Transmission 15: Cracks in the Memory
While Nigel and his friends are enjoying their water park trip, back in Cleve, beyond the city's borders, two figures stand near an empty park. "Are ya sure about goin' through with this? If the others find out, you're gonna be in deep water, Numbuh Delta." Maurice says to Chad, as they watch the afternoon sun slowly setting. While Chad wears his red and white college shirt, brown pants and white and black sneakers, Maurice is wearing a green, high collared jacket over a white t-shirt, jeans, black shoes and a large headset around his neck.
"I have to, Numbuh Sigma. I need to hear it from them."
"Hear what? This is the Teen Ninjas we're talkin' about."
"Sigma, we both know that not every Ninja is evil." Chad retorts, reminding Maurice of his time as a double agent, like Chad was.
"…yeah, but they aren't on our side either…wait a minute, you aren't seriously gonna…?" Maurice's eyes widen as he realizes what Chad is planning. "Dammit, Numbuh Delta, stop tryin' to do things by yourself! The mission starts tomorrow, for cryin' out loud."
"No, it starts now." Chad looks sternly into Maurice's eyes and the former teen spy can tell he's deadly serious.
"And how are ya gonna contact them?"
"I have this." Chad takes out the B.R.A. Chuckie gave him during the Hideout mission. "Its communicator is still working and I can use it contact them." a disagreeing Maurice shakes his head but he knows that he can't talk Chad out of it. "I want you to shadow me until I meet them. Whatever happens, don't intervene."
"But…"
"We need to find a S.I.N. factory and that's what I intend to do. I've got my tracker on me, so the TND know where I am. Then, they can follow up with the plan Global Command agreed with."
"…*sigh* okay…but this is the last time I'm lettin' you do stuff like this, got it?" Maurice glares at Chad, who gives him a weak but reassuring smile.
"I'll keep that in mind." Chad says and leaves the park while Maurice hides under his TND Stealth Cloak.
"This better work…" Maurice thinks as he begins to follow Chad through an empty suburb.
…
"This is the second time you failed within the span of a month, Chuckie Cavallaro." An eerie, composite voice speaks through a TV screen to the kneeling local Ninja leader aboard a flying Teen Ninja ship.
"Grr…"
"We have provided you with an ample supply of S.I.N. and now, you have not only lost 60% of the shipment but also the Hideout. That was the last one left in the Cleve and now the Teens Next Door have occupied it. You can count yourself lucky that the computer system erased itself before they got their hands on the databanks."
"How was I supposed to know the TND were coming…"
"Simple. The Hideout was infiltrated under your very eyes." the voice says coldly, prompting Chuckie to stand up.
"…" he can't find the words to reply and simply clenches his fists.
"Regardless, your cell will be disbanded henceforth, and your members will be distributed to other cells."
"What?! You can't be serious! We're one of the original Ninja cells, you can't just…"
"Who has kept you Ninjas afloat for a year? It would be wise to remember that. Take your ship to the facility in these coordinates and unload the remaining S.I.N. You are to then disembark and report to us, is that clear?"
"You're…coming there?"
"Yes."
"Understood…"
"Good. You should be thankful, Cavallaro. Had it been anyone else, we would've gotten rid of them a long time ago, but you and your cell are veterans, which means you are still valuable to the cause." the voice chuckles slightly before the call ends and a furious Chuckie punches the wall next to him.
"Graah! Damn those…dorks…they're treating us Ninjas like servants…they're no better than Father…"
"…Co…Commander?" a Ninja knocks on the door behind Chuckie and he quickly gathers himself.
"What's up?" he says over his shoulder as the Ninja enters.
"We're getting an emergency signal from a town nearby. It's coming a from B.R.A."
"Huh? A B.R.A.? I thought we took every Ninja in Cleve onboard."
"It's hailing us with the same frequency we used back at the Hideout. We think it's a straggler."
"Forget it, we're not stopping to pick a nobody." Chuckie gestures with his hand but then, the ship's communications room contacts the Ninja.
"Hey, Chief Marko, like, we got a visual on the Ninja just now and…It's Chad Dickson." Chuckie freezes upon hearing his old friend's name and then, he grabs the Ninja's communicator.
"Send the feed here, now!" he shouts and soon enough, Chad appears on the big screen before Chuckie. "You made it out…" then, he is reminded of what the voice told him and clenches his fists. "Stop the ship."
"But you just said…"
"I know what I said!" Chuckie roars at the Ninja and walks past him. "Stop the ship and a prep a van. We're gonna pick him up."
Down in the small town, Chad is standing on the roadside near a field while Maurice keeps a close eye on him. "You could've at least taken your B.R.A. and communicator with ya…" Then suddenly, a Teen Ninja Battle-Ready Van flies down from the clouds, its bright headlights illuminating the ground below but before it lands, the rear door opens and six armed Ninjas fly out, quickly surrounding Chad, who does not resist.
"You guys are with Chuckie right? I wanna...guagh!" Suddenly, the Ninjas knock Chad senseless and capture him in an energy net before dragging into the van while Maurice grits his teeth behind a bush.
"Dammit, I knew this was gonna happen!" he jumps out of the bush and decloaks just as the van flies away. "You're so damn reckless…" but then, Maurice sees a yellow flash fly past him and it follows the van into the clouds. "…you guys are on your own until we figure out where they're taking ya."
…
Back at Hydro World, after spending two hours at the water park, Nigel, Patton, Fanny, Abby, Kuki and Rachel have gone to enjoy the spa, a drained Wally and Hoagie are lounging in the penthouse. "Man, this is the best hotel room I've ever been in. It's got everything you need. Heck, they even have two bathrooms with a bathtub in each and everything!"
"Ya got that right…but this sofa is the best of 'em all." Wally says as he spreads his arms and legs wide on the sofa.
"Hah, you said it! But man, Kuki really ran you ragged back there."
"Don't remind me…" Wally replies lazily as every muscle in his body aches.
"But hey, now you can swim, so that's a good thing, right?"
"Sure…"
"And you got spend some quality time with Kuki."
"Shut up." Wally replies bluntly while Hoagie laughs and is about to turn on the TV when the penthouse door opens, and two members of the hotel staff enter.
"Good afternoon, are you enjoying yourselves?"
"Are we ever? This place is heaven!" Hoagie says as the staffers smile.
"That's great to hear. We were told a guest here likes karaoke, so we brought the karaoke machine as requested."
"Sweet, let's set it up! I wanna test my voice a bit." Hoagie gets up and helps the staffers in setting up the machine and then, they leave. Hoagie meanwhile starts going through the song list and finds one he knows. "Alright, prepare yourself, Wally. You're about to witness my mad skills."
"Hah, try not to break the mic."
"Let's hit it!" Hoagie starts singing Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" and despite his skepticism, Wally is surprised by Hoagie's vocal range, which is actually decent. He's even able sing the song on a similar note. As the song ends, Hoagie bows to an invisible audience. "Thank you, thank you, you're too kind." he then offers the mic to Wally. "Wanna try it?" Wally squirms slightly but then, not wanting to be outdone by Hoagie, takes it.
"Alright, but I only do rock!"
"Bring it on!" Wally nods and chooses AC/DC's song "Thunderstruck". "Hey, I love that song! Let's sing it together!"
"Don't choke."
"Not a chance!" Hoagie takes the other microphone, and they start singing.
Meanwhile, the others have left the elevator and are walking towards the hotel room. "Man, that was pure heaven. Abby feels like a whole new person." Abby stretches her arms in satisfaction.
"That massage did wonders to my neck. Now we can go eat."
"Let's hope those two haven't fallen asleep or something…" Fanny says as they stop in-front of the penthouse door.
"Heh, betcha they've been lazyin' around the whole time." Abby chuckles but then, they hear noise from the other side of the door. "Huh, what's that sound?"
"Is that music?" Rachel leans forward to listen and the others do the same.
"They must be blastin' that stereo or somethin'. Come on, let's go in and…" Abby swipes her card and opens the door but she and everyone else is greeted by an unimaginable sight: Wally and Hoagie singing karaoke to their hearts content, completely oblivious that they've gained an audience. "Would ya look at that…"
"Well, call me surprised…" Nigel whispers as Kuki becomes instantly excited.
"They've brought the karaoke machine! Come on, let's…" Kuki attempts to go through the door but Abby stops her.
"Hold up girl, we gotta see this…" She smirks and brings up her phone. Fanny also takes out her phone and starts filming as Wally and Hoagie continue to sing "Thunderstruck". Then, once the song ends, Wally and Hoagie perform a fist bump and grin in satisfaction.
"I didn't know ya liked AC/DC."
"My taste in music spans many genres, my friend…huh?" From the corner of his left eye, Hoagie sees their friends standing in the doorway and freezes.
"Hey, what's with…" Wally looks to his right and like Hoagie, Wally also freezes when he notices the others. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Wally realizes what just happened. "AW CRUD!" In a flash, he jumps over the sofa to his left and runs into the boy's bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him and his reaction makes Abby and Fanny break out in laughter while Nigel, Rachel and Patton try to contain themselves.
"Man, that was some performance! You shoulda seen yourselves!"
"Hey, what's wrong with two guys enjoying some karaoke, huh?!" Hoagie looks at Abby and Fanny disapprovingly.
"Hah-hah, nothin', it's just, you guys were so into it." Abby takes a deep breath while Fanny keeps giggling.
"I think you guys were great!" Kuki gives Hoagie two thumbs up while Nigel and Patton walk over to the bedroom where Wally has somehow snuck under his bed, his face bright red from embarrassment.
"Wally, are you going to hide in there the whole evening? We're going to the buffet now." Nigel says as he opens his luggage while Wally mutters to himself and crawls out. Then, Hoagie also comes to the bedroom.
"Why'd you run away like that? The artist always thanks the audience after a performance."
"Well, I didn't ask for a cruddy audience…"
"But Kuki said you sang well."
"Wha…whatever…" Wally mutters as Hoagie closes the door.
"So, what was the spa like?"
"Very relaxing, Hoagie. They got rid of the stiffness in my neck." Nigel says as he takes a light gray vest and a brand-new red, collared shirt from his luggage. Patton meanwhile puts on a green t-shirt and a deep dark green dress shirt over it. Hoagie takes off his cap, and puts a light blue, long sleeved collared shirt over his white t-shirt.
"What the crud are you guys doing?"
"The girls wanted us to dress a bit better for dinner. To celebrate the trip. Didn't I tell you this morning?"
"Oh yeah…" Wally says and takes the sleeveless orange hoodie from his backpack and replaces the zipped hoodie with it.
"That's it?"
"Ya got a problem. I don't have money for fancy clothes…"
"Well, you better get some before the Christmas Party." Nigel says as he adjusts his sunglasses.
"Christmas Party? Oh crud…"
"It's been a tradition at McClintock for many years. It's exclusively for 10th and 11th graders and it's before Christmas. Now that Ernest's gone, we might actually have a decent party." Hoagie sits down on his bed and changes his sneakers to brown shoes.
"Lemme guess, it was a total mess last year?"
"That's not even half of it. Ernest turned it into a fricking riot. The football team ran the whole thing and broke school property, left a huge mess and, if the rumors are true, they drank hard stuff the whole night. His step-dad covered the bill, and no one took the blame for it. The principal made us freshmen clean the gym and the courtyard. Yuck…just thinking about all the crap they left behind makes me sick." Hoagie shakes his head in disgust.
"Of course…"
"But this year, with Nigel at the helm, we're gonna make it into a PROPER Christmas party, right?" Hoagie looks at Nigel, who immediately puffs his chest.
"Absolutely! The planning and hosting the Christmas Party has always been the Student Council's and especially, the President's job. I will ensure that we will have the most memorable party in the school's history!" Nigel proclaims proudly, causing the other boys to laugh slightly.
"Then we'll look forward to it, right Wally?"
"Eh, sure…" Wally shrugs as someone knocks on the door.
"Hey, you guys ready?" Rachel asks from the other side.
"Yeah, we'll be right there. Let's go, we better not keep them waiting." Nigel says and the boys walk out of the bedroom as the girls wait in front of the room entrance. Kuki is wearing her purple blouse, purple mini-skirt, black tights and purple shoes while Abby is wearing a blue strapless shirt, jeans and blue shoes while keeping her hat on her head. Rachel has an orange long-sleeved blouse and jeans while her hair is pulled back with a scrunchie but a frowning Fanny has the same clothes she wears at school.
"Don't ya know it's rude keep a lady waitin'?" Abby crosses her arms.
"We waited for you guys at the pool, so now we're even." Hoagie says defiantly.
"Heh, fine. Now let's get movin'." Abby gestures to the others and they leave, but Fanny is irritated.
"It's a shame you didn't bring your pretty clothes, Fanny." Rachel tries to console her friend.
"It's cuz Daddy said they were in the washer, when they clearly weren't!"
"Hey, Wally didn't bring any fancy clothes either, so you guys' match, hahaha." Hoagie laughs at his quip, but both Fanny and Wally's glare silences him in an instant.
"Don't group me with him!"
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"
"You figure it out!" They turn their glares at each other and begin arguing loudly as the group moves towards the elevators.
"Those two are real knuckleheads." Abby says as Rachel puts her hand over her face.
"You said it."
They come down to the first floor and turn left, towards the restaurant. At the entrance, a waiter is standing behind a counter. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, do you have a reservation?"
"We have this." Nigel hands the paper he received from Eliza to the waiter, whose eyes widen the moment he looks at it,
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Please, go on in. Your table is number 20." The waiter says calmly, and the group enter the huge restaurant's dining hall.
"The heck was that all about?" Hoagie nudges Nigel.
"I guess my cousin had her hand in that as well but let's not worry about it." They look around for table number 20, but have no luck, until Kuki sees the number on a large round table separate from the others.
"Hey guys, that's a 20."
"Where is tha…oh, damn." Hoagie says awe.
"Look at the size of that table!" Fanny says as they approach it.
"Is this some kind of VIP table?"
"Seems like it." Nigel says as the teens sit down but the table is so big that there 4 empty seats. He sits in the seat closest to the window behind him while the others sit down next to him. Rachel, Patton and Fanny are sitting on his left and Abby, Kuki, Wally and Hoagie are sitting to his right. A waiter then walks over to the table, pen and paper in hand. "Good evening, would you like anything to drink?" he says with an English accent.
"A cherry soda, please."
"Root beer." Patton says lazily.
"I'll have root beer too." Hoagie puts his hand up as the waiters his attention to Wally and the girls.
"Coke."
"Pear juice for us, thanks." Rachel points at Fanny, who nods.
"Apple soda, and water!"
"Abby wants lemon soda."
"Understood. All right, as per your reservation, the buffet is at your disposal. I hope you'll enjoy the food." The waiter says politely.
"Thank you very much." Nigel replies as the waiter walks away.
"Oh, you bet I'm gonna enjoy the buffet." Hoagie grins and rubs his hands together.
"Just make sure ya don't eat too much. Abby is not gonna watch you throw up here."
"Hey, relax, I can control myself."
…
One and a half hours later, the teens have returned to the penthouse and Hoagie is lying on a sofa, holding his stomach. "Oh man…how could something so good be so…filling…"
"Why did I have to eat that 5th burger…" Wally moans from the other sofa, also holding his stomach.
"Abby can't believe you guys. I thought ya said you could control yoself?" Abby, standing next to Hoagie's sofa, shakes her head dissaprovingly and sighs.
"I did…but then they opened the Mexican table…"
"Ya ate 10 full tortillas AND 5 chilidogs. How are ya even alive after that?"
"Heh*burp*…I'm a sucker for good food…*burp*" Abby sighs and turns her attention to the stereo corner, where Kuki is lying on the beanbags with her arms and legs splayed.
"And you, I thought you of all people could keep yoself in check!"
"But that blurpleberry cake was sooo good…and the frosting was delicious."
"But ya didn't have to eat 5 slices of it!"
"I know…" Kuki moans as Rachel, sitting on a beanbag next to Kuki, chuckles.
"That was the best ice cake I've ever had." she says sheepishly while Abby rolls her eyes.
"How's Fanny doin'?"
"She's resting in bed. That ice-cream cake was too much for her." Rachel replies whole pointing at the girls bedroom.
"Why am I not surprised." Abby rolls her eyes but Hoagie doesn't like her attitude.
"Hey, don't act so disappointed! This was a once in a lifetime chance!"
"But that don't mean ya gotta go overboard!" Abby looks down at Hoagie, her hands on her hips.
"You're the one to talk! I saw you stuff your mouth full of those cupcakes!" he replies and points at Abby's shirt, which still has some crumbs on it.
"What?! Abby did no such thing!"
"I saw it too Abby, don't try to act like you're the only one who didn't guzzle." Rachel says calmly.
"Yeah well…at least Abby didn't eat herself sick like the rest of ya!" Abby points at Wally and Hoagie and then at Kuki and finally at Patton and Nigel, who have slumped on the armchairs.
"That salmon was so delicious…" Patton mutters.
"I think I ate a bit too much of that meat pie…" Nigel says weakly.
"Heh, I think I'll lie down as well. It was really filling you know?" Rachel says and walks to the girl's bedroom, where Fanny's moaning can be herd. Abby sighs and sits on the small empty sofa between the two bigger ones.
"Hey Kuki, can ya put some music on?"
"Oh…okay…just a sec…" Kuki stretches her arm and takes the remote next to the stereo.
"What should I play?"
"Just hit random, Kuki. Anything's fine right now."
"Okidoki…" Kuki presses the "random" button, and the teens fall silent as Daft Punk's "Aerodynamic" plays.
After an hour of rest, Abby sits up and stretches her arms. "Hey, you guys awake?"
"Yup." Hoagie waves from his sofa.
"Kuki, you can turn that off now."
"Okey!" As the stereo is turned off, everyone sobers up.
"So, what do you guys want to do now?" We've still got the whole evening." Nigel says as he gets up from his chair while Hoagie rolls onto his left side.
"Hmm…hey, let's sing some more karaoke."
"YAY! I wanna sing!" Kuki jumps up but has to calm herself down immediately, as the cake hasn't fully digested yet.
"I'm gonna go get some fresh air on the balcony." Patton says as he stands up, prompting Rachel to do the same.
"I'll come with you." Rachel also gets up and follows him to the balcony. Kuki meanwhile walks over to the sofas as Hoagie turns on the TV.
Out on the balcony, Rachel is leaning against the railing, her eyes glued to the full moon while Patton crosses his arms. "So, you feeling any better?"
"I don't know…it's like Nigel and the others live in a totally different world…they don't have to fight against adult tyranny and go on missions…and…I kinda envy them…"
"Really? I thought you wanted them to get their memories back?"
"I do…but I'm starting to understand why they gave them up…this wouldn't have been the same without all of us." Rachel says wistfully while staring into the dark forest surrounding the hotel.
"I get what you mean…and that's why we have to keep fighting, Rachel. We promised to cover their backs…and…I don't want to see Fanny suffer like that again…she's been through enough." Patton clenches his fists as he remembers how, a year ago, Fanny sold him and Rachel out to the Splinter Cell, how she was subsequently placed under their mind control and forced to fight her friends against her will, only to end up losing her memories during the final stages of Operation: R.E.T.R.I.B.U.T.I.O.N., the joint TND and KND operation that brought down the Splinter Cell and Father.
"You're right…we owe it to them…but…what about when Numbuh Omicron and those aliens decipher Numbuh Gamma's disc? You said it had the cure to Erasure in it."
"Yeah, that's what I heard."
"But we can't just…force them to recover their memories…" Rachel says while frowning.
"We can worry about that later but for now, let's just enjoy the little free time we have. Once November rolls in, we'll need to be extra careful."
"I know…" Rachel smiles weakly as Hoagie's energetic rendition of U2's "Vertigo" echoes from the penthouse as Kuki waits anxiously for her turn. Abby, Nigel and Wally are listening to Hoagie's performance and when the song ends, they clap.
"Thank you very much." Hoagie does an imitation of Elvis and sits back down while Kuki gets up and takes the microphone.
"It's been a while since we've had a karaoke night, hasn't it?"
"You said it, Nigel. I think the last time was on Abby's birthday last summer. Man, my throat was sore after that." Hoagie replies and Abby chuckles slightly.
"At least we ain't getting' any noise complaints. Daddy had to apologize to the neighbors cuz you two sang so much." Abby points at Hoagie and Kuki, who is in the middle of selecting a song.
"Okay, now it's my turn!" she starts singing Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and immediately, Wally is taken by surprise by how good her singing voice is.
"Oh crud…I didn't know she was this good…"
It puts him in an almost hypnotic trance and he can't take his eyes away from her. Even Patton and Rachel stop what they're doing and listen from the balcony door as Kuki sings to her heart's content. Then, the song ends, and Kuki receives even bigger applauds then Hoagie did. As she smiles and bows to the others, Abby notices Wally just blankly staring into space. "So, what di ya think, Wally?"
"Huh, what?" Wally realizes that everyone else looking at him, especially Kuki. "Uhm…well..."
"Yeah? You can say it, can't you?" Hoagie says while trying to stop himself from laughing.
"I…eh…" Kuki's gaze pierces deep inside and Wally looks away.
"…Hoagie wasn't lyin'…"
"Boy, ya gotta say it straight." Abby snaps at him, irking Wally.
"For cruds sake…you're a good singer! There, ya happy?!" Wally shouts as Abby and Hoagie snicker at his stiffness, while Kuki blushes at the compliment.
"Ehe…thanks Wally."
"Why do I gotta take this…cruddy…" Wally crosses his arms and mutters, hiding his embarrassment. Kuki then walks over to his sofa and offers the mic to him.
"Okay Wally, your turn."
"What? No cruddy way!"
"But you sang so well…"
"Not gonna happen!"
"Come on! You don't have to be ashamed of yourself!"
"NO!" As Wally and Kuki argue, Rachel and Patton's attention is drawn away from the others, because of Rachel's blinking 2x4 watch.
"It's an emergency message…" she whispers to Patton as they huddle together but are unaware that Fanny is observing them.
"Yeah…mute it." Patton replies as they hide the holographic message with their bodies and read it in complete silence. "'Report to Cleve Base tomorrow at 07:00, further instructions will be provided upon arrival.' What's that about?"
"I don't know…but I don't like it at all…why didn't they order us to go there right now?"
"I'm guessing it's because we're with everybody. We're their observers after all…"
"Oi, what are you guys whispering over there?!" Fanny shouts from balcony door and Rachel scrambles to hide her 2x4 watch.
"Uh, sorry…we uh…that's right, we have to leave early tomorrow so…"
"Why's that?" Fanny eyes Rachel with suspicion but Patton quickly steps forward.
"Rachel's dad got into an accident, and they had to take him to hospital so I'm taking her there tomorrow." His lie shocks not only Fanny but also Rachel, who must stop herself from elbowing him.
"What?! Really? Is he okay?!" Fanny grabs Rachel's shoulders but she quickly plays it down.
"He uh…his foot got ran over while crossing the street, that's all, don't worry. So, we're picking going to drive him home tomorrow." Rachel replies and Fanny let's go of her. "Can you…call your dad to pick you up tomorrow? I don't think there's enough room in Abby's car."
"Huh? Yeah, yeah, sure, I'll call him…" Fanny nods intensely as Patton walks past them.
"Let's go inside and break the news. It's getting cold in here." the girls follow him inside but before Patton can say anything, Rachel kicks him in the shins. "Ow! Hey!"
"That was the best you came up with?"
"I had to think of something." Patton hisses to Rachel, who frowns but then starts explaining the same lie to Nigel and the others. While Kuki reacts the same way as Fanny, Patton and Rachel calm everyone down and tell them not worry. Then, after a few minutes of silence, everyone settles back down and the rest of the evening goes by quickly as the teens sit in the lounge, eating snacks and singing karaoke. Kuki manages to finally force Wally to sing a song and he begrudgingly obliges, but his choice of song, Andrew W.K.'s "Ready to Die" leaves her in shock.
Even Nigel sings, despite his mediocre singing ability. Abby is the only one who doesn't sing, despite pleas from both Kuki and Hoagie. Then, after 4 hours of singing and eating snacks, Hoagie turns off the karaoke machine and Nigel gestures to everyone with his soda bottle.
"Guys, I'm glad we came here. This has been an excellent trip."
"Heh, there was no way I'd have missed this." Hoagie smirks.
"Yeah, coming here was a great idea." Patton gestures with his half-empty bottle while Wally and the girls nod.
"Too bad we have to leave tomorrow morning…"
"Well, it was just a one-night stay, Hoagie. We can still visit the shopping mall tomorrow before we leave. My dad asked me to bring a souvenir or something."
"Let me guess, is it another tuba CD?" Hoagie smirks.
"How many times do I have to tell you, it's not the tuba, it's the sousaphone!" Nigel snaps at Hoagie, causing the others to laugh but then, Hoagie's expression changes.
"Uhm...hey, sorry if this kinda comes out of the left field but, have you guys thought what you wanna do after you graduate." his question surprises not only the boys but also the girls.
"Why are you asking? We've still got two years to decide that."
"I know Nigel, but it never hurts to think about it…" Hoagie says cautiously.
"Good point…hmm…I've had a few ideas, though most likely I'll go to university but I'm not sure were." Nigel crosses his arms as Hoagie puts his hand up.
"I'm gonna be a pilot. I've always had this odd craving to experience that blue sky, just like my dad."
"Oh yes, he was a pilot too, wasn't he?" Patton says.
"Yup, the best there ever was. I'm gonna carry on the Gilligan tradition." Hoagie puffs his chest to everyone as Patton empties his bottle.
"It's pretty sweet that you've got it all planned out. Personally, I'll probably join the police or something."
"I kinda guessed that. What about you, Wally?" Wally twitches before lifting his head and he looks at the others
"Uhm…I don't know…haven't really thought about it…"
"Well, with those grades, uni's out of the question, that's for sure."
"Huh? Are ya sayin' I'm too dumb to get into university?!" a ticked off Wally stands up while Hoagie smirks at him.
"Ooh, did I hit a sore spot?"
"I can get into university, easy!"
"Yeah? Then wanna bet?"
"Bring it on! If I get into university, you're gonna paint your van pink!"
"Hah-haa, sure, I'm game. And if you don't, you'll streak naked through the school campus on graduation day!" Hoagie looks confidently at Wally, who hesitates slightly but then, they shake hands on their bet.
"I'm gonna make you turn that van of yours into a clown car!"
"Just make sure you're in shape to run around the campus naked!"
Then, Kuki joins in on the conversation. "I'm gonna become the CEO of the Rainbow Monkey Corporation!" she shouts firmly.
"We already knew that. You've been talking about it since we met you." Hoagie replies.
"But still! I'll do it!" Kuki responds confidently and looks at the other girls. "Have you guys thought about it at all?"
"Well, not really…Like Nigel said, we've got time." Rachel dodges the question while Abby has a puzzled look.
"Abby's gonna be honest and say, no idea."
"Me neither." Fanny replies.
"Aw…" Kuki sighs and slides down the sofa.
"Don't be like that Kuki, we ain't in a hurry to figure out what we wanna do."
"I know…" Kuki mutters and blows bubbles through her straw into her soda bottle.
Then, Rachel stands up and stretches her arms. "I think I'm gonna go sleep now. Patton and I have to leave early tomorrow to pick up my dad." she says while eyeing Patton, who yawns and nods.
"You're right, it's getting late anyway."
Then, one by one, the others also head to their beds as well until only Abby and Hoagie are left in the living room.
"Man, what's up with this setting…" Hoagie thinks as he notices that Abby is slightly squirming and then, she speaks up.
"Hey Hoagie, can I ask ya somethin'?"
"Oh…uhm…sure."
"Did yo mom or brother ever mention a treehouse to ya?" Abby's question puzzles Hoagie as he removes his goggles and cap.
"Wha…a treehouse? Ah, no, I don't think so…why do you ask?"
"Mama and Daddy said Abby spent a lot of time in a treehouse when she was a kid…" Abby says silently but Hoagie can't understand why she has such a troubled expression.
"What's so weird about that? Kids always play in those things."
"Yeah, but they said it was at Nigel's place…"
"HUH?!" Hoagie jumps up in surprise. "But there aren't any trees in his backyard."
"Exactly…my Mama said that it fell in a storm when I was in 8th grade…four weeks before we graduated middle school…"
"No way…was that treehouse really that important to us…"
"Abby think that's why we started cryin' when Wally showed us that picture, remember?"
Hoagie's eyes widen as he remembers their reaction to Wally' gift and snaps his fingers. "Yeah, that makes sense…maybe it too had something to do with our amnesia."
"Well, whatever it was, we ain't got time to worry about it. We've got exams comin' up AND we need to tutor Wally on his missed classed."
"Don't remind me…" Then, Hoagie sees Abby stand up and smile slightly at him.
"Abby's gonna hit the hay too. G'night."
"Uh, yeah good night…" Hoagie replies as Abby enters the girls bedroom and closes the door behind, leaving Hoagie by himself in the living room. He then takes a deep breath and stretches his arms. "Today was a real blast. It can only get better from here; I can feel it."
…
Meanwhile, up in the KND Moonbase, Eliza has finished another weekly test under Kieran's supervision but like so many times before, the test has not yielded anything new. "How long are ye going to keep these tests up, Supreme Commander? The result's still the same, there isn't a trace of S.I.N. in you."
"But the symptoms are still there, Numbuh Omicron! Hot waves and my skin doesn't feel anything if something hot touches it! I keep telling you, there's something wrong with me!"
"Yes, I know that, but we can't do anything about right now. Please, Numbuh Alpha, S.I.N. is still pretty unknown to us, we don't even know how it's made for crying out loud! Now, if we're done here, I really need to get back to the hangar lab." a frustrated Kieran says, prompting Eliza to hide her eyes under her bangs.
"Yeah, I get it…sorry…"
"Don't apologize, Supreme Commander. I understand that you're worried, but right now, we can't do anything about your condition." Kieran says apologetically as Eliza climbs out of the scanning device and tries to smile.
"Right, then I'll get back to work too. I've got a meeting with KND Global Command coming and…" then suddenly, a hologram pops out of Eliza's 2x4 wristwatch.
"Supreme Commander! This is Numbuh Iota-3 from Communications Command!" a frantic Herbie shouts, alarming the teenagers.
"What's wrong, Iota-3?"
"We just received a transmission from Cleve Sector. Numbuh Delta has been captured by the Teen Ninjas."
"WHAT?! I'm coming there right now! Explain the rest to me once I show up!" Eliza hangs up and runs out of the lab followed by Kieran.
Soon, they arrive the Moonbase's Teen Extension's Central Operation's room, where the other TND Chief's minus Patton are waiting for them. "Attention!"
"Drop the formalities! What's going on, Numbuh Iota-3?! How did he get captured?" Eliza yells as she and Kieran join the others around the holo-projection table.
"We don't know the details yet. The transmission was vague, and they wanted to report directly to you about this." Herbie replies and gestures for a liaison officer nearby, who orders her subordinate staffing a communications console to contact Cleve immediately. Then, everyone's attention is drawn to the main screen overlooking the huge hall, and in no time, Angeline's face appears on it.
"This is Cleve Sector, Numbuh Psi, reporting."
"Explain, now!" Eliza says sternly and notices that Angeline seems somewhat hesitant to reply before she steps aside and Maurice takes her place. "Numbuh Sigma? What are you doing there? I thought you were with the…"
"I was, but Numbuh Delta asked me to go with him."
"Go with him? What do you mean?" Herbie lifts an eyebrow and Maurice sighs.
"He…he wanted to contact the Teen Ninjas." a unified gasp is heard across the Central Operations room, followed by stunned silence.
"He what? You're not saying Numbuh Delta let them capture him?" even Eliza, who is normally very collected, can't believe what she just heard but tries her best to remain calm.
"Numbuh Delta said somethin' about finding a S.I.N. factory. He got a B.R.A. from the Ninjas when we attacked the Hideout earlier and he used it contact them. That's how he got caught. He didn't even take his communicator and B.R.A. with him." Maurice explains, causing the Chiefs to shake their heads in disbelief while an outraged Eliza kicks the side of the table.
"Gah! I can't believe he'd do something like that…argh, that idiot!" she curses angrily.
"But, he put a 2x4 tracker on himself and thanks to that, we know where he's headed." Maurice says and a map appears on the screen, showing a red dot moving fast across the Caribbean Sea. "It's an Evil Adult Industries Ice Cream factory in the Yucatán Peninsula, but this one's way bigger than the one you guys raided in September."
"I know that location…but didn't the Splinter Cell wipe it off the map with their orbital weapons a year ago?" Herbie says while he brings up a detailed map of the area to the projection table. "Are you saying it's been rebuilt? We would've noticed that."
"It was rebuilt in secret. They must've used a giant stealth cloak or something. But anyway, that's the only possible place they're headed, which means we have a real chance at taking it down."
"But our original mission plan was made to deal with normal Hideout…okay, Numbuh Lambda?" Eliza looks across the table to TND Fleet Commander Bartie Stork, who straightens his back.
"Yes, Ma'am?"
"I want the TND Space Fleet ready for an orbital drop. Numbuh Kappa-7, you and Numbuh Rho will draft a strategy for us. We don't know what's waiting for us in there."
"Yes, Supreme Commander!" Rosa Zanardi, the Chief of the Global Armory and Special Operations Chief Numbuh Kappa-7 reply while Eliza turns towards Kieran.
"Numbuh Omicron, you're coming to the Hangar with me."
"Aye."
"Numbuh Iota-3, schedule a meeting with Numbuh 81 and the KND for me. We're going to need help with this one."
"Yes, Ma'am." Then, Eliza and Kieran leave the Operations Room as quickly as they arrived and head down to the No. 10 Hangar.
"Why are we going there, Numbuh Alpha?"
"If Numbuh Delta was captured, that means he's not alone in there." Eliza replies sternly as they exit the elevator and pass the guard posts.
"Oh, that's right!" Kieran snaps his fingers before the teenagers enter the hangar, where they are greeted by Numbuh Vine and 9L.
"Numbuh Alpha? What's wrong?" Vine asks upon seeing Eliza's serious expression.
"Are the O.M.E.G.A. Numbers inside the shuttle?"
"Uhm, yeah…"
"Good. Numbuh Omicron, stay here. I'm going to ask some questions." Eliza then runs inside the shuttle and seeks out Libra, who floats in place with their blank eyes closed. "Libra!"
"Urgh…Numbuh Alpha, what is it?" the robot-like alien springs to life as Eliza stares intensely at them and explains what has happened. "He was captured? That does not sound good."
"You mentioned that O.M.E.G.A. Numbers and their partners are connected. Does that mean that Corvus is with him right now?"
"Hmm…most likely. Ah, we understand what you mean. You wish to establish contact with Numbuh Delta through Corvus."
"Exactly! Is it possible?"
"…We are not sure. If we had Corvus' O.L. Ring here, it could be possible but since Delta is not here…hmm…perhaps…" Libra mutters and quickly floats out of the shuttle before opening the safe holding the O.L. Ring case. "We might be able to do it with one of these…" Libra then takes a silver ring labeled "Number 1" and puts it on the tinkering table. "Scorpius, your assistance is required!"
"Yes?" the ever expressionless Scorpius floats out of the shuttle as well, followed by Eliza. "I overheard what you were talking about. You are suggesting we use your O.L. Ring to create a communications link to Numbuh Delta, correct?"
"Correct. Can it be done?" Libra asks and Scorpius' single, yellow eye focuses on the ring lying on the table.
"Yes. It is possible. However, it will require precision. It is logical to leave that task to me. We will use the shuttle's communications system as an intermediary."
"Right. We will handle that." Libra nods and heads back inside while Kieran walks over to Scorpius.
"Aye, don't forget about me." he says and switches his 2x4 helmet's lens to the largest magnification. "I'll analyze it."
"Thank you." Realizing that the tech experts don't need her help here, Eliza smiles and prepares to leave.
"Numbuh Omicron, keep me and the other Chief's posted on your progress, okay?"
"Roger that Ma'am."
"Numbuh Alpha?" suddenly, Eliza is stopped by Numbuh Vine and Numbuh 9L, who are both worried. "Is Numbuh Delta in trouble? Can we help too?"
"Meow!" 9L gestures with her tails and Eliza chuckles.
"Of course. This is going to be a big operation, so you're welcome to help." But before Eliza can say anything else, she gets a call on her 2x4 wristwatch.
"Numbuh Alpha, Numbuh 81 and Global Command are ready for the meeting."
"Good, Numbuh Iota-3. I'll be right there." Eliza hangs up and turns to face 9L and Vine. "We'll discuss your roles later. I need to go now." she says and quickly dashes out of the hangar as a determined Numbuh Vine curls her tentacles.
"Now it's our turn to help him, right?"
"Meow!"
…
Back on Earth, as the clock hits midnight and slowly, Nigel and his friends have gone to sleep.
The boy has a dream: He is running in a dark hallway with a wooden floor and walls. He can smell burning but doesn't know where it's coming from. As he keeps running, he notices flames surging at him from behind, alarming him. He runs faster and faster until finally her arrives at a door. He pulls it open and sees a huge room before him. It is slowly filling with fire and a huge crevasse splits it. On his side of the crevasse are two people, kneeling over the edge. He approaches them but can't tell who they are. He then sees another person on the opposite side, reaching down. He can't hear what any of them are saying but when he takes a closer look, he notices a fourth person, hanging onto the edge.
A sense of dread fills him, and he tries to help but something grabs him from behind. He struggles but can't free himself. As the fire creeps ever closer, he recognizes one of the faces: himself, but younger. Now the fire is licking his legs and he can't escape. He can only watch as his younger self tries to save the hanging person. He screams but no one hears it. Suddenly, the person hanging onto the floor falls, causing him to scream louder but before the person disappears, he recognizes their face, Abby's childhood friend, Maurice. "No…NOOOOOO!" He yells as the flames surround his younger self. "RUN! WHY AREN'T YOU RUNNING?!" They can't hear him and right before everything fades away, he realizes to his horror that the person next to his younger self is none other than Abby.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"…Hoagie?!"
"Hoagie!"
"Calm down Hoagie!"
Suddenly, the darkness begins to fade away as Hoagie slowly opens his eyes. As the picture clears, he sees his friends surrounding his bed with Abby beside him. His arms are pointing upwards, and his shirt is soaked in sweat. "…huh…"
"Hoagie, can ya hear me?"
"…Abby? Is that really you…" Hoagie mutters in a stupor.
"Of course, it's me! You've been screamin' in yo sleep for 10 minutes."
"What…?"
"Yeah, you woke us all up. Just what kinda dream was that?" Wally says as he crosses his arms.
"I…I was…I was running…everything was on fire…"
"Wow, that must've been a really nasty nightmare." Patton says while Rachel begins to realize what this means.
"No, I'd say more like a night terror. You really scared us there, Hoagie." Nigel says as Hoagie's eyes start tearing up.
"It…it was so real…I was…in a burning, wooden building…and I saw myself…and you were there too, Abby…"
"Huh?" Abby lifts her eyebrow but then, she realizes that Hoagie is shaking.
"I…saw someone else too…it was…Maurice…"
"Maurice?! What the heck are ya talkin' about?" Abby says as both Patton and Rachel look at each other in alarm.
"He…he fell down…and I couldn't save him!" Hoagie puts his right wrist over his eyes and starts to weep, to the surprise of his friends.
"Hoagie, it was just a dream. He ain't dead." Abby takes hold of Hoagie's left hand, and he grips it firmly.
"I was right there! One second, he was hanging on the side, and then he disappeared…then you were surrounded by fire…everything burned away! It was…like I'd seen it before…ghhhh." The dream has had such a terrifying effect on Hoagie that he starts to cry uncontrollably.
"Hoagie…" Abby sits down on his bedside and puts his head on her lap, stroking his auburn hair.
Nigel then gestures to the others to leave them alone and they close the door behind them. Seeing Hoagie so uncharacteristically upset makes his friends feel uncomfortable. "I've never seen him like that…it's as if he'd really seen someone die…" Nigel says as he sits down on an armchair.
"I've had nightmares before but nothin' like that…" Wally is equally bewildered by what he has just seen. He sits on a sofa and Kuki sits next to him, clutching a sofa pillow. They can hear Hoagie's wailing cry echoing from the bedroom.
"I…think I had a similar dream once…" Kuki says silently.
"What do you mean, Kuki?" Nigel lifts his head as Kuki jitters.
"Uhm…it was on the second day of the school year…my sister said I was crying in my sleep…my pillow was wet too…"
"Is that so…" Nigel crosses his arms and has serious expression on his face.
"But they're just dreams. You shouldn't dig into it too much…" Rachel says with a slightly shaky voice.
"I know but…if it was just a normal nightmare, Hoagie wouldn't have reacted like that..."
"But why did he see Maurice in his dream? They're not close or anythin'?" Fanny says as she sits down on a sofa.
"No, just acquaintances. Wait a minute…doesn't Maurice have a burn scar on his right cheek?"
"Yeah, but he said he got it in a barbeque accident!" Rachel nearly shouts, surprising Nigel.
"There's no need to shout, Rachel."
"…" Rachel doesn't reply but Patton can see she is having a hard time containing herself. He immediately gestures to her and opens the door, and the cool night breeze fills the lounge. While Nigel remains perplexed over Hoagie, Rachel follows Patton to the balcony.
"It's just like with Virginia and the others…" Patton says grimly while Rachel let's out a pained sigh.
"…their minds are fighting against the Erasure…ghhh…if only we could reverse it…" Rachel shakes her head as grips the railing.
Inside the boy's bedroom, Abby tries to calm Hoagie down, who is still haunted what he saw. "Shh…it's okay Hoagie…" she says with a soothing voice, but Hoagie continues to weep.
"I…I've never had a dream like that…why were Maurice and you in it…? You both just…" but simply thinking about the dream makes him suffer as he grits his teeth, tears streaming from his blue eyes.
"Abby's right here, Hoagie. She ain't goin' anywhere…so just close your eyes and relax…we can talk about this tomorrow…" Abby smiles warmly at her friend but he continues to shiver. Seeing Hoagie in such a state wrenches Abby's heart and she takes a deep breath. Suddenly, her friends can hear her singing a lullaby to Hoagie.
"Hey, is that…Abby?" Wally looks over his shoulder as everyone's attention is drawn to her song.
"It's beautiful…" Kuki smiles warmly as the Patton and Rachel also hear it to the balcony.
On the other side of the door, Hoagie has calmed down thanks to Abby's lullaby and she moves his head back to his pillow. "…sorry…that you had to see me like this…" Hoagie mutters.
"Hoagie, it's okay to cry. Sometimes ya just gotta let it all out. Now just get some sleep…Don't worry about that nightmare anymore." she smiles and places his blanket over him.
As Hoagie's eyes slowly close, he catches a glimpse of Abby watching over him. "I forgot how good your singing voice was…"
"Thanks Hoagie…" Abby pulls down her cap as Hoagie falls asleep. She then bends over him and plants a small kiss on his cheek before she leaves the room.
"Abby?" Kuki asks cautiously but Abby shakes her head immediately.
"Shh, he's asleep, and you guys should hit the zzz's too."
"Did he say anything else?"
"We'll talk about that tomorrow." Abby shoot's down Nigel's question and swiftly walks to the girl's bedroom.
"She's right. We can ask him later." Nigel says as everyone heads back to their own beds. "Good night." he says to the girls and closes the bedroom door behind him. In the girl's side, Rachel turns off the lights but Kuki, who's bed is next to Abby's, can hear a faint sniffing coming her bed.
"He had the same dream…" Abby thinks as she tries to control herself.
End of Transmission 15
Note: The first arc will only last 2 more chapters and then it's on to arc number 2. And yes, Abby's lullaby is the same one she sings in Operation: D.I.A.P.E.R.