olivia, Numbuh 505 asked, hopping up onto one of the couches behind the lectrum.
'Mm. Yeah. I just don't know how the remaining operatives are gonna react.'
At this point, Numbuh 202 stood up.
'What? Of course we know how they're gonna react!' he cried, in shock.
'These kids have been waiting months for someone -anything- to give them back their hope. And even though most of them may not know what Sector V looks like, they all know who they are. They are all gonna be extatic to find out that what they've been waiting for, that their hope is back. They're going to love it, trust me.'
Everyone else agreed, and that seemed to give Robert a little more peace of mind. So, they waited the few remaining moments -that felt like years, by the way- people started filtering in. It took a surprisingly short amount of time until everyone was seated. It felt like there should have taken a lot longer. Every meeting, every anonuncement and convention that Sector V had ever been to, they had to resort to being early to the gatherings, just to get a good seat.
The dwindling population of Kids Next Door, the tired, helpless expressions of the kids, the huge mass of empty seats that seemed to overpower the atmosphere of the room, they all combined, and suddenly, the mood in the room became very heavy.
Once everyone was seated and ready to listen, Robert took his place a the stand onstage. He heaved a deep sigh, then cleared his throat.
'Kids Next Door Rules!' He yelled. The few operatives who were still active repeated, and the older kids there were also a little reassured to see that even with their situation, that same fire was still in their eyes, that same indestructable determination as they bellowed out their battle cry.
Then, it was time for Robert to spill his guts about everything.
'My fellow Kids Next Door, first of all, I just want to commend you all for the way you have handled this epidemic. We have not given in yet, not let the adults force us into submission, and I want to thank you all for that. You are the reason that we are still up and running.'
The kids smiled, albeit a little sadly, as they remembered all their friends and teammates that had suffered the effects of the turning.
'But now, as I'm sure you've already heard, we have some... uhm, new faces around the Moonbase, and I know that you're all curious to find out who they are, and more importantly, why they're here.'
There was a murmer of approval, as Sector V received a few dirty looks from some of the kids out there. Others, though, as they recognised them, smiled, or rolled their eyes at the ones who were eyeballing their heroes.
'Look guys, I know you've been waiting for a hero, and now... well, now, I give you five. Kids Next Door operatives, I give you, the newly recommissioned, Sector V!'
And with that, Robert stepped aside to let Sector V stand and speak.
And the crowd went wild.
Suddenly, the hostile faces of the younger agents evaporated, and they stared in awe, before erupting, in wild applause and crazy screaming, whistling, whooping, anything. They knew that these guys were the best, and now, they were here to save them.
Numbuh 1 took the stand first, and smiled as he began to address the kids out there.
'Hello, fellow operatives. For the ones who don't recognise me, I am Numbuh 1, Nigel Uno, the leader of Sector V. I'm going to keep this short, so that the rest of my team can say a few words as well. I just want to say that it is an honor to be back, fighting for the kids once more, and I know that we can get to the bottom of this. Thank you.'
Nigel's face was serious, but still deeply, deeply satisfied.
Then, it was Hoagie's turn to take the stage. He looked a little nervous as he stood at the podium, swallowing hard.
'Uhm, h-hi, everyone,' he began, turning red.
'I'm Numbuh 2, uh- Hoagie Gilligan, and.. I don't have much to say, except that I'm just really, really happy to be back, and if anyone wants me, I'll be in the lab for about the next three weeks, trying to figure this whole thing out. Alright, that's all from me. I wouldn't want to turn you off the subject!'
He just couldn't resist. He walked back to the couch, copping a slap courtesy of Abby's hat, and Kuki took the stage, beaming brightly.
'Hey!' She began, waving to the roughly seventy-five kids who were sitting in the arena.
'My name is Kuki Sanban, I'm Numbuh 3, and I can't believe that I'm back here after three whole years!' Then, her expression sobered.
'But really, guys, I know that you've all been having a hard time lately, but we're gonna try as hard as we can to fix it. Okay?'
And with that, she skipped back to the couch. Wally stood, walked over to the stand, and looked out at everyone there. Only minutes ago, harsh faces had hit them head-on. But now, they were all wide-eyed and listening with every fibre of their being. Ha, he thought to himself with a smirk, that just goes to show you.
'Hi, guys. Ah'm Wally, Numbuh 4, and, well, here Ah am. Isn't that really it? My brotha brought me back- uh, with tha help of his team and Numbuh 263, of course, and Ah could not be more proud of 'im. We're gonna take down these cruddy adults, just you wait.' There was a few seconds of silence.
'Uhm, Ah'm done.'
So, Wally left the centre stage, and Abby took his place. She, also, took a deep breath before speaking.
'Well, hi again everybody. Or hi again to some people, for others, this is hi for the first time. I'm Abby Lincoln, Numbuh 5, and I just gotta say that I am amazed that you guys are still doing so well. Sure, you may not have your whole teams with you, but the important thing is that you still believe you can get them back. And as long as you keep that belief, that's just what we're gonna do. Not just us,' -she gestured behind her to her team- 'but every single one of you. The Kids Next Door has pulled through a situation not too unlike this one back when we were kids as well, and I remember not just the evil faces, not just the despair, but I also remember the hope, and the determination. I see that spirit in all of you, right here, right now. And I know that this is going to work out. You're all going to see your teams, your friends, again. Thanks, guys.'
Instead of making her way back to the couch, she stopped halfway, and turned around to face everyone. She was joined by Numbuhs 1, 2, 3 and 4, and Robert took the stage once more.
'My fellow Kids Next Door, once again, I thank you and admire you for your courage through these dark times, and once again, I present Sector V. They may be a little older, but they've still got it.'
The team smiled, feeling something rush through them all. It was that flame, that spark that only appeared when a wave of courage had swept over them all. That feeling you only got when you had just pulled yourself and everyone around you out of a pit of lost hope. When the reason to fight came back.
And so, finally, Robert ended the meeting, raising his clenched fist, and smiling that same smile as he cried;
'Kids Next Door RULES!'
The stadium copied, and for a second, their voices were not those of only a fraction of their population, but they were the voices as strong as if they'd all been there; turned operatives or not.
And the best part was, Sector V got to join in, hear their own voices mixed in there once more. Finally after years, they were back where they knew that they would be part of something big.
And it felt good.
~(*)~
After the meeting, Sector V ended up having dinner in the Moonbase cafeteria. It was fun to sit amongst all the other kids, even if their barrage of questions was a tiny bit overwhelming.
Abby wasn't hungry though. She poked around the food on her plate, her head too full of thoughts to make room for concerns about food. So, she ate the little amount that she wanted to, before excusing herself, and heading straight up to the observation deck, finding herself craving the view of the stars suddenly.
Hoagie ate a full dinner, on the other hand, and went back in for seconds. When he returned, and noticed that Abby was gone, he frowned in concern, and went to ask Nigel, who was sitting next to him, what was up.
Nigel shrugged.
'I think she just wanted some time to think,' he said, twisting some spaghetti around his fork. Kuki, who was on Hoagie's other side, heard this, and proceeded to elbow him in the side for his attention.
'Ow! What was that for?' he asked indignantly, holding his side.
'Abby's alone. Go ask her now,' Kuki whispered, wondering if Hoagie could sum up the courage to do so.
'What?! I can't! What if she says no?'
'Hoagie, remember what I told you in class? She will say yes, trust me. Now go!'
And with that, Kuki shoved him off the bench, and promptly scooted over, so she took up his space, making it impossible for him to sit back down.
'Good luck. And don't chicken out!' She whispered to him, as he got up and reluctantly walked away.
Great, he thought. This should be fun. He was already nervous, already had that fluttery feeling in his stomach. But wait! Kuki hadn't even told him where Abby was!
Even so, Hoagie could guess where she would have gone. And that's just where he would have gone as well.
He reached the door to the observatory, and saw her, lying on her back, just looking out at all the little white pinpoints in the inky sky. She looked so peaceful, with her hat off, dropped beside her. It wasn't often that she took that hat off. Hoagie didn't think he could go in there. His heart was now pounding, his hands shaking, and his breath was becoming rapidly quicker. He was about to turn away, but then changed his mind. But then, he turned around again, then back, then forward, fighting with himself. Finally, after a couple minutes of arguing, trying to convince himself to just open that door, he finally did it, without really thinking.
Abby turned over to lie on her stomach when she heard the door creak open.
'Oh, hey Hoags' she said, smiling calmly at him, though inside her nerves had just jumped ten feet into the air.
'H-hey,' Hoagie stammered. He walked over to Abby, still unsure of himself, and sat down beside her.
'What's up?' They both said at the same time, before laughing awkwardly.
'You go first,' Hoagie said.
'Numbuh 5 just wanted to come up here. Just to think. Y'know,' Abby said, rolling back onto her back. Hoagie nodded thoughtfully.
'This is a good place to think,' he said.
There was a silence between them for a while, and with each passing second, they were both growing more nervous, their heart rated rising. Finally, when the quiet was too much for Hoagie to take any more of, he tried to do it.
'Uh, listen, Abby. I was wondering if, maybe, you -uhm- you wanted.. I mean, only if you want to, uh, maybe, on Friday, uhm, do you wanna.. do you want to maybe see a movie with me?' His face was as red as a tomato, his heart was hammering so hard he thought it was about to break out of his chest, and he was actually beginning to sweat. But it was out there. Finally. And he waited anxiously, in the the seconds that felt like three centuries, for Abby's answer.
The girl sat up, turned to face Hoagie, and looked him in the eye, giving him a soft, meaningful smile.
'Of course, Hoagie. Abby'd love to go out with you.'
Hoagie actually got lightheaded at that moment. He felt dizzy with relief and joy, and it took a few seconds to bring everything back into focus. It was happening! He was going out with her! SHE HAD SAID YES. He wanted to yell out loud in happiness, but instead, he just lay down and looked up at the sky.
After a while, Abby layed back down as well, facing in the opposite direction to Hoagie, so that their heads were level, but they were facing different ways. But they both saw the huge unfurling that was the night sky, and they both felt a warm satisfaction in their hearts. Only problem was that they'd have to wait until Friday to be alone again.
They didn't want to leave the deck that night. They could have stayed there for years.
But unfortunately, once they'd gotten up, almost an hour after Abby had first gone up, it was down to buisiness.
The organisation wasn't just going to rescue itself, right?
And as soon as they had left, and entered a hectic world where one wrong move could lead to dire consequences, they immediately missed the serenity of the observation deck.
And the contentment being with each other.
A/N: Wow. Fourteen pages. At first I though I was barely gonna make it to ten. Did you like it? I enjoyed writing that one. Especially the last bit! ;)
Bye!
-Numbuh 25 over and out
