Transmission 6: Conflicted Minds
The boy has a dream: He is standing in a room that resembles a medieval dungeon. Before him is a person chained to a wall. Someone is whispering in his ear to do something. In his hand is a knife. He tries to stop himself, but his body is not obeying him. Then he hears a gut-wrenching scream."
Nigel wakes up in his bed, panting heavily. The dream felt real, and he notices that his hands are shaking. "What was with that dream?" Nigel mutters and gets out of his bed. He then walks to his closet and takes a clean set of clothes, all neatly folded in separate drawers. As he goes downstairs Nigel sees his father, sitting at the kitchen table, humming a tune while reading a newspaper. As Nigel opens the refrigerator, Monty Uno notices his son's presence.
"Ah good morning son. I was just about to put the kettle on. Would you like coffee or tea?"
"I'll just have milk, but thanks for the offer." Nigel sits down at the opposite end of the table; still shaken by the dream he saw. "Dad…do you remember anything from your childhood?"
"Oh, just small bits here and there. Time takes a toll on your mind you see."
"Can you remember anything specific?"
"Hmm…well…I do remember causing trouble to Pappy. Ah I was a real rascal back then. It's such a shame that he never got to see you graduate middle school…"
"I think…I have some form of amnesia…"
"What are you saying son? Have you contacted the doctor about this?" Monty becomes concerned and reaches for his phone, but Nigel stops him.
"Dad, don't call the hospital!"
"But amnesia is a serious condition!"
"Yes dad, but they can't do anything about it anymore. Calm down."
"Oh…alright Nigel old bean."
"Dad, did you notice a change in me? Say like…during my last year of middle-school?" Monty crosses his arms and ponders Nigel's question.
"Hmm…middle-school…Now that you mention it, you did come home one day at the end of March and you were really worried about something…no wait it was a Saturday morning…Yes, you mentioned something about a scar..."
"Scar? What scar?"
"I'm sorry son, I can't remember…Oh and then there was that other time when you came home, and you seemed…distant somehow. That was right after you graduated from middle school last year. Sorry my memory is not that great anymore."
"It's okay Dad. Thank you."
"Oh…well that's great son." Monty returns to reading his paper while Nigel digests the words he just heard. "Ah look at the time! You'll be late if you don't start pedaling!"
"You're right. See ya later Dad." Nigel stands up, grabs his bag and bicycle helmet, and walks out of the house. He gets on his black endurance bicycle and begins the arduous journey to McClintock Highschool. As Nigel reaches the bottom of the hill, he lets out a heavy sigh. "Well, here goes nothing." Half-way up the hill, he hears a familiar sound behind him and soon enough, Wally's motorcycle, Abby's sportscar and Hoagie's van all pass him. They all wave to him and he waves back. Then finally, Nigel arrives to the school's bike racks and locks his bicycle. As he approaches the main entrance, he sees his friends waiting for him. "Morning everyone."
"Mornin' Nigel."
"Uhm…what's with those two?" Nigel points at Wally and Kuki who are loudly arguing about something.
"Oh, we were just talking about the things we liked as kids."
"Yeah, and Mister Smooth over there thought it was a good idea to start badmouthing Rainbow Monkeys. Ya know how she loves those things."
"So, they've been at it ever since we came here. See?"
"Rainbow Monkeys are not stupid!"
"Yes, they ARE!"
"They're NOT!"
"YES!"
"NO!"
"Man, they're arguing like ten-year-olds. Come on, we gotta get to class." As Wally and Kuki continue to argue, Nigel remains concerned about the things his father said and the albums the group found last weekend but brushes these thoughts away as he enters Class 2-A's homeroom.
Nigel takes his seat right at the middle of the middle row while to his left sits Rachel, who immediately greets him. "Hi Nigel."
"Morning Rachel."
"How did your weekend go? Sorry I couldn't come with you guys to the Point."
"It's fine, you had a god reason, with getting injured and all, but I'm not in the mood to talk about it." his answer surprises Rachel who becomes concerned.
"Did something happen?"
"I'll tell you later. Class is about to start."
"Okay…"
As Monday's 1st period begins, the normally studious Nigel cannot concentrate at all. His mind is jumbled with thoughts about the amnesia, the albums and his fathers' words. Nigel leans on his arms and has a stern expression on his face, which is noticed by Rachel but she looks away when Nigel turns his head towards her. After a few seconds, Nigel's gaze turns away from her and he stares at his desk. Then, his trance is broken when the teacher asks him a question. "Uno? Nigel Uno, are you listening?"
"Ah sorry, what was the question?"
"It's not like you to not listen to the lecture, Uno. Please try to follow what's being said."
"I'm sorry. I'll remain vigilant." Even his classmates are surprised this because normally, Nigel would always answer correctly and actively participate. As he continues to ponder, Rachel cannot help but notice that something isn't right with him. Later during the lunchbreak, Rachel walks with Nigel to the cafeteria but just as they try to open the doors, they fly open and three members from the football team dash out. All of them have small bruises on their faces, one has a bloody nose, and another is missing a tooth.
"What's going on in there?"
"I've got an idea…" Nigel goes inside, followed by Rachel. Hoagie is the first one to meet them. "What happened?"
"Some 10th graders from the football team tried to grab Kuki so Wally stepped in but then they attacked him instead and he beat them up with a tray. He got injured too." Hoagie then leads them to a table near the back where Kuki is trying to wipe the blood from Wally's nose with a handkerchief, despite his resistance.
"Come on Wally, stay still."
"I'm fine, ya don't have to do this."
"But I have to. As thanks." Wally turns red but doesn't reply. Abby is sitting opposite to them with her arms crossed, visibly enraged.
"Ernest?"
"Ernest. That creep sent those guys to grab Kuki." Abby says angrily.
"I should've known. If only I could expose him, but we don't have the proof." Nigel clenches his fist.
"You'll get him sooner or later. That's why you wanted to be President right?" Hoagie sits down next to Abby.
"Not just for that. As President, I must make sure all the students feel safe here. Bullying is something I will not tolerate." Nigel removes his sunglasses and wipes them with a small cloth.
"Should we call the Student Council for a meeting? We can eat in the Council room." Rachel says as she gives Kuki one of her handkerchiefs.
"I guess we'll have to now. Wally, if anyone in the faculty asks about this, tell them to speak to me first. I don't want them to give you any unjust punishment."
"Got it…"
…
Up in the 2nd floor, inside the Student Council room, Nigel and Rachel are waiting for the other members. The spacy room has a long table in the middle with four chairs on either side and one at each end. Rachel notices that Nigel is in deep thought again. "Nigel?"
"If it's about the weekend, I won't discuss it now. We need to concentrate on the present."
"Right…" Suddenly, the door flies open and two students enter. Everyone sits down at the table with Nigel sitting at end. To his right is Rachel and next to her sits the red-haired Fanny. To Nigel's left sits the only other boy of the Student Council, Patton.
"Welcome everyone. I called this meeting to discuss the recent attacks on students by the Football team."
"So, what's that slimy snake done this time?" Fanny asks with an angry tone.
"He sent his goons to attack Kuki. I'm guessing they wanted to use her to get at Wally."
"That no-good, stupid, bottom-feeder!" Fanny stands up and slams the table.
"Calm down Fanny. This isn't the first time he's targeted girls you know." Rachel pulls Fanny back down to her seat.
"I know but…"
"However, this is the first time he has done something this bold: Sending his underclassmen to attack and possibly take her somewhere during lunchbreak in broad daylight. Before, he'd have them strike after school, like what happened with Wally's motorcycle."
"He must be feeling the heat. Seems like Wally nearly breaking his fingers caused this."
"Exactly, Patton. This was the first time in years that somebody resisted his 'authority' by force. And this hasn't been an isolated incident either. Since school started, I've asked around and the students have said that the Football team have resorted to more violence and blackmail.
"But we can't pin any of this to him because he's never directly involved. He always sends his goons to do the dirty work, but he gives the go-ahead to do it." Patton replies and crosses his arms.
"Yeah, it's like he's turned the Football team into his own private army." Rachel says while the others nod.
"Not to mention the fact that the only reason no one is doing anything about is that he has perfect grades, gained through cheating of course. We know for a fact that he has the underclassmen steal exam answers, to ensure that he has a decent public image." Nigel notes as Rachel takes out a graph from the filing cabinet and shows it to the Council.
"The Football team's success for the last two years is also a factor. You know how schools always favor clubs who bring prestige, and the Rockets are the State Champions for 2 years running. That success means a bigger budget and more popularity. I looked at the club entries from the club orientation and 40% of the male students applied to the Rockets, even though most of them had no experience in the sport."
"That success has definitely gone to his head and now he thinks he owns this school." Patton says angrily.
"Yeah, remember last spring when he ran for Student Council President and got a big chunk of votes even though only 9th and 10th graders are allowed run in the election." Fanny says as she writes down everything on her laptop.
"He already had the previous president under his thumb and wanted to keep it that way. It just shows you that even some of the teachers are willing bend the rules for him. That or he's using his father's financial muscle as leverage." Nigel says as Rachel shakes her head.
"It's scary to think what would've happened if he had won…"
"Regardless, it's clear that he has stepped up his attempts to gain more power within the school. At this rate, something bad will happen and people might get seriously hurt. We need to gather more evidence. Patton, I want the hall monitors to remain extra vigilant and intervene immediately if the Football team's members cause trouble. Also, I'll take full responsibility for this but tell the hall monitors that they are authorized to take pictures or film the incidents if possible." Nigel's order surprises the others.
"Nigel, that's breach of privacy! You got away with it last time, but it's not going to work again without permission. We'd have to ask the principal about this!" Rachel stands up.
"We can't. He'll refuse regardless and we are running out of time. Ernest has been hurting so many of our fellow students and he's already a 12th grader. He'll walk away without ever being brought to justice. I know this is risky but what else can we do? The vice-principal asked us personally to investigate him because she and the other teachers don't have time or authority to do so."
"Gah adults are so useless! Shouldn't they be the ones doin' something about this?!" Fanny shouts in frustration.
"They are too busy with their work. That's why the Student Council exists, to lessen the burden from the teachers. And as President, I want to do everything I can to help the students."
"You always know how to get people to see your point. But I'm not gonna make them do it unless Ernest's boys start to cause more trouble." Patton replies firmly.
"That's fine. We should now go through the evidence we've gathered and start planning our next move. The sports festival is in two weeks, as in the last week of September. The Football Team will no doubt take the center stage there too. Something might happen…"
"Okay, then let's do this!" Fanny cracks her knuckles.
For the next 2 hours, the four teenagers pour through reports, photographs and witness accounts while formulating their plan. Finally, they reach a verdict and Nigel ends the session. While Patton and Fanny leave, Rachel stays with Nigel, who is still in deep thought. "Nigel, you're not being yourself today."
"Oh sorry, I was just thinking about Ernest. All we can do now is to keep our eyes open and wait for him to make the first move."
"That's not it, Nigel. I know that look on your face. Something must've happened during the weekend." she looks directly at Nigel and her intense stare finally breaks him.
"Argh…fine…During the weekend, something did happen. I've had this odd feeling of emptiness for a few years now. It's some form of amnesia…" Rachel twitches slightly but Nigel notices this. "What is it?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Please, keep going."
"Yes well…last Friday I learned that I wasn't the only one. Wally, Hoagie, Abby and Kuki all have the same condition. And we also found old photographs that show the five of us together, yet none of us remember. I admit it has been nagging at me ever since." As Nigel looks up, notices a tear forming on Rachel's left eye.
"Rachel, what's wrong?! Did I say something wrong?!"
"Oh no, no, I just got something in my eye." she quickly wipes the tear away and regains her composure.
"Nigel, you shouldn't worry about that too much. I mean, you guys are friends now, right? Shouldn't that be enough?"
"Perhaps. Yes, maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill. Thanks Rachel."
"Anytime. Hey, it's 13:00. You might still make the 5th period."
"Oh you're right. Aren't you coming?"
"You go on ahead. I'll sort these papers into the filing cabinet and go home. My rib is acting up."
"Oh, right of course. Well anyway, put them the safe instead. Maybe I'm just paranoid but I don't want our evidence stolen…"
"Good point. Come on, get going already."
"Right, I'll see you later."
As Nigel runs out of the room, Rachel takes a deep breath and leans back on her chair. "I figured you'd realize it sooner or later…" Then, someone knocks on the council room door 6 times, prompting Rachel to stands up. "Come in, the coast is clear." she says as Patton enters the room and locks the door from the inside, before taking an odd device made from a large headset wired to a small soundboard out of his backpack. He kneels in-front of the door and presses the headset against the door before pressing buttons on the soundboard.
"Alright, the M.U.F.F.L.E.R.'s online. We can talk business now." he says and goes back to his seat as Rachel gathers her paperwork and puts them in the safe. Then, she opens her backpack and places her TND L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S. on the table.
"So, how's the injury?" Patton points at Rachel's left side as she boots up the 2x4 computer.
"It's fine now…the rib is going to heal in no time, but until then, I can't go on any field missions. I can't believe Teen Tornado cracked my rib when we fought and I didn't even notice it…" she frustratedly shakes her head as Patton leans against the table.
"What I wanna know is how did that guy show up from outta nowhere. He got Erased two years ago."
"You're asking me? We don't have any leads on that, even though Numbuh Nu-5's been working her butt off trying to find any clues…"
"The only answer I can think of is that the Ninjas somehow figured out how to reverse Erasure."
"If they have, then I can think of only one person they'd want to use it on."
"Father?"
"Yeah." Rachel replies as she types on her L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S. but Patton isn't convinced.
"I'm not so sure about, Rachel. Did you forget Father Delightfulized every Ninja on the planet a year ago? They aren't gonna forget something like that."
"Then who else would they use it on?"
"Dunno. Maybe they'll try to bring back as many villains that the Splinter Cell Erased and have just cause chaos. Honestly, that's what I'd do. Keep the KND and the TND occupied with two-bit villains while the Ninjas could be free to focus on whatever they're really planning."
"Hmm, never figured you'd come up with such a good hypothesis." Rachel smirks slightly at Patton, who chuckles.
"Come on, gimme some credit. I'm not just a guy who fights all the time. I can use my brain too."
"Hah-hah-hah, I know. Anyway, what confuses me the most about this is that Ernest doesn't seem to have any memories about last year either. He didn't recognize any of us when we enrolled here nor did he recognize Wally."
"You think he got Erased after the battle at the mansion?"
"But why? Ernest was both the Leader of the Bullies and a formidable Ninja. Why would they turn their backs on him just like that? I'll be honest, if he had kept his memories, I don't think we'd be able to hold this meeting here. This school was basically crawling with Ninjas until last summer."
"Then we can count ourselves lucky on that front. Now he's just being a menace in general. We've gotta deal with him too.
"I agree. Evil teenagers and Bullies are just as bad as evil adults. But we'll need to be careful; I've got a feeling the Ninjas are still keeping tabs on him and all the trouble he's causing here might actually be what they want all along." Rachel crosses her arms and stares at the L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S.'s screen. "Anyway, I finally got my hands on the Intelligence Section's report on Recon Team 89. Numbuh Iota-3 had been withholding the report since last weeks Monday after we came back from Nova Scotia."
"So, what did RT 89 find?" Patton asks, prompting Rachel to turn her L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S. around and what Patton sees causes him to jump up. "WHAT?! No way…that's…"
"The Ninjas were transporting a Really Really Incredibly Destructive Machine from Europe to Canada."
"But I thought they all got wrecked when the Splinter Cell destroyed Father's weapon factories a year ago."
"We all did. But the fact that they've got their hands on one changes everything. One RRID can take down a Treehouse by itself, so imagine if they could manufacture more? Let's not forget that the Ninja Nerd Troop has lot's of ex-KND 2x4 officers among their ranks."
"Grr…damn…"
"But that's not all. Can you guess where they got it from?"
"…lower Sprekenheim."
"Bingo. The Global Intelligence Section believes that the Ninjas have found a weapons cache or factory left behind by Father that we hadn't discovered."
"Then…that also means they're making S.I.N. there!"
"Exactly, though there's gotta be more than one facility. That's why Numbuh Alpha called us to the Moonbase again. The TND will host a joint meeting with the KND and form a plan on how to proceed from here."
"And when's the meeting?"
"Next week's Friday. One week before the Sport's Festival."
"Okay, look's it's off to space for us again."
"But this time we'll use the portals."
"Aw come on, what's wrong with a little joyride in space?"
"Because I don't want be late like last time." Rachel says bluntly. "And I can't aggravate my rib."
"Ah, good point." Patton snaps his fingers as Rachel turns off her L.U.N.C.H.B.O.C.K.S. and puts it back into her backpack.
"I think we're done here. I'm gonna head home now. Lock up the Council room when you leave." she says and presses a button on her 2x4 wristwatch. "Cleve Portal Hub, this is Numbuh Epsilon, get ready to receive."
"Roger, standing by." Rachel then presses another button, generating a red portal from her wristwatch and walks through it, leaving Patton behind.
"Man, must be nice to have a Portal Disc built-in to your watch…" Patton chuckles as he goes over to the door to turn off the M.U.F.L.E.R. sound blocking device. However, as he leaves and locks the door like Rachel told him to, someone is waiting for him in the hallway.
"Patton!" an irate voice of a girl startles the teenager.
"Gah…Fanny! What the heck are you doing here? I thought you had class."
"The teacher called in sick at the last minute, so it got cancelled."
"Ah, right…oh, I get it, you were waiting for me, right?"
"Just take me home." Fanny huffs and starts walking away, while Patton smirks slightly.
"Blunt as ever…" he thinks as they walk down from the 2nd floor to the empty main hall since the 5th period is still going on. "How long did you wait for me?"
"Does it matter?"
"Ah not really, but I was curious, that's all."
"Good, then I don't hafta answer ya." Fanny replies and takes a few steps ahead as they walk out of the main entrance.
"Man, what's with you today? Did the football team badmouth you again or something?"
"No. I'm just pissed that they tried to grab Kuki. I wish I'd been there so I could've given those punks a beating." Fanny grits her teeth as she is reminded how Kuki was one of the first girls to try and befriend her when she started high school a year ago, before neither Rachel or Abby.
"I get how you feel there. I'd done the same if I'd been in Wally's place."
"Huh?! What, are ya saying you got a thing for…"
"What? No way, not in your life. I mean it wouldn't matter if it was Kuki or Rachel or you or anyone of my friends, I'd keep them safe from bullies and thugs." Patton says sternly as he clenches his fist and his expression surprises Fanny. "Hmm? What's up?"
Fanny's face has turned red, but she quickly hides it under her long bangs "N…nothin'. I'm just tired, that's all." she huffs and marches ahead while Patton let's out a silent laugh.
"Ah man, you suck at lying, you know that?" he mutters and follows Fanny to the parking lot, where his SUV is waiting. He then takes Fanny to her home, where her youngest brother Shaunie is trading Yipper cards with his friend on the newly renovated porch. However, upon seeing the SUV park in-front of the house, they quickly collect their cards and run to the front-yard. "Heh, looks like you've got a welcoming party waiting for ya."
"Gah, I don't have time for Shaunie's stupid card game. Honestly, he's almost 12 and he still plays with those dumb Yipper cards."
"Don't let Hoagie hear that. He's got a pretty big collection too, you know."
"I…whatever." Fanny says and hops out of the car but before she closes the door, she looks at Patton one more time. "Th…thanks for the ride."
"Any time. You know I got your back." Patton looks her in the eye, causing Fanny to quickly turn around and run past her brother and into the house without looking back. Then, Shaunie and his friend walk over to the SUV.
"Numbuh's 95 and 82 reporting, Numbuh Zeta, Sir!" he says, and the kids salute Patton.
"Heh, at ease boys. Got anything to report?"
"Nothing right now, Sir! Fanny did lose her sock yesterday and got really mad about it."
"Hah-hah, she would! No, I mean have you seen any evil adults or Teen Ninjas around here?"
"No…" Shaunie replies cautiously as Patton ruffles the boy's red hair.
"Keep your eyes open, boys. The Ninjas have been really sneaky lately."
"Of course, Sir!"
"Say hi to Paddy or Numbuh Theta-6 for me when he shows up."
"Of course! Paddy's been really busy working with Scout Team W."
"Alright, I'm out then. You just keep an eye on Fanny for me okay?"
"You bet!"
"That's the spirit, see ya later." Patton salutes the boys and drives away, but the smile he had on his face quickly fades away as he is reminded what happened a year ago. "Fanny, when I said I'd have your back, I meant it. I owe everything to you and I'll pay it back to you a million fold."
…
One week later, at the Moonbase, people gather at the huge Central Briefing Room. Half of the round room is filled by teenagers and the other half by kids, all high-ranking members of the TND and the KND respectfully, though the kids keep their distance, some even giving suspicious looks at the teenager side of the briefing room. Standing in the very center is 11-year-old French-Canadian Numbuh 81, real name Jacques Duval. He is the Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door, a role he took over after Angeline turned 13 a year ago. Despite being shorter in height than his predecessors, he has gained a reputation as a very bold and no-nonsense Supreme Leader, who prefers a hands-on approach to everything, similarly to how Chad Dickson acted when he was Supreme Leader 6 years ago.
Sitting beside him at the same table is Eliza, who has so far kept quiet as Jacques has taken the center stage in the meeting. An hour has passed since the meeting began but it's obvious some parts of the KND are having a hard time agreeing with the proposals put forward by the TND, mainly anything involving joint-operations. "Supreme Leader, we're stretched to the limit as is. We can't spare any extra operatives to fight the Ninjas." a member of the Intelligence Division says from the front row.
"Numbuh FB-1 is right! Didn't the treaty say the Ninjas where the TND's problem anyway? We made it so the KND could focus on fighting adult tyranny!" another operative shouts from the back, causing the KND side to erupt in loud murmurs.
"Yes, I know that, because I was there when it was made, and so were many others here. But the Ninjas are still dangerous."
"They're not our problem anymore, Supreme Leader!"
"That just means the TND aren't doing their job right!" Then, Eliza lifts her head and looks at the KND side with her Delightfulized left eye, silencing them.
"We are doing our job, as we agreed. But what I don't get here is that the KND doesn't want to work with us. The treaty also states that the KND and the TND can always work together, so why are you suddenly against it?"
"Numbuh Alpha is right. Did you all forget that we only defeated the Splinter Cell and Father because we worked together?" Jacques points at the KND side, who keep talking among themselves but not as defiantly. "Evil adults and the Teen Ninjas are enemies to us all, not just for the TND."
"Something's not right here…" Patton whispers to Rachel and Herbie, who are sitting in the same row with him and both teenagers nod silently. After one more our, the KND and TND agree to a compromise, but the teenagers aren't pleased by the result and neither are the kids. Then, everyone leaves the briefing room in good order but some KND operatives give suspicious looks towards the TND agents. Outside, in the hallway, waiting for his friends is The Kid, who had not joined the meeting.
"Hmm, what's with all the long faces?" he says as Rachel, Patton and Herbie approach him.
"I wish I knew…for some reason the KND wanted nothing to do with helping us with the Ninjas…" Rachel laments as they head to a nearby observation deck.
"They didn't act like this 3 months ago when we had the first yearly meeting. Now they just kept arguing against everything we suggested." Patton says as Herbie takes out a small 2x4 device from his pocket and starts typing on it.
"I've seen this pattern before."
"What do you mean, Iota-3?"
"Well, Numbuh Epsilon, this is exactly the same kind of atmosphere the KND had 5 years ago after Sector V were framed. No one could agree on anything after Sector V fled the KND. The meetings Numbuh Eleventy-Billion held were just like this one. Lots of noise but no dialogue."
"Yeah, I remember that too…"
"That time, it was mostly coming the Decommissioning Squad and the Science Division and you remember who controlled them, right?" Herbie looks at the others grimly, causing Rachel to clench her fists.
"The Splinter Cell…"
"Wait, are you saying those guys are…"
"No, the Splinter Cell went down when Numbuh 1000 Erased himself. But it must be something else, or then it's just the normal 'kids don't like teenagers' attitude the newest operatives have. Remember, 90% of the KND were mind-controlled and then Delightfulized, so some operatives haven't let go of that mindset because they never saw us work together."
"Man, that's messed up. We busted our asses for 'em and they're still gonna act like a bunch of bra…"
"Don't say it. It's exactly that kind of talk that makes them hate us." Rachel stops The Kid from finishing his words just as an exhausted Eliza arrives. "Numbuh Alpha!" Rachel salutes Eliza and so do Herbie and Patton, but The Kid doesn't and simply gestures to her with his index and middle fingers.
"*sigh* I don't get it…why are they acting like that all of a sudden…" Eliza says dejectedly and leans against the railing next to The Kid. "I thought we could keep this alliance going like clockwork…"
"The KND used to deal with both evil adults AND the Ninjas by themselves so why are they suddenly saying they can't help us?" Rachel says as Patton frowns and straightens himself up.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to deal with it. Not all KND operatives are against working together you know?"
"Of course there are but those protests are going to just divide us further…" Eliza presses her face against her arms as The Kid also leans his back against the railing while looking at the ceiling through his black aviators.
"Just deal with it huh…? Eh, whatever, let 'em complain. It's not gonna stop us, right?"
"Man, you're always such an optimist." Patton says with a smirk as The Kid shrugs.
"Eh, I just like lookin' at life from the bright side, that's all. I'm gonna go to the snack bar and get a drink, anyone else comin'?"
"If it's your treat." a pouting Eliza says, prompting The Kid to chuckle.
"Ey, aren't ya forgetting everything's on the house here? That's why I get all my soda from the Moonbase."
"He's got you there, Supreme Commander. I'll head back to the Intelligence Center. I have a ton of recon reports to go through." Herbie says and salutes Eliza as he leaves.
"Hah-hah, I don't know who's a bigger workaholic, him or you." Patton chuckles but his comment doesn't amuse Eliza at all.
"Hey! I'm not a…argh, whatever, let's go already, I need that drink too." Eliza huffs and marches away, followed by Rachel, a snickering Patton and The Kid.
A few levels below them, in a storage room for spare parts, a person wearing a black cloak over themselves speaks to a small 2x4 radio. "This is Jammer, do you copy? Disruption operation going as planned. Kids are getting suspicious about the teenagers. We are well within schedule. What? A ship escaped from the Void Prison and it's headed for Earth? Roger, we'll stay vigilant. Jammer out."
…
Three weeks have passed since the school year started at McClintock Highschool. Wally has started to adjust to his now school but has to contend with almost daily harassing from the Football team, who have become more and more physical in their approach. Of course, he isn't the only victim of their antics, but his constant resistance makes him Ernest's primary target after Nigel.
Wednesday evening. As per usual, Wally is lying in his bed, listening to music when something catches his eye. Opposite to his bed is a brown cupboard. Near the left-hand corner of it, is what appears to be the corner of a small door. He turns off his MP3 Player and goes to investigate. "Is that a door? Then there's gotta be something in it too." he says excitedly and starts moving the heavy cupboard to the right.
Downstairs, his father is alerted by noise. "Wallabee, what's going on there?"
"I found somethin' cool Dad!" Sydney Beetles climbs up the small staircase and walks to the end of the corridor where Wally's room is.
"What is it son?"
"Dad, there's some sorta door here but it's locked."
"A door? Let me see." Sydney enters the room and kneels down next to his son. The door is about a meter and half tall and has a newly installed lock in it. "Ah, it's the storage hatch Lou installed. Hah, he's such a kidder. I'll check downstairs if have we a key that fits." Sydney runs down and comes back up again quickly. "Now let's try these…" However, they try for 30 minutes but none of the keys fit. "Hm…I guess Lou forget to leave the key here when he moved out…"
"So, what now dad?"
"Leave this to your old man." Sydney runs back down and returns with a hair pin in his hand. He kneels and begins to pick the lock. "You see, back when I was a kid, your grandpa would always lock the door to the house at 22:00. I was always on time of course, before I met your mom in middle school. She was the toughest delinquent in the school, and she sort of forced me to hang out with her."
"What the crud? Mom was a delinquent?"
"Oh yes, tough as nails I tell ya. Anyways after that, I stayed later than 10PM so Granpa locked me out, hah-hah. I had to spend the night in the shed. That's when your mom taught me how to pick locks. It's a pretty handy skill to have."
"Wow…" Wally can't even imagine his mom being a delinquent but then he remembers her fiery temper and cold sweat runs down his neck.
"Oh, I think I got it!" The lock clicks and Sydney pulls the door open, revealing a small storage space, completely insulated and sealed. "Hah, Lou you sneaky devil. Now what do we have here?" Sydney puts his hand in to the storage and begins to empty it. "Let's see…old mail from last years summer…envelopes…ah they're all addressed to you son."
"What?" Wally takes the pile of envelopes and opens the one at the top. "Huh, these are all birthday cards."
"They must've arrived just after we left for Australia. There's something else here too. Oh, this is a big one. Give me a hand with this." They pull out a large case wrapped in gift paper. "This is for you too! It's from…Uncle Lou! So that's why ya made this storage space! He wanted to leave you a surprise birthday gift. Come on, open it." Wally rips the paper off and underneath is a black leather case. He opens the two latches and inside is an electric guitar. "Wow! This is a real Fender Stratocaster! Do you know how much these things cost?!"
"No idea…"
"You used to play electric guitar back in elementary school. Too bad we couldn't afford the lessons…You had quit before middle school."
"It's okay dad." Wally stares in awe at the black and orange guitar as he is reminded of the band club room he hid in during the first week. It too had an electric guitar and he was somehow able to play it, despite having no memory of using the instrument.
"Make sure you thank Uncle Lou later, okay?"
"Yeah dad, of course…"
Then Sydney notices something else in the storage. "Hey, it's a gift-wrapped box." he takes out a small package wrapped in orange paper, and it has a green ribbon on top. "These must all be gifts meant for your 15th birthday. The move happened so fast that we couldn't tell everyone in time and Lou stored them here in your room. Well, enjoy your late birthday gifts son. I need to go prepare some paperwork for tomorrow."
"Thanks dad…" As his father leaves, Wally looks at the note taped to the box and reads it.
"To my bestest friend. Happy birthday. I miss you." His eyes widen as he rips the paper off the box, inside which is a green Rainbow Monkey, wearing a dark green sweater. For a moment he considers throwing the plushie out of the window but then an image of Kuki flashes in his eyes, stopping him. He puts it along with the birthday cards into the box and puts it on-top of his cupboard. He then places the electric guitar case under his bed and stands in-front of the window, staring into the night. "Crud…Why can't I remember any of that…"
…
Meanwhile, across town, under the cover of night, at McClintock Highschool's big budget football field, a group of teenagers wearing the Rocket's jerseys gather in the broadcasting booth. "Okay guys, this is where they wanted to meet us." the teenager with a cleft chin says to the four other members, though some appear hesitant.
"Uh…are ya sure about this? What if they won't show up?"
"They will! We've done everything they asked. Now they've got no choice but to let us join. This high school belongs to the Teen Ninjas and we're gonna make sure they take it back."
"Don't be so sure." a grim voice says as four teenagers appear, all wearing the standard charcoal-gray and dark red Teen Ninja Battle Ready Armor.
"Eeek!" the hesitant teenagers back away while the tall boy who Wally had punched before the semester started steps forward.
"We've done our part in the deal."
"So you have. Good job, but this is just the first phase. This high school is crawling with our enemies."
"Then what's next? Are you gonna give us the…stuff…"
"Of course, in due time. You've just had small taste of it, but you'll have to earn the rest. When the sports festival starts on Friday, you need to secure these locations within the school for us." the leading Ninja hands the tall boy the school's floorplan with the targets highlighted."
"What about our Boss? You gonna let him rejoin too?"
"That's not your concern. Just make sure you do you part and you'll be rewarded. And if you fail, we'll cut contact immediately. Don't forget that." Then, another Ninja whispers something to the leader's ear and hands him a small black box. "Hmm, on second thought, here." he hands the box to the tall teenager but stops him from opening it. "You can only open it during the sports festival. Distribute them to the team and tell them it's a sports drink. Understood?"
"Ye…yeah, totally!"
"Good. Make sure not to fail us." the Ninjas disappear into the shadows while three of the teenagers panic and run out of the room, leaving just the tall boy and 4 others.
"Hmph, they chickened out. Let's get outta here." but as they leave the broadcasting booth, they are unaware that a pair of eyes has seen them.
"Hmm…looks like the evildoers are up to no good again."
…
Thursday morning, Wally arrives to the parking lot where Hoagie and Abby have already parked their cars. "Dude, what took ya so long? I thought you already came here." Hoagie says as he opens the rear doors of his van.
"Didn't sleep well. Mom dragged me out of bed…"
"That's so like you Wally." Kuki says cheerfully but Wally doesn't reply.
"Come on, we gotta get to class." Abby points towards the door but while the others start leaving, Wally stares into space.
"Wally?" he is snapped back to reality by Kuki, whose hands are behind her back and she's leaning towards him, her eyes staring directly at him. Startled, Wally steps away from her as she begins to giggle.
"Wha…why did ya do that for?!"
"Because you're daydreaming, silly."
"I wasn't! I was…thinking."
"Really?"
"Yes really! Now let's go, Rainey's gonna be pissed if we're late." Wally begins marching to the entrance with Kuki in tow.
Lunchbreak and everyone is sitting on around a table, eating and conversing. Fanny has for the past week tried to get a rematch from Wally, but the latter has refused her demands. "Stop being a coward and accept!"
"Don't wanna."
"You stupid boy! You're just scared you'll lose!"
"I beat ya already."
"That was a fluke, and you know it!"
"Will you two stop with the fighting already?! Can't ya see Abby's trynna eat!"
"Fanny, that's enough." Rachel says firmly, forcing Fanny to sit back down while Wally rolls his eyes and stands up.
"Hey, where you goin'?"
"Bathroom." But before he can leave, two 10th grade members of the Football team stop him at the exit, alerting his friends. "What do you punks want?"
"Ernest says he wants to speak to ya."
"Tell Ernie I ain't interested."
"He thought ya would refuse, so Ernest said that if ya say no, he ain't takin' responsibility for what might happen to that girl after school."
The threat makes Wally fume. "You…!"
"Come on. Just for a little bit. He's got a proposition for ya." Wally's fist shakes, causing the two goons to sweat but he controls himself.
"Fine…" To the surprise of his friends, he follows the football team members out of the cafeteria and they become suspicious.
"Abby's got a bad feelin' about this…I'll go follow 'em."
"Ah, me too!"
"And me!" Hoagie and Kuki follow her but Nigel his fellow Council members from going.
"Don't. They'll start to suspect us more if we go there." The others nod but they all feel uncomfortable about it. Meanwhile, Wally is escorted to the football field and from there to the team changing room
The other student opens the door for him. "Go on." He says with a wicked smile. Wally scoffs and enters the changing room. Waiting for him are 20 9th, 10th and 11th grade students, sitting in-front of the lockers lining both walls. At the very back, Wally recognizes the brown hair, strong jawline and the muscular build of Ernest.
"Welcome Beetles. It's been a while, hasn't it?" He takes off his hat and mockingly greets Wally.
"How's the hand Ernie?"
"Very funny Beetles. And it's Ernest. It looks like you have some form of a brain since you agreed to come."
"If you asked me here just to piss me off, I should just kick your ass right now!"
"Heh, let's not resort to violence."
"Tell that to your boys."
"Now, now, they did it out of their own volition. I didn't ask them to. They're just angry you hurt their captain and got some of us suspended." Ernest feigns ignorance but Wally knows he's lying.
"Yeah right."
"Let's talk business. I know you want to get me so bad and believe, I want to get you too. Sadly, I'll only be attending school regularly until Christmas. Us Seniors have to prepare for the finals ya see. But the Student Council won't let us settle it the old-fashion way so how about a game of dodgeball."
"Dodgeball?"
"Tomorrow is the Sports Festival if ya didn't notice. We'll play a game of dodgeball in the gym. You versus Me. I already got it approved by our coach and the teacher in charge. What do ya say?"
"Heh, you got some guts challenging me to a game of dodgeball. Fine, I'll play along." Wally replies codly as Ernest smirks back mockingly.
"Heh-hee, that's more like it. Oh, and before I forget, that match is public, so the whole school can see your humiliation."
"Your humiliation Ernie." Wally turns around and begins to leave.
"And give my regards to that girlfriend of yours!" Wally ignores Ernest's comment but inside, he's enraged. As he closes the door behind him, Wally sees ten 12th grade students from the Football team approach him, but he walks away from them and heads back towards the rear entrance where Abby, Kuki and Hoagie are waiting.
"So what the heck did they want with ya?" Abby says with her arms crossed.
"Nothin'…He just spouted some crap and I left…" Wally says silently.
"Did he threaten you or something?"
"Yea, he said the usual stuff. Didn't have the guts to fight me or anything."
"It's great that you didn't get hurt at least." Kuki feels relieved, but Wally does not react. Instead, he immediately starts feeling guilty for not telling what really happened and walks silently with the others back to the cafeteria. Meanwhile, the Senior year students have entered the changing room, where they confront their Captain.
"Ernest!" The leading 12th grader with a crewcut, shouts.
"Ah Jackson. I thought you guys where in the cafeteria, since ya refuse eat with your team here."
"We need to talk. Us Seniors."
"Fine. You guys go. This is big boy talk." Ernest has the underclassmen exit the changing room, leaving only himself with his fellow seniors.
"Big boy talk?" the crewcut senior, Jackson, glares at Ernest.
"Come on, I got an image to keep. So, what's this all about?"
"You know damn well what this is about." Jackson glares at Ernest, who looks back at him with a condescending look on his face.
"Then why don't you enlighten me, Vice-Captain?"
"This can't go on Ernest. We know what you've been doing. We've seen that firsthand."
"Oh, come on. We're just havin' some fun."
"What you call "fun" is sending the sophomores to bully people. Steal their lunch money, lock them in toilets and break their cars. That's not why we joined the football team."
"I haven't told them to do anything."
"Cut the crap!" Jackson punches a locker door to his right, his angry expression causing even Ernest to twitch. "You know that's not true. You've turned the football team into your own mob!"
"I ain't my fault if they admire me. Look, the Football team is the most popular club in the school. We are back-to-back State Champions!"
"No thanks to you. You didn't play in any of the important matches because you faked injury. And in previous year's final, you only played in the last 2 minutes before the final whistle! You're only Captain because the coach was recommended to the principal by your step-dad." The Vice-Captain's comment throws Ernest into a rage.
"I made this team what it is today! I made this team popular! Without me, we wouldn't have this stadium and the best coaches. WITHOUT ME, YOU ARE NOTHING!"
"Without you we'd be a proper football team, not what you've turned it into!"
"Now you guys better think long and hard what you are saying because if ya don't, I'll have ya thrown out from this club! I'm the CAPTAIN!"
"Too late for that, 'Captain'. We already quit the team this morning. Good luck trying to defend your title." Jackson replies coldly, knowing full well that without him and the other senior members, the Rockets have no chance of defending their title.
"You cowards! You're just gonna betray your club like that?!"
"This ain't the club we joined three years ago. It never was."
"DAMN YOU! YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THIS! I'LL GET YOU ALL EXPELLED! I RUN THIS PLACE. I OWN YOU! WHAT I SAY, GOES!"
"Man, you really are nuts." The Seniors turn their backs towards their former captain and begin to leave.
"Uno put you to this…He did, didn't he?!"
"The President? Hah, we've been plannin' this for a while now."
"DAMN YOU ALL!"
"You're gonna burn Ernest, you're gonna burn down hard, and when you do, not even your daddy's money's gonna save ya." The vice-captain slams the door shut behind him, leaving an irate Ernest alone in the changing room and he immediately punches-in the same locker door that Jackson hit.
"Dammit…I'll show you…you're gonna regret turning your backs on me…!"
…
As the school day comes to a close, the five teens meet up the lockers, but Wally is troubled by Ernest's challenge. "Man, tomorrow's going to be so boring. Why do we non-sports club members have to attend anyway?"
"Cuz it's a mandatory event, Hoagie. Just make sure you come watch the martial-arts promo. We wanna get a bigger audience then that stupid Football team."
"And the Tennis exhibition! I've worked really hard on my swings." Kuki says excitedly, her expression filled with pep.
"I'm in the go-home club. I'm not interested this stupid event…"
"Oh but if ya don't come, ya don't get to see Kuki's tennis match." Abby smirks and Wally stutters.
"Wha…I…!"
"Yeah, go on." she gestures towards an expectant Kuki standing behind him.
"I…" Wally looks over his shoulder and he sees Kuki staring at him intensely. "Ah crud…fine I'll come…."
"YAY! Thanks Wally."
"See, it wasn't that hard." Hoagie jokingly pats Wally in the back.
"Shut up." Wally hides his reddened face into the locker while Abby and the boys' chuckle.
"Alright, let's get goin'. Tomorrow's gonna be tough." As the others are about to leave, Wally calls out to Kuki.
"Uhm…Kuki! I…wanna ask you something…"
"Okay! You guys go on ahead." As she walks back towards Wally, the others go hide behind a row of lockers and eavesdrop.
"What do you guys think?" Hoagie looks at Abby and Nigel.
"Abby's gonna eat her hat if he does what Abby thinks he's gonna do."
"Well, whatever it is, it seems important to him…" As they listen-in, Wally can't get any words out.
"I ehm…what I'm tryin' to say is…ah crud…uhm…"
"Yeah?" she looks directly into his eyes, causing him to flare up.
"Crud…I uhm…I was thinkin'…if you'd like…to come over to my place tomorrow after school!" Wally manages to blurt the words out, but Kuki remains silent. "I mean if ya don't want that's fine…"
"Yes, of course! I've been wanting come visit! I wanna see what your house looks like from the inside and see your family and and…" her rambling makes Wally ease off a little but then he notices his friends smirking behind her, all giving him a thumbs up.
"Okay…uhm…tomorrow at 2…I'll give you a ride on my bike!"
"Yay!"
"See ya." Wally grabs his bag and runs out of the building towards the parking lot.
"Congratulations Kuki."
"Yeah, looks like Mr. Tough Guy asked you for a date."
"Wha…date? WHAT?" she begins to blush as the Abby shakes her head.
"Girl, you're a bigger block head than him." The others laugh as Kuki buries her face into her hands.
"Really…he asked me…for a date?"
End of Transmission 6
Note: You can probaly tell that things are heating up a bit. This was a pretty dialogue-heavy chapter and I have received some comments about the dialogue being boring or stale in some parts of RETRIBUTION, so please, if you notice anything similar that could be improved, please leave some feedback. (You don't have to of course.)