HEY! Just wanted to let you know that there is an A/N down the bottom, and I would really appreciate it if you would please give it a read. Thank you, and enjoy the chapter!
Now Loading...
Kids Next Door Mission...
Operation: F.O.R.G.E.T.
Fragments
Of
Recovery
Gradually
Enable
Team
Chapter 41- Surprise
'Numbuh 60, can you bring us down somewhere behind that foliage?' Rachel instructed from the team leader's station of the SCAMPER.
'Yes, sir!' the boy replied, manuevering the aircraft towards a bushy section of the Delightful Manor's front garden.
Numbuh 86 and Numbuh 3 were working the other positions, readying weapons and preparing for either an undetected rescue mission or a reluctant battle.
'So,' Fanny began, picking up a MUSKET, feeling the weight pleasantly familiar in her hands. 'Was it hard to convince the committee on Moonbase to recommission us?'
Rachel swallowed, hard. She knew Fanny wouldn't be thrilled with the answer.
'Well... We didn't exactly have an official meeting as such,' she explained, trying to word the subject in a manner that wouldn't upset the girl. 'It was more a kind of... "on the fly" thing.'
Numbuh 86 turned around.
'You mean, we were recommissioned under unauthorised conditions?' She requested plainly.
362 nodded.
And then she got the reaction she had been expecting.
'Oh, no. Uh-uh-uh,' came the protests. 'There are rules about this stuff, regulations, and tight ones! You can't just go off recommissionin' anyone you feel like recommissionin'!'
Kuki watched as the redhead paced furiously back and forth across the deck of the airship, ranting about 'rule breaking' and 'unapproved action'. It was funny to see the Head of Decommissioning back to her old, rule-abiding self.
'Fanny? Fanny!' Patton called, his attempts to draw the girl out of her speech proving fruitless, until he resorted to grabbing her by the shoulders.
'Fanny, you heard how bad the situation is here. I know that this behaviour isn't technically 'allowed.' But desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes, you gotta break a few rules to make things right. Right?'
There was a few seconds of a confused, slightly angry stare, before the girl caved.
'Fine,' she relented. 'But as soon as this whole thing blows over, I'm warrenting me and the seargent over here for immediate decommissioning!'
'Heh,' came Patton's smirk. 'Worked like a charm. Ay, Fanny! Seems like your grudge against us boys is wearin' off with age, huh?'
That earned him a slap, and the warning that there was "more where that came from."
The others sighed.
'Alright, now that we've gotten that all taken care of, I think it's time we put this plan into action,' Numbuh 362 announced.
'Who's ready to get in there and kick some Delightful butt?'
'Yeah!'
'But, isn't our aim to get in there, get the others, and leave without Delightfuls seeing us?' Numbuh 3 pointed out.
'Okay, who's ready to avoid some Delightful butt?'
'...Yeah!'
~(*)~
Numbuh 121 hung up her communicator, or rather, put it down after the connection dropped out.
'What happened?' Robert asked eagery from next to her.
'I... I don't know. They sounded like they were trying to tell me something important, but I couldn't catch it. The feed was too fuzzy, I couldn't understand.'
'Hm. Well, the rescue team will be there soon, so they can tell them then.'
'Yeah.'
Robert sighed. It'd been a long, mostly boring day, despite their predicament.
Numbuh 121 seemed to be feeling it too, as she was beginning to fidget in her seat, like the bench was suddenly a lot more uncomfortable.
'Hey, do you think we even still need to be here?' She asked presently.
Numbuh 263 pondered the question for a while.
The others operatives were taking care of things at the Delightful Manor, and Numbuhs 1, 2, 4 and 5 seemed to be doing a good job of picking off the spies that haunted the streets, or so their reports suggested.
'Actually, I think we could get away with leaving for a while,' he finally replied.
'Wanna head to Moonbase?'
'Sure!'
So the two set off to the Treehouse, to find a craft that could take them up to the organisation's HQ.
~(*)~
'I don't think we're gonna fit any more villains in there,' Numbuh 5 said. She, as well as the Nigel, Wally and Hoagie, were all looking, smirking, at a bike rack with at least twenty five teen ninjas and minor villains attached to it in various ways; handcuffs, nets, duct tape, even super strength bubblegum.
'Mm. I think it might be time we dropped these guys off at the Arctic prison.' Nigel suggested.
'But how? We don't have a ship big enough to carry all of them,' Hoagie pointed out, still chewing a wad of the gum-slash-restraintment device that held down the Teen Tornado.
That earned a thoughtful 'hmmm' from the team, as they each contemplated methods of transport for the crowd.
Wally was the first to speak up.
'We could shove 'em in tha trunk of-'
'No.'
~(*)~
Dr. Colter was in a state of mixed emotions.
Annoyance.
Annoyance both for those bothersome teenage operatives who would just not leave him alone, and for his "boss", the one they called Father, who did not seem to see him as a mastermind, but as a mere employee.
Anticipation.
The anticipation he felt as he loaded up his own personal airship, preparing it for the trip to Moonbase, where he would finally be able to apprehend his childish rivals, for good this time.
Evil.
This was the normal evil that Dr. Colter felt most of the time, coursing through his veins, surging and faltering with each beat of his scarred heart. Nothing new, just the usual.
And, as much as he hated to admit it, Fear.
Colter was scared. He feared for his future, about the outcome of the battle he was about to initiate. These kids were good, he knew that. He had always assumed he was superior, but, was he? The realisation of his insecurity drove fury through his already tense nerves.
Yes. Although it drove him insane, Dr. Arthur Colter was afraid.
But thinking about it only made him lose focus, so he shook the emotion from his head and continued loading his craft.
Soon, he would have his revenge.
Those kids would pay.
Oh, yes, they would pay.
The wily old man smiled, the roots of his long-held grudge reaching further that ever before into his fickle heart, which he aggressively denied to be a cowardly thing.
~(*)~
'Alright, guys. We're getting close to the dungeons. Keep a close eye out for Father or any of his guards. And whatever you do, make sure you aren't seen,' Numbuh 362 instructed, keeping her voice to a whisper. They were so close to freeing the caught operatives, she couldn't risk giving away their position now.
The three other teens saluted, before continuing their cautious path down the hallway of the Delightful Manor.
Fanny's breath caught in her throat as she tread, swiftly but stealthily. She couldn't deny the adreniline that thrilled every nerve in her body. It felt amazing to be back on the battlefield. But it didn't feel right. She shouldn't be here; not her, sixteen years old, over the decommissioning age by more than three years.
But right now, the KND was in need of help. Help that she was more than ready to give if it meant preserving the organisation that had given her the greatest (albeit not always visible) childhood.
After this was all over, she was going to make sure things went back to the way they were meant to be.
'This way,' came Rachel's next direction, and the group hurried off down a set of stairs, almost concealed in a small well in the wall, annexed onto the main hallway.
They were met with a guard, an ice-cream man, face-to-four-faces, but it wasn't hard to take him out. A few dodges of his blurpleberry-flavored ammo and a quick all-in attack made sure he was left incapable of calling for backup, or doing much at all, apart from groaning.
Kuki poked her head around the corner, to ensure that there were no more guards, then motioned for the others to follow her. The holding cell in the dungeon was a short walk down the dank dungeon floor, and soon enough, they found where they were meant to be.
'You made it!' Jake exclaimed upon seeing them. He jumped up from his seat, and the rest of his team did the same.
Patton nodded sharply.
'Certainly did, soldier. Now, let's get you out of that cell.'
Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 86 set to work trying to pick the lock, while 60 and 362 checked the bars of the cell for weaknesses.
It was almost ten minutes before Numbuh 3 was finally able to get the latch to undo, and the four younger children ran to thank their rescuers.
'You're welcome, guys, but we're not out of the dark just yet,' Numbuh 362 reminded. 'We've still gotta get you out of this darn mansion.'
There were murmers of agreement, and a few groans, but they all brushed themselves off, and began the task of escaping the manor.
~(*)~
'So, whot's tha plan again?' Wally called to Numbuh 1, confused.
Nigel sighed.
'1. We construct a net out of whatever rope-like materials we can find. 2. We stuff all the villains we caught into that net. 3. We attach that net to the bottom of the SCAMPER and hope like heck that it stays attached until we get to the Arctic Base,' he explained for the fiftieth time, counting the stages impatiently on his fingers.
'Alllright,' Numbuh 4 replied. 'And what happens if one of these guys happens to have a pair of scissors on them?'
Hoagie laughed. 'Well, they can try cutting themselves out, if they feel like falling a bazillion feet back down to Earth! And I dunno about you, but that does net sound like a good idea to me!'
And with that, he cracked up laughing at his own joke.
'Get it? I said net instead of not!'
'Quiet, fool!' Abby snapped, flicking him quickly with the brim of her hat. 'Get back to weaving!'
'Okay, okay, jeez,' the boy replied defensively, before returning to the straps of licorish he had been tying into netting (courtesy of Stickybeard).
They had been working for a while, when suddenly, Numbuh 4 stood up, feeling the need to express something he had been feeling for a long while.
'This doesn't feel right,' he announced, dropping his section of net.
'What do you mean?' Nigel inquired.
'We're getting to the buisiness end of this whole Colter mission thing, and we're not a full team.'
It was true. The four of them had not seen Kuki since they had split up way back at the Treehouse.
And it wasn't just Wally. All four operatives had begun to wonder why they were bothering with such a tedious task, when there was a villain with such caliber as Dr. Colter was at large, an their teammate was working without them
'I agree. I think we should be fighting together if we're gonna fight at all,' Hoagie added, nodding affirmingly.
Abby smirked.
'Ya reckon these guys could stand a couple more hours chained to that bike rack?' she asked, jerking a thumb at the quite literal pile of villains behind them.
Nigel smiled.
'Alright, let's go find Numbuh 3.'
~(*)~
Getting out of the Delightful Manor was a lot harder than getting in, what with four extra operatives to sneak about. They had to move slower and much more carefully to avoid the guards Father had on patrol.
Rachel was moving in front of the pack, eyes flicking from side to side, her attention drawn to even the slightest noise or movement that seemed out of the ordinary.
They were approaching a corner when she took sight of a sillhouette flickering across the wall. She froze, and motioned for her comrades to halt, to which they obliged instantly, not making a sound. When it became clear that the shadow on the wall was getting closer and not further away, it was a mere two seconds before all the operatives in the group had fired their grappling hooks at the ceiling and hauled themselves up, out of sight.
A figure with blond hair turned on its heel around the corner, trudging down the deep red carpet as if deeply frustrated.
Fanny heard a gasp from next to her, and turned to see Numbuh 3, wide-eyed, staring down at the figure in shock.
Narrowing her eyes in confusion, the redhead turned her gaze back down, studied the appiration for a few more seconds before realisation dawned on her.
Without a word said, the four teens lowered themselves to the ground, followed by the four children, all giving each other the same look of confusion and bewilderment.
What was going on here? Why were they giving their position away to someone who was clearly the enemy?
Or were they...?
Numbuh 3 was the first to approach the blond-haired boy once they had touched back onto the ground.
She grabbed the back of his shoulder, causing him to whirl around wildly in shock, weapon raised in the blink of an eye.
However, his expression went from hostility to shock once he saw who it was.
'You? But- no! That's impossible!'
'Hello, Numbuh 274.' Rachel stepped forward, smiling.
Chad simply gaped.
~(*)~
'Here we are!' Numbuh 263 announced cheerfully, as the two-person craft he and Numbuh 121 had taken pulled into land at the Moonbase.
'Ah, Finally!' Numbuh 121 sighed. 'That trip felt longer than usual.'
'Yeah, me too.'
They exited the ship, which was perched inside the large, dome-shaped airlock just outside the main gate into Moonbase.
They walked in silence through the hall and past the "lobby" of the complex, to one of the many bridges.
'So,' Numbuh 121, Lucy, said finally. 'You seemed pretty relieved when Numbuh 8,860 was cured.'
She saw Robert hesitate for a second beside her, and thought for a second she detected a hint of a blush.
'Oh! Yeah, well... I mean, anyone would have been happy in that situation, wouldn't they?'
'Oh, of course. But I thought I saw something... glint in your eyes, like you were extra relieved or something.'
They kept walking, completing the circular form of the bridge, and ended up walking aimlessly back out the way they had come.
Numbuh 263 composed himself, cleared his throat awkwardly.
'Well, I am a Soopreme Leader, and it is my responsibility to look after all KND Operatives. I would not be doing my job if I had no emotional bond to the kids I work with.'
Lucy nodded. By this time, they were entering the lobby once again.
'Yeah, I guess,' she considered. 'But still, are you sure there isn't anything between you two?'
'Uhh-'
Robert had opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off before he could form a single word, by a tall, leering man, with a wily sneer plastered on his face.
'Hello, kiddies,' the figure snarnled.
The mouths of the two children dropped instantaneously.
~(*)~
'Why are you here? And why do you still remember me?' Chad demanded, flicking from face to teenage face that he remembered from years ago. Though he covered it with his tough attitude, the four older operatives could still see the tiniest hint of relief buried in his demeanour.
'The KND tends to turn to old allies when it needs help,' Numbuh 86 chimed. 'You should know all about that.'
'Why are you here?' Numbuh 274 was certainly skipping all formalities and reunions.
'Well, I assume you've heard about the recent return of Dr. Colter, and what he's been doing to the Operatives of the KND. We have been recommissioned to help with-'
'Excuse me,' Joey interuppted, stepping in between Chad and the rest of the group.
'But is someone gonna explain just who tha crud this guy is?'
Chad narrowed his eyes.
'Lemme guess; you're that brat Beatles' brother, aren't ya? Well, runt, if you must know, I am Numbuh 274. One of the KND's top teenage operatives. I've been working undercover for you guys ever since I left the organisation on my 13th birthday.'
The younger Sector V exchanged glances.
They were told about this boy. But only that he was a traitor, turned to the Teen Ninjas after fleeing his decommissioning from his position as Soopreme Leader. Apparently that was only a cover story.
Chad was about to begin speaking again when there came the sound of people talking from somewhere around the corner.
The older boy paused for a minute, as if he was weighing his options, and then sprinted off down the corridor, gesturing for the rest of them to follow.
They ended up at a window, at the end of what seemed to be a dead-end hallway.
'Out,' he stated simply, and waited for the eight others to hoist themselves out of the window, before exiting the Manor himself.
'Alright,' he began, once he was sure there was no danger of being seen.
'I know what's been going on, but apparently Father likes keeping his goons uninformed, since I was not informed that we had teenage operatives fighting out in the open. I can take you somewhere we can get help, though, but you gotta keep up.'
Everyone nodded in response.
They began moving, and did not stop all the way through town, keeping to the alleyways for the sake of subtlety.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of silent travelling, they came to a halt in a sidestreet next to the library.
Footsteps echoed from behind them, and eight hands grabbed eight weapons and had them cocked and ready to fire, before they realised that the source of the noise was no threat.
'Guys!' Numbuh 3 squealed, running up to the four others who had just turned into the alley. 'You're here!'
'Well, we couldn't finish this without the whole team, could we?' Wally replied. Kuki strangled him in a tight hug.
'Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a minute,' Hoagie said suddenly. 'Tearful reunions aside, since when were you involved in this?' He asked, looking over at Chad.
'I figured you could use a little assistance.'
'Thanks, but we dont need any-' Nigel started to say, but Chad apparently had other plans.
'I don't wanna hear it, buddy. I just suggest you watch out below you.'
And with that, he pressed his palm against the wall of the alley, proceeding which the brick he had touched lit up with a green light.
'Oh, and Numbuh 1? We're still not friends,' he added.
And with that, the floor dropped away from under all thirteen of them. Literally.
They landed with a thud on a hard surface, all moaning as they tried to untangle themselves from each other.
'Psht, amateurs,' Chad muttered.
One by one, the operatives stood up, marvelling at what they saw around them. It was like a treehouse inventory, times five, made way cooler by the fact that it was underground.
'Welcome to teen operative HQ,' Numbuh 274 said. 'This is where the magic happens.'
'Chad? Who are you talkin' to?' Came a distinctly familiar voice.
A boy stepped into the room.
Abby gasped, and ran to hug him.
'Maurice!' she cried.
'Abby?'
Numbuh 9 looked up and registered the scene around him. 'What're you all doin' here? I thought you were all decommissioned!' he said to the older operatives.
'Yeah, yeah, meant to be over thirteen, brought back to help stop Colter, blah, blah, blah,' Chad derided, having had enough recommissioning talk.
'It's great to see ya, Maurice,' Numbuh 5 said, smiling ear to ear.
'You too, Abby.'
Hoagie was over there in an instant, not approving of the hug that was happening between the two.
'Sorry, hotshot, but this one's taken,' he said, stepping between the two. Abby rolled her eyes, and Maurice smirked.
'Alright,' he said, 'then should we get down to buisiness?'
'Indeed,' Numbuh 1 replied. He then proceeded to inform the two near-adult operatives of every detail of their mission so far. A few solemn nods and comments were added throughout, but other than that, the boys stayed silent.
'Okay, so we're in a bad situation,' Numbuh 9 began. 'But we can turn it around. Do we know the whereabouts of Dr. Colter?'
'Nope,' Wally said, shaking his head. 'He was last seen at the Delightful Manor, but from what we've heard, that was a long time ago.'
Chad facepalmed. 'Great. You give us a villain to capture, but no leads as to his whereabouts. Great job, guys.'
Just then, the KND emergency hotline in Numbuh 1's pocked rang, making everybody jump.
Nigel pulled it out and answered, and everybody gathered around to hear.
'Hello? This is Numbuh 263, and me and a fellow operative are in need of dire assistance on Moonbase! Dr. Colter's here! He- No! Give that back! You-'
'Hello, K-N-Delinquents! I have a couple of your friends up here on your Moon-treehouse-thing. Send up the five of you who ruined me last time, or these little kiddies are going to go kaboom, along with the rest of your precious Moonbase. I'll see you soon, Kids Next Done for.'
The transmission cut off, leaving an entire roomful of KND operatives stunned and barely breathing for shock, anger and the knowingness that it all ended here.
~(*)~
A/N: Hi! So, I hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter! It felt kinda choppy to me, but you can tell me what you think!
First off, please review, I love hearing from you all, and even if I don't get time (or am simply too darn forgetful) to reply, I assure you I read every single one, and it melts my heart to know that there are people out there who are interested in my word.
Okay, down to buisiness. I just wanted to ask you something: which scene(s) from the story would you like to see as a drawing/fanart? Because I would really like to add some visual to this story, but I have no idea which bits of this (overly extensive) story to draw! I would really appreciate some suggestions, and don't forget to check me out on Deviantart, my username is AkidCalled25.
Thanks! As always, R&R!
-Numbuh 25 out
