A/N: Okay, I'm a week late, but hopefully this chapter will make it worth it. I thought I would take that extra bit of time because I wanted this installment to be extra special for you.

And at the end of this Chapter... let's just say you will be happy. (Hopefully)

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Kids Next Door Mission...

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

Fragments

Of

Recovery

Gradually

Enable

Team

Chapter 38- Battlefield

~(*)~

'Come on, come on, just a little further...' Hoagie murmered, peeking out from behind the bushes again. He was on track of a turned operative he had just spotted.

Picking them out was easy; they looked like what they were. They just looked like exactly what a ten year-old teenager would appear as; a miniature version of the makeup-wearing, OMG-texting, hair-doing sixteen year olds you'd find anywhere.

Right now, Hoagie was on the trail of his third kid this afternoon. The other two had gone smoothly, although it had taken a while to get the kids up to date on what was going on, and what they had to do.

'So, this other girl is all like; 'Oh, no you didn't!' and I'm like 'Oh, yes I did!' and she goes; 'You wanna piece of me?' and I'm all...'

The girl, walking slowly down the sidewalk and talking into a cell phone to who-knows-who, came slowly closer and closer to where Numbuh 2 was lying in wait.

'Almost there...' Hoagie whispered, readying his hands on the SPICER full of the serum.

At last, the girl was within ten feet of Hoagie and his bush, and he was able to stick the gun out and fire too quickly for the girl to react.

In an instant, she was stunned. She stood stock still, her phone still hanging from one limp hand, and Hoagie could just make out a voice from someone on the other end, asking what was going on.

He had to move fast, as the effect was already in motion, and now, though outside she remained blank, this girl was probably experiencing a rush of memories not dissimilar to the one that Numbuh 2 and his team got when they were recommissioned.

He jumped out of his hiding spot and took the girl's hand, tugging her until she followed him submissively into the shade of a large tree.

She was conscious- that was certain, but she was in no way alert. Hoagie had her sit down on the grass, where she then just stared, stared into nothing with her legs crossed and her arms drooping limply to the side. It was, Hoagie thought, just a little bit unsettling.

In time, the girl looked up. Slowly, groggily, she creased her brow in confusion at the strange -yet subtly familiar- boy looking back at her.

'Who... are you?' she eventually questioned.

'I'll explain later. Right now I need you to tell me what you remember. Do you know what your Numbuh is?'

The girl looked baffled for a second. She brushed a hand past her forehead, mumbling something under her breath. Something like '...Numbuh...I- I was... ugh...'

Then, she straightened out, seeming to begin to come to her senses.

'I'm- I'm Numbuh 676. I'm Amanda,' she said, unsurely, as if she didn't quite know herself.

'Okay. Do you remember anything else? Your Sector? Treehouse? Anything?'

She thought the question over for a little bit, before nodding cautiously.

'I remember what happened. There was a man... a man with something that... I thought I'd gotten away...'

She then suddenly tossed he head back, shaking it side to side, almost overwhelmed by this sudden change of states.

'I turned, right?'

Hoagie was surprised at this. None of the other kids he'd gotten to had realised what had happened without being told.

'Yes,' he said calmly, sitting down, cross-legged, facing the girl.

'How did you...?'

'I've been working on this thing for weeks,' Hoagie eplained, holding up an extra canister of the serum he had in his pocket.

There was silence. Amanda's face kept flashing hints of expressions; realisation, confusion, regret, frustration, all appearing and fading from her face for half a second at a time.

Hoagie waited until Numbuh 676 looked more ready to talk.

He explained everything to her, and then said;

'Listen, Amanda. The man who turned you is on the loose again. He could be anywhere by now. I really need you to get back to your treehouse, as quickly and inconspicuously as possible. Can you do that?'

The girl nodded. She didn't seem to talk much.

'Good. Thank you,' Hoagie said, beginning to get up.

'Wait,' he heard Amanda say.

'Yeah?'

'Are you Numbuh 2?'

'Uhm, yes.'

Nobody spoke for a few minutes, and the scene began to get awkward.

'I, uhm... thank you. For saving me,' Numbuh 676 said quietly, finally.

Hoagie smiled.

'No problem. Now get back to your Sector. And make sure you give 'em a surprise.'

One final nod, and the girl was off.

Feeling a warm, optimistic pride well up inside him, Numbuh 2 picked up his things and set off again, to find another Operative to bring back.

~(*)~

It was amazing, Amanda thought, that things could change so quickly, and yet once it was over, it seems like a whole eternity.

She walked down the street to her treehouse. Her treehouse. She could say that again now. Because she was back.

She felt vulerable, but she knew she needent be; the enemy had to idea that she was back, and even if they saw her, they would only smile and think to themselves that they had triumphed, though they were slowly, unwittingly letting their victory slip through their fingers like sand through an hourglass.

She reached the trunk of the treehouse, looking up at all its glory. She began up the stairs, letting old routine take over, stepping it out like she had a million times before.

She got to the main door, but before she could knock on the metal door that was back in her memory, she noticed the red light.

The treehouse was on lockdown.

She'd have to use the emergency entry.

Ever since that incident with the spank-happy vampires in Lockdown mode (which was, coincidentally, Sector V's incident), a mandatory lockdown emergency entry/exit was ordered to be installed. Amanda found it easy to get in; all she had to do was find the right door, and press her thumb to the middle of the knob, and once the fingerprint scan accepted her, she was allowed into the treehouse with no further hassle.

Treehouses weren't meant to be fully locked down for about fifteen minutes.

Amanda walked into the living room casually, smiling to herself.

'Hey guys,' she said to two of her teammates.

They turned around, and instead of the baffled and shocked expressions Numbuh 676 had been expecting, she got wide smiles and hugs.

Amanda had been the only one of her team left when she had turned.

The two of her Sector who were already at the treehouse were kids who had been brought back only hours ago.

The other two of them were nowhere to be seen.

But, as the first two explained, they would be there.

Everyone would be there.

In time.

~(*)~

'Come in, Mission Control. This is Agent 16C checking in. I have spotted an enemy ship.' Reported a figure clad in black.

'Roger that 16C. Are you going to go in?' replied a crackly voice from a radio.

'Well, of course I am! I will report back soon and update. Over.'

'Copy that. Over and out.'

The black figure circled back around to get a full aim of the ship she was targeting. Falling in behind it sneakily, she set all of her weapons and sheilds on. It was only a matter of time before they noticed her, and then the battle would begin.

Stupid kids.

~(*)~

'Wally? When are we gonna be there?' Joey droned for the eighty-hundredth time.

'Ah don't know, Joey. Ask the pilot!' Wally answered for the eighty-hundredth time.

'Hey, Numbuh 350, wh-'

'We'll get there when we get there,' the pilot, Numbuh 350, who was in Gabbie's Sector, replied for the eighty-hundredth time.

'Hang on... wait- I think someone's...' Numbuh 350 said for the first time that day.

'Someone's what? Someone's what?' Joey demanded, scrambling to move to the front of the ship so he could see out the windsheild.

Sure enough, an enemy ship had now dropped into view from the corner of the rearview mirrors.

'It's a teenager!' Numbuh 350 exclaimed, and immediately began pushing buttons and pulling knobs at an alarming rate.

Wally turned around to see out the back window.

'That's not just a teenager,' he said, narrowing his eyes as he figure became clear.

'That's a twenty-two year-old with a bad attitude problem.'

~(*)~

It had been exactly an hour since Sector V and Robert had set out to bring back as many turned operatives as they could, and they were all back at the park where the SCAMPER had been parked.

'Everything go okay with you guys?' Rachel asked, yawning. She'd never admit this to Nigel, but she was just a little bit out of practice. And this was tiring work.

'Yep,' Abby said, leaning back against the hull of the ship. 'Although sometimes it took a while to get close enough to the kids without freaking 'em out.'

That was when Robert's communicator started buzzing wildly.

He pushed a couple of buttons, and the audio feed began to play through the speakers.

'Numbuh 263! Numbuh 263, this is Numbuh 350 of Sector AU. We are under attack from a teen ninja ship!'

Wally cut in;

'Guys, it's Cree. She's tailing us.'

Those on the other side of the reciever gasped. Except for Abby. She just shook her head in anger.

'Are you going to attack?' Numbuh 1 asked.

Just then, the sound of a lazer beam firing came through the speaker.

'Too late!' Joey yelled. 'She already has!'

'Are you okay?' Numbuh 3 cried, leaning in closer to the transmitter.

'She only clipped the side of the hull with that shot. Numbuh 350 is taking evasive action now. We're heading up higher.'

An engine revved, and more shots were heard, from Cree and from the ship the boys were on.

'How are you guys holding up? Do you need backup?' Rachel asked.

At first, there was no answer.

'Hello? Guys? Come in! Do you read me?'

Nothing again, only the sound of weapons and the constant sound of the engine.

Then, finally, someone answered.

'Looks like we're in more trouble than we expected!' Numbuh 404 reported. 'Cree had company!'

Numbuh 2 bit his lip.

'Is there anyone we can send in to help?' he asked.

Robert shook his head slowly.

'Everyone else is on lockown. I've given strict orders to everyone exept Numbuh 121 and her team that no-one is to leave at all.'

'So they're just on their own?' Kuki exclaimed.

'Yes. If we tried to make it there, it would take to long. The fight would be over long before we could get near them.'

Worried glances were exchanged.

'Are you guys okay?' Abby asked again.

'Well, we've been better!' Wally said sarcastically.

'But Numbuh 350 here is putting up a good fight. Joey and I are trying to man the weapons system and fight back. We're- oh. Oh no. There are more of them!'

It was five against one now.

Five enemy ships, and only one KND vessel trying to avoid defeat.

Nobody spoke for a long time.

Nobody was sure what was going to come of the three boys in that ship.

Every now and then, there would be one shot that came through louder than the rest; a direct hit.

Everyone was worried. They had sat down in a circle on the grass, and set the communicator in the middle of them, as if it was some kind of ritual.

Kuki sat there, surrounded by all but one of her friends; the one she wished would be there most. She hadn't seen him since that day before Christmas, and now she wasn't sure if she was ever... she couldn't even finish that thought. It was too horrible.

She just wanted Wally back safe and sound. That was all she wanted and all she needed at that moment.

Then, Numbuh 350 came back on the radio with an update.

'Guys, I think we might e able to make it. We've taken down three of their ships, and now we just have Cree and one of her friends to go.

Hope flickered in the eyes of the people around the circle.

Gradually, the shots became less frequent, and the voices on the other line less desperate.

'Guys, it's only Cree now. The rest are gone. I think we're gonna make it!'

Cheers all round.

But then-

'Hello, K-N-Dorks,' came a chillingly familiar voice. Cree had hijacked the ship's communication system, and as Sector V, Robert and Rachel listened to her from the transmitter, a video feed of the cockpit of her fighter appeared on the ship that Wally, Joey and Numbuh 350 were on.

'I bet you think you're so- wait a minute. What are you doing here! You're a teenager!'

Apparently Cree had noticed Wally.

It was like one of the classic scenes that Numbuh 4 remembered from the old days, with six years added on.

'Got that right, ya cruddy adult! And we just whooped you and your stupid friends' butts!'

Cree's eyes narrowed menacingly, her mouth creasing into a malevolent smile.

'You may have taken out the other vessels. But I just called for backup, from a group of kids I'm sure you're well aquainted with.

'Hello, Wallabee.'

Monotonous, synchronised, and overall creepy, came the voices of five people, five teenagers, that made Wally's jaw drop.

And then, from the blanket of clouds below the ships that blocked their view of the ground, came rising a ship of huge proportions; easily over 8 times as large as either ship that was already there.

And on the other side of the line, Sector V's side, they had heard the chilling greeting as well.

Kuki gasped, Nigel's eyes narrowed as far as they could without being closed, Rachel's breath caught and Abby just stared.

'Aw, not these guys again!' Hoagie groaned, tossing his head back in frustration.

Meanwhile, the delightfuls' ship had fully risen up behind that of the boys, revealing a cockpit stocked with five 'perfect' teenagers.

'You,' Wally spat.

'Yes, Wallabee. It is us. It's been a long time, hasn't it?'

'What do you want?' Joey demanded.

'Oh?' the delightful teens said, looking at Joey through the screen. They laughed as they saw the two brothers standing side by side. 'How nice. The tradition continues! But I would expect you by now to know what we are here for.'

And, as per usual, in an instant, a million different weapons sprang from the Delightful ship at once, increasing its size twofold, and its leathalness tenfold.

'We are here to destroy you.'

'Pfft,' Wally scoffed. 'We've beaten you creeps more times than Ah can count! What makes ya think this time'll be any different?'

The Delightfuls only smiled evilly.

'Oh, we're pretty sure it's going to be different this time.'

'Okay, we're getting out of here now,' Numbuh 350 said, booting up the ship's turbo drive.

'We're getting' outta here!' He yelled, punching the gas.

The ship careened forward.

But so did the Delightfuls'- just as fast.

'You're not going to get away that easily, Kids Next Dim; we're ready for your every move!' the synchronised voices taunted.

And it was true; somehow, every time the KND vessel made a move, a dodge, a weave, the five teens' ship would instantly move to block the path.

It looked like they weren't getting out any time soon.

It was a stand-off. Nowhere to go, no place to escape to.

And the ones on the other side of the radio sat tensely, straining their ears to hear anything that might happen.

Of course, something did happen.

Numbuh 350 made a break for it. In a very unconventional manner.

He slammed down the reverse lever as hard as it would go, and the ship was thrown backwards, sending Wally and Joey, who were not seated, hurtling to the ground and skidding to the back wall.

'Sorry guys, but desperate times call for desperate measures, right?' Numbuh 350 said frantically, using all his focus to try and steer the ship in the opposite direction.

Immediately, the Delightfuls were on their tail.

'You can run, KN-Dimwits, but you can't hide!'

The ship was still barrelling backwards, at an alarming rate.

Numbuh 350 was tugging at the control stick, trying to turn them around, but the momentum was too great. They would have to slow down before they tried to change direction.

And they didn't want to slow down.

'Guys? Guys, what's going on?!' Kuki cried, listening to the whir of the engines, which was getting louder as the two ships gained speed.

'We're trying to lose 'em, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen. Maybe we can outrun them, Ah don't know. We'll just have ta try.' Joey stated, having pulled himself up alongside Wally and once again manning the weapons system, trying to get a shot at the huge, weapon-stocked ship.

This went on for ten minutes. Stress built, tension took hold, none of the kids who were listening even gave a thought as to what they looked like to the people passing by.

And finally, a full thirty-five minutes after the fight had first started, Wally, Joey, and Numbuh 350 announced that they were close to landing.

'We're coming in on the landing, guys! We're right near you!'

But so were the Delightfuls.

Gradually, the sound of weaponry and engine revving from the transmitter became the sound from over the hill. And then down the street. And then right on top of them.

It was a scary, eerily familiar sight to watch the KND ship fly over the hill, dwarfed by the size of the Delightful teens' newest death-machine.

The ship was still motoring backward, towards where the rest of Sector V were.

Two shots were fired at that moment; one from the good team, and one from the evil.

The good shot was a direct hit. Numbuh 404 hit the button to detonate a rocket that shot straight into the centre of the teens' ship.

But the bad shot was also a direct hit.

Before the ship could make a safe landing, it was blown out of the air. The engine smoked, and with a shudder, the entire frame smashed to the ground, right near where the others were.

The seven of them rushed over to the wreck.

Joey was the first to emerge, coughing, a little roughed up, but alright.

Then, Numbuh 350 crawled out. He looked a little worse off than Joey, but with no real damage done; nothing broken, only a couple of scratches.

But Wally didn't come out on his own.

Kuki grew increasingly anxious. After about a minute, she began looking through the remains of the shuttle for any sign of Wally.

It took a while, but finally, she heard a groan from underneath a wooden plank.

She tossed it aside, and found Wally lying in the wreckage.

He was awake, but he looked more hurt than the others.

'N-numbuh 3?' he mumbled.

'Wally? Wally, I'm here!

'Kuki... what happened?'

'The Delightful Children shot you down. Are you okay?'

Wally coughed.

'I- I think so,' he said.

Kuki pulled him further out of the wreckage, and hugged him so tight he found it hard to breath.

Wally wasn't really thinking straight. He was disoriented, he felt tired, but all he wanted to do was say one thing.

Kuki had found him, and he felt grateful for that. She was the one he wanted to see at that moment. During the battle, all he found himself thinking was that he had to get home to see Kuki again.

'N-Num...Kuki?' Wally said again, looking her straight in the eye.

'Yes, Wally? What is it?'

Wally took a deep breath. He was actually doing it. He was going to say it and for the first time, he wasn't even scared.

'Kuki, I- I love you.'

Kuki's heart skipped a beat. She had been waiting years to hear those words. She had been so worried, and to find him okay, and to hear those words. Once again, she threw her arms around the boy.

'I love you too, Wally,' She cried.

And then, it just sort of happened. Nobody anticipated it, nobody forced it. It was just like it was the natural course of things.

They kissed, among the debris and torn scraps of the ship.

For years, they had loved each other in secret, and now, that secret was out.

And they were free.

After that, Kuki helped Wally out of the wreck, hooked his arm around her shoulder for support, and together they began to move back towards the Treehouse.

And they were smiling.

~(*)~

A/N: I took a chance, I hope you like it.

I think I'm happy with it.

And the Question of the week is;

What has been your favourite Chapter so far?

But here's the catch; it has to be a chapter other than the recommissioning Chapters!

Seeya all next week!

Fun Fact: I was watching Operation: ZERO while I was writing this.

Now I'm watching Operation: TRICYCLE.

-Numbuh 25, over and out