You know, I can't believe it sometimes. When I wake up and head over the tree house I half expect to see him. Of course he's not there and will never likely be there ever again but everyday I still expect him to magically appear and tell us about the adult fanny we would be kicking that day. Doesn't help that the treehouse is located at his actual house. I can tell it's the same for the others. When they get to the tree house they do what I do. Look around only to realize that there is a person missing.
Numbuh One leaving hit all of us hard. Right in the heartstrings even. However there's no doubt in my mind that Numbuh Four has taken it the hardest. We all show, in one way or another, that we miss him. Except for Four. Whenever a mention of Numbuh One pops up, whether it be in battle or out, he doesn't seem to care one bit. He doesn't even notice things that remind the rest of us of One. If he does, or if we (or someone else) points that something out he just shrugs and walks away.
His ability to act like he doesn't care, his denial, is what makes it obvious to everyone that he isn't handling it all that well. The sad thing is that it's been almost two years. We'll all be twelve soon. When you're twelve you only have one year, and then you're decommissioned. All the time you spent saving kids from adult tyranny will suddenly be gone. Faded and out of reach. You'll be thirteen, a teenager, and you'll either not notice (and if you do, not care) about how horribly the kids around you are being treated. Heck you might even join in on the tyranny. If you're lucky you'll be able to refriend the kids you had all those foggy memories of adventures with.
To make the empty void of our ever un-present friend and the looming knowledge that we will soon be decommissioned worse we are now being separated to go on missions. Abby and I will go stop the jerky adults in one area and Wally and Kuki will be sent far away to another on their own mission. To make things worse we will likely not see the two of them for a couple of weeks if not a whole month while they're training new recruits.
As flew the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. towards our designated area I took the time to look over at my sole companion, Numbuh Five, Abby, and sighed. She was zoning out again.
"Hey, Abby!" I called over to her from the driver's seat of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.
"Yeah, what?" she questioned seemingly broken out of .
"You okay? You seem a little out of it today," I said trying to make the worry as clear as possible. We all hated it when she got spacey. It could get her hurt, badly.
She looked at me for a long moment before saying, "Don't you worry. Numbuh Five is just fine."
I had a feeling she was lying but shrugged it off and kept flying. It's not like I could make her talk about it or anything. After some very awkward silence I realized something. I couldn't remember where Four and Three had been shipped off to. The pain of guilt pooled in my stomach. So I turned back towards Five and called over to her with a lame, "Um, Five?" The only acknowledgment I got was a "Hmm?".
Taking that as an okay I asked, ""Do you remember where Four and Three were sent? I can't quit-"
Before I could finish my sentence she interrupted me with her answer,
"Mount Blackhead. Yuh know the jungle outpost. Numbuh Five thinks they're training new recruits there or something."
I laughed at this. The thought of Kuki and Wally teaching anyone anything was incredibly hilarious in my mind. Every time I remembered the fact that they were sent to teach I had to hold back laughter. It just genuinely seems like an impossibility.
Feeling as though she needed some laughter I tried turning the situation into a joke by finally letting my own suppressed laughter out, "Hahaha! That's right! Man, I can't believe the higher ups think that having those two train the new kids is a good idea! Kuki maybe, but Wally!?"
The response I got wasn't what I was hoping but at least I sorta kinda maybe got a laugh out of her. Some time later I realized we were very close to her drop point. As I told her so she could get ready for action something hit the side of S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and whatever it was it hit hard. It was also big, green, and glowing. Man I already had a bad feeling about today. Of course in my totally understandable shock I screamed something along the lines of, "Whoa, whoa, whoa!", as I tried to steady the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and, "What in Sweet Soda Acres was that!?", once it was mostly steadied.
"Probably the adults trying to get the upper hand." She suggested matter of factly.
I kinda sorta yelled, "I don't think any of the adults we know can do that!", before I took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I think I've got the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. back under control." As we looked at each other I asked, "But what was that?! It was glowing and green!"
As if agreeing to a statement that was never made Five said, "You're right we should go check it out."
"What?! No, no, no, no, no, no, that's not what I meant at all!" I yelled at her frantically.
"Well, what else are we suppose to do?" She questioned me.
"Go on the mission that we were assigned?" I asked with a hopeful smile.
"The mission involves Toiletnator. Low priority. Numbuh Five thinks it can wait a little bit, don't you?" She said with a smirk.
"Well maybe but…" I trailed off.
"Numbuh Five thinks you should stop acting like a baby." She's was goading me. I knew she was but I couldn't help but get offended.
"I'm not being a-ugh! Think about it Five! Going down there is probably a really bad idea. I mean think of all the horror movies that start out like this? Two random kids are having a super boringtastic day. Then, out of no where, a strange green thing crash lands into Earth! Those kind of things never end well."
"Which is exactly why we should go check it out. If it's dangerous we'll be able to keep it from hurting other kids!" She reasoned. Her statement, I had to admit, was actually kinda reasonable. Then again this is Five I'm talking about.
"But…" I tried in a last attempt to just turn back.
Goading me again she said, "Numbuh Five thinks anything will be better than having to waste our time dealing with the Toiletnator."
"Ugh! Fine we'll go check it out. But if I die I'll haunt you!" And with that "threat" we were off. Once I landed the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. we geared up. Me with my F.L.A.P.P.U.H. strapped on my back and a B.L.A.Z.E.R. in hand while Five carried a C.H.E.E.Z.O.O.C.K.A.
As we got close to the crater I couldn't help but note aloud just how bad it smelled with the ever classic, "Ugh! It reeks!"
Once we finally got to the edge of the crater we took a good long look at what had made the hole in the first place. Numbuh Five's reaction was understandable.
"What on Earth?"
Suddenly, very suddenly, I had a feeling of… well badness. Just being near this thing gave me goose bumps. I looked at her and said "This can't be good. Abby we should get out of here and call for backup."
She nodded in agreement but didn't move. Instead she just kept looking at the weird, slimy, glowing comet like thing that we would later know as a "Terrafuser". I grabbed her shoulder to try and snap her out of her daze but when that didn't work I started shaking her.
I shouted, "Come on Abby!" but by then it was too late. The so called comet began to convulse and boil as huge bubbles formed and popped just as quick as they appeared. They started as bubbles, but instead of popping they filled with a green liquid. As they got bigger they gained eyes and mouths. The creatures then messily separated from the "comet", leaving strings of goo behind them as they forced themselves further and further away from what had given them life. To a person who hadn't just witnessed what we did, they were just blobs. Red-eyed green blobs with fangs. To anyone who saw them for the first time they'd probably look cute. Something that wasn't a threat. In the early days that's how people got killed. I couldn't help but thank my lucky Yipper card that neither of us had let our guard down. When those little blobs started trying pounce on us Five immediately went into battle mode and started shooting them with her C.H.E.E.Z.O.O.C.K.A. Meanwhile I took advantage and used my F.L.A.P.P.U.H. to launch myself into the air so that I could hit them from above. However as more and more of the creatures generated from the "comet" are ammo was getting lower and lower. Unfortunately for me that was when "bugs" started spawning out the thing with the sole intention of attacking me.
As I shot at them I yelled, "Jeez! What's bugging you?" Brilliant, right? Apparently the freaky bugs don't know a good joke when they hear one since they kept attacking. Eventually one rammed into my side and sent me tumbling to the ground with a scream. Admittedly shaken I yelled, ""Five! I think it's time for a tactical retreat!" as I ran towards the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Five herself not far behind.
When I got into my seat I couldn't get it to start up, "C'mon baby power up!" I yelled frantically to the machine, "We need you more now than ever!" Then those things started hitting the side of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. The little blobs ran into it full force over and over again while the "bugs" shot green orbs. "Five the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. can't take this kind of abuse! I need you to get them away from here!", I told her as I started pulling and rearranging wires and cords.
"And just how do you expect Numbuh Five to do that?!" She yelled at me, "For one Numbuh Five can't exactly walk out the door! That and the C.H.E.E.Z.O.O.K.A. is empty!"
I leaned down and grabbed my S.P.I.C.E.R. from under the driver's seat and tossed it to her with a, "Take this!"
"You're going to have to figure out the rest. Good luck!" I shouted as she slowly edged towards the door. "Man I hope she comes up with a good plan." I thought to myself. Apparently she had no plan at all since she ran through the door and opened fire with a battle scream that would have made Four proud.
As she fought I did a multitude of things. Pulling, tearing, and reassembling wires. Pushing different levers up and down at different times and speed. Pushing buttons that would seem pointless to anyone else but a KND agent. As I did these things I failed to notice how the sky outside started to change from the blue that everyone will miss to the green that everyone will hate with a burning passion. What I did notice was the sick feeling in my stomach but I pushed through. I had to. If I didn't then-WAIT! I did it!
With relief for our lives I shouted, "Five I did it! She's running!"
However as looked over at her from the still open door she, and many if not all of the monsters were glowing a bright white. She extended her hand out as if to say something only to stop when she saw it. Worriedly shouted, "Abby! Why are you Glowing! What's going on!"
I didn't even get to finish the word "going" let alone "on" before she disappeared. Despite being as frightened and worried as I was, I managed to acknowledge that the landscape was suddenly much different. Instead of the open grassy field that we had been battling on the open doors of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. showed me a view of a forest that couldn't be less than ten feet away. The open door also showed me that green blobs of goo were charging right at me.
Moving faster than I knew I could I jumped at the lever near the door and pulled it down roughly, putting a "shield" of sorts between me and the monsters. Not that it helped much since they decided that ramming themselves against the side of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. was as good as tearing me limb from limb. It only got worse when I tried to take off with the plan of finding Five from the air. As soon as the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. started to get itself off the ground those blobs that had been charging the side of the machine started piling on top of the hood, and the windshield, and the roof. Not only that but it seemed as though they were multiplying with the sole intent of weighing it down and crushing it, with me inside.
Now let's face it. If you were about to be potentially crushed to death you would have freaked out just like I had. In fact you probably would have sounded something like, "Oh crud. Oh CRUD! I'm doomed! They're going to crush me flatter than a piece of paper! I'm so dead that I'll be sleeping with fishes!" Incase you're wondering, this is exactly what I was screaming from the ground as dents were being made into the roof of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.
In the end it turns out that I didn't need to worry. The reason? There was a light. A pink blast of light that annihilated the blobs. When I got up from the ground and looked through the windshield…
…there was a redheaded, pink clad girl with a worried look on face as she peered inside of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and…
...and she was floating.