After what happened in the last chapter, our heroes deserve a little time to relax and bond with each other (mainly Cree and Alessandra). Let's begin.
"W-where…where am I?"
Numbuh 0.3, better known nowadays as Alessandra, groaned as she took in her surroundings. She was in some sort of medical center, going off how sterile the room was. Looking around, she noticed that she was also in a medical cot. Slowly, she used her hand to push herself upwards. And then it hit her.
She was moving where she wanted to move!
There were no extra thoughts in her mind giving her orders. There was no hive mind forcing her into doing everything she stood against. She was…she was herself again. Sure, she still had several mechanical parts lining her body, but if it meant she could move her body again, she was willing to put up with that.
"I'm finally free!" She cheered, bursting out laughing. Not long after, however, those laughs turned into sobs as the weight of everything finally hit her. She had spent six long years stuck under Father's thumb, forced to watch as her body moved without any input from her or her teammates and committed just about every crime against kids under the sun. Then, just when it seemed like they were finally free after falling into the toilet during the scavenger hunt, which somehow broke them free of their Delightfulization, they were picked up by the Galactic Kids Next Door, who twisted their bodies and minds once more, turning them into little more than mechanical weapons to enforce the desire of children far crueler than her delightful self could ever dream of being.
"Uh…you okay?" The sound of another voice was the only thing that brought Numbuh 0.3 back to reality. After taking a second to compose herself, she turned to see two figures that her "delightful" self knew rather well-the Lincoln sisters.
"Depends on how you view okay," Alessandra replied in an attempt at a joke. Both sisters actually laughed.
"Don't I feel that right now," Cree chimed in. Numbuh 5 gave her sister's hand a squeeze, but said nothing. "So…I guess it's true, huh? Sector Z and Father's weird kids are one and the same."
"Weird that we're still on the same side after all these years, huh?" Alessandra asked, to which Cree could only nod. "Er, this might seem weird, but…how old are you now?"
"Eighteen," Cree responded almost instantly. "Why?"
"...Eighteen," Alessandra numbly echoed. "Pretty sure I should be turning eighteen in a few months." She had eight years of her life stolen from her. Eight years that she could have been fighting for the kids of the world. She looked down at herself. She didn't look a day over ten. The irony of the Delightful Children's desire to age with their bodies' being physically unable to never failed to amuse that dark corner of her mind that enjoyed morbid humor. Almost instantly, the two sisters got the hint.
"Well…at least you're finally free now?" Numbuh 5 offered, giving a weak smile.
"I'm free…what about the rest of Sector Z?" Alessandra questioned.
"They all punch the space dragon in the face and she sets them free?" Cree jokingly offered. Alessandra almost instantly burst out laughing. She really needed it. While said space dragon's rampage was actually decently terrifying to be on the end of, the sentence was worth a few chuckles.
"Glad to see you're doing better," Numbuh 666 announced his presence as he casually strolled inside. "Sorry I couldn't get you back to normal. My limb and organ printer is in one of my labs and we can't really grab it at the moment."
"Hey, you fixed my brain. That's good enough," Alessandra replied. "Also, Numbuh XXX hates you and that's good enough for me."
"Heh, well I hate him too if that helps," Numbuh 666's tone was jovial, but the fact his mechanical eye changed to show a picture of a dead rat head spoke clear volumes. "Anyways, since you two are both finally awake, if you want to start walking around, you can if you can actually manage too." Alessandra decided to test herself out first, slowly climbing out of bed. The floor chilled her feet, but being able to feel something was actually enjoyable. She slowly took a few steps, slowly speeding up until she was moving at a brisk walk. Cree took a bit longer to get out of bed, but a smile from her sister convinced her to give it a shot. She stumbled a little, but was soon moving just as quickly. "Alright, I'm releasing you both. Oh, and for some personal advice? Get a change of clothes." With that, he headed out, leading both Alessandra and Cree to realize they'd been wearing hospital gowns this whole time.
"...Abby please tell me that you remembered to grab some clothes for me," Cree all but begged. The outfit she had been wearing was utterly shredded from everything she'd been put through.
"Relax. Numbuh 5 made sure to grab something before we headed off," Numbuh 5 assured her sister before turning to Alessandra, who looked similarly hopeful. "Uh…sorry?" Cree couldn't hide another laugh at her former comrade's extremely disappointed face.
"You can stop glaring like you're going to set me on fire,"
"I'm trying too!"
Almost as soon as she'd gotten changed into the clothes her sister had helpfully bought for her (a hoodie, sweatpants and sneakers, plus undergarments. Not the most stylish outfit ever, but Cree didn't really care), Cree had run into Numbuh 86, who was making her distaste at working with someone she had failed to decommission very obvious.
"You don't look like Father to me," Cree snarked as she crossed her arms. "You know, if it means dealing with you, I understand why so many people run from the decommissioning chamber!"
"Shut up!" Numbuh 86 roared as she punched the wall in what was clearly an attempt to keep herself from attacking the person in front of her. "Stupid teenager!"
"You're not the first person I've heard that one from," Cree responded with a grin. The amount of decommissioning officers she'd sent home crying with their tails behind their legs and their underwear extremely stretched out was something she took pride in, even when she knew shouldn't.
Numbuh 86's glare was somehow only getting more intense. "Can't believe I ever looked up to you." That caught Cree off guard. Out of everyone that this brat could have looked up too, Cree was the one she picked? Cree wanted to snark about how she clearly had poor taste in people but the curiosity was overpowering her.
"You…looked up to me?" She asked. Now, it was Numbuh 86's turn to be caught off guard.
"Well duh!" She replied, doing her best to keep her bravo up. "Almost everyone looked up to you! You didn't let any stupid boys boss you around, you could kick butt effortlessly and…you were one of the most loyal operatives ever." That final comment made Cree look away. She knew she hurt Abby. You'd have to be a moron not to notice how much Cree's betrayal had hurt her younger sister. Yet, Cree never thought about how many other kids were no doubt hurt by her running away and turning traitor.
"Look, I know that saying I'm sorry won't change anything-" Cree began.
"It doesn't," Numbuh 86 snapped. Cree took a breath. Getting angry wouldn't change anything.
"But…look…" Cree couldn't get the words out. And that was making her angry. "I was scared, alright!?" Cree's eyes went wide when she realized what she just revealed, but looking at the younger girl, she noticed Numbuh 86's eyes were also wide. "What?"
"You were…scared?" Numbuh 86 repeated, voice giving away that she clearly couldn't comprehend the idea of Cree being afraid of anything.
"Yes," No going back at this point. Cree took a seat on a nearby bench, looking at her legs. "After all my time in the Kids Next Door, I couldn't picture a world without it. And I just…panicked. I ran. By the time I got my thoughts together, everyone was already labeling me a traitor. So, I guess I just decided to run with it. And somewhere along the way, it stopped being a way to keep my memories. I ended up becoming the very thing I fought against for six long years." A bitter chuckle escaped Cree. "Honestly? When this is all over, might just let you decommission me." Now, it was Numbuh 86's turn to be unable to speak. Her whole time as a decommissioning officer, she'd always believed that if you ran from your decommissioning, you were little more than a filthy teenage traitor. But the way Cree explained it was making her think. Most operatives spent pretty much their entire childhoods in the Kids Next Door. At the oldest, you joined at eight, which still gave you a solid four or five years depending on where your birthday was and when you finished training. Yet, at the end of it all, you were most likely going to have your memories ripped away from you. Even when you knew it was coming, that didn't make it any less terrifying. And considering that the Teens Next Door was a pretty big secret…
Running suddenly seemed like less of a traitorous action and more like a last ditch effort to keep your childhood alive.
"Beginning to understand why the aliens make their Teens Next Door programs more obvious," Numbuh 86 thought to herself. "I guess…I kinda get it. You feel betrayed, right?"
"You could call it that," Cree responded, still looking at her legs. "Or cowardly."
"Cree Lincoln? A coward?" Numbuh 86 couldn't help but chuckle. "Are we talking about the same person? The one who was willing to face down an insane makeover robot even at the risk of looking like a clown?" Cree looked up. She remembered that one?
"...Alright, I guess I was pretty brave there," She admitted as she leaned back against the wall. "But I wouldn't really call that a highlight of my KND career."
"Oh really? What could be worse than that?" Numbuh 86 asked. She was doing her best to keep the edge in her voice, but she knew she was rapidly backsliding into the same eager cadet from six years ago that wanted to hear more from her heroes.
"Oh, I've got a few," Cree replied as she leaned back. "So, you ever been to the gum volcanoes in Arkansas?"
"I never thought I'd say this, but I think I miss the hive mind," Alessandra mumbled to herself as she wandered around the ship. She was pretty much a stranger and she knew it. Even Cree seemed to be bonding with the others better than she did. Then again, when you haven't been a real person in eight years, you tend to struggle with people skills. She wished she was on a mission, or something. At least there, she'd know what to say and do. Not helping was that any human on the ship seemed to be going out of their way to avoid her, outside of Numbuh 3 helping her find something in the storage units to wear. But other than that, anyone remotely familiar was doing their best to stay away.
"...will remember me for Centuries!" A voice sang in the other room. Alessandra couldn't help but look inside. Numbuh 417 was rocking out to music that appeared to be coming from her phone.
"Never thought I'd see a dragon sing," Alessandra noted to herself. This caused Numbuh 417 to take notice of the other girl, turning around to face her.
"Anyone ever tell you it's rude to spy on people?" She asked, removing her headphones as she did so.
"Sorry!" Alessandra exclaimed. "It's just…this is all weird to me."
"Seriously, you're being kind of a jerk," Numbuh 417 replied bluntly. Alessandra found herself scrambling to think of something, anything to say.
"Uh…what was that song you were singing?" She finally managed out. Much to her relief, Numbuh 417 looked more confused than annoyed now.
"I think it came out years ago on your planet," She replied as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Father didn't really let us listen to rock music…or any music that wasn't classical or opera," Alessandra admitted.
"Ew," Numbuh 417 bluntly replied. "That's like the two worst genres of music."
"Right!?" Alessandra exclaimed. "Like, it's so boring! It's just a piano or an old lady screaming! And it was worse for me because I was a big rock person when I was free!"
"Oh really?" Numbuh 417 asked, now sounding interested. "Then…how about I help get you caught up to speed? I honestly love your planet's music."
Alessandra smiled. "I guess start with your favorites." With a smile, the dragon like alien removed her headphones from their port in her phone and pressed play.
"So, you and 86?" Numbuh 5 questioned as she walked up to her older sister.
"What about it? She asked me about my past in the Kids Next Door and I answered," Cree responded as she idly ran her fingers along the wall.
"Cree, Numbuh 5 ain't stupid," Abby replied as she crossed her arms. "There's no way she would have just asked you something unless it was about ways she could defeat you. So spill."
Cree sighed. No getting out of it now. "Turns out that she looked up to me and was upset that I ran. So I ended up telling her the truth-I ran because I was afraid of losing pretty much the only thing I ever knew and I think I made her rethink everything she ever knew."
"That explains why she's currently calling herself a monster to Numbuh 60," Numbuh 5 bluntly noted. She'd actually been looking for Numbuh 362 to help comfort her friend but upon running into her sister, she wanted some things explained to her. Cree snorted at that.
"But that talk also made me realize some things," Cree took a deep breath before pulling her sister into a hug. "I'm sorry, Abby. For everything."
"Cree?" Out of everything to happen on this adventure, her stubborn as everything sister actually apologizing for everything she did was just about the weirdest thing so far.
"To be honest, I'm still not even sure why you bothered to save me." Cree admitted. "Considering I've done nothing but cause problems for you and your friends." A bitter chuckle then escaped her throat. "I just wish I didn't have to get kidnapped to realize it."
"At least you realize," Numbuh 5 replied as she hugged her sister back. "'Sides, at least this means we don't have to fight anymore."
"First thing I do when we get home is telling Father I quit. He's been getting more annoying to work with anyways," Cree revealed as the two sisters finally split apart.
"Father's more annoying? Numbuh 5 hasn't heard much from him in like a year," Numbuh 5 said.
"He's been searching everywhere for your old sector leader," Cree explained. "Said something about a pipe he stole?" Numbuh 5 couldn't help but burst out laughing at this. Even after everything that Sector V and the Kids Next Door had done to him, it was stealing his pipe that made Father go on such a rampage?
"One thing that's always been consistent with him is his temper," Numbuh 5 couldn't help but note. "But Numbuh 5 didn't think he'd be this mad over that stupid pipe!"
"Probably thought it completed his look," Cree offered. "Not sure why he can't just buy a new one though."
"Never understood how adult villains thought," Numbuh 5 replied. "Never wanted to either."
"Amen sister," Cree responded. Both sisters smiled. They didn't realize how much they missed this.
"Hey Leo?" Numbuh 4.3 Light Years looked up from the map he was reading. Numbuh 417 was in the doorway, a goofy looking smile on her face.
"What did you do?" Numbuh 8 Infinity asked once she saw her old sector mate's expression.
"Why do you always assume the worst of me?" Numbuh 417 questioned in a mock offended voice. Her two superiors responded with deadpan stares. "Fair enough. Anyways, what I wanted to ask about was if wanting to adopt someone who is technically two years younger than you but looks like they're ten is legal or not?"
"I see you've been bonding with Numbuh 0.3," Numbuh 4.3 Light Years noted with a smile.
"Hey, I've just been helping her get caught up on music and stuff!" Numbuh 417 replied. "And she's been letting me ramble too!"
"Flarias, can you stop corrupting children!?" Numbuh 6 Shot demanded as he stormed into the room.
"It's not my fault she likes the same music as me," Numbuh 417 replied smugly. "And that you don't have good taste."
"Pretty much all your favorite music is-and Witherton's for that matter-is loud noise, angst, screaming or video game soundtracks!" Numbuh 6 Shot snapped. Numbuh 417 growled. Oh she was not letting this go without a fight.
"Well, all your favorite music is about guns or how much you love your home town!" The other operative snapped back. Within seconds, a yowling match had begun that drew most of the other beings on the ship into the room.
"FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!" Several people began to chant.
"...Should we stop them?" Numbuh Vine nervously asked.
"Eh, better to let them wear themselves out," Numbuh 8 Infinity replied as she sat down to watch the show. She was really wishing she had a snack now.
For the record, the idea of Numbuh 0.3 being into music hails from a RP I do with another user. Anyways, see you next time!