Alright, so this chapter is going to get a little…dark. Trigger Warning for graphic descriptions for injuries and medical tools. Anyways, let's begin.
The ride to Niter was mostly quiet. Everyone was waiting for updates on Alessandra from Numbuh 666, who seemed a mix of frantic, disgusted, and upset, both with himself and Numbuh XXX. The sight of Numbuh 0.3 once Flarias had ripped the faceplates off-her eyes still wide open, even though she was clearly unconscious, with pieces of metal and wiring strapped across her face-would haunt most of them to their graves.
"Er, Numbuh 666?" Numbuh 3 asked as she pried the door to the medbay of the ship open. "Is it okay to come in?"
"You know what?" The doctor said, pulling himself away from his work. "It might be good if I socialize a bit so I don't go more insane. Come on it but do not touch anything. And shut the door when you come in!" With a shrug, everyone headed in and were almost instantly hit by the worst smell of their life.
"Dude, what is that?!" Numbuh Hang 10 wailed as he tried to hold his nose shut.
"That is rank!" Numbuh 5 agreed as she plugged her own nose. Everyone else was trying some way to remove the smell from their nostrils, but it seemed to permeate everything. They all understood why the doctor had opted for a gasmask looking contraption when doing his work.
"Ya wouldn't happen ta have any extra masks, would ya doc?" Numbuh 6 Shot couldn't help but ask. The only creatures who weren't affected by the stink and were unmasked were Numbuh 6 and Numbuh 1849, who shifted himself into a creature without a sense of smell.
"Nope!" Numbuh 666 declared almost cheerfully. "One of the suckier parts of being a doctor is dealing with this stuff is that sometimes, your patients smell…a lot."
"So we gathered," Numbuh 9L grumbled, for once cursing her enhanced sense of smell.
"So…why does she smell so bad?" Numbuh 362 asked, finally speaking the question everyone was wondering.
"Because it seems like Numbuh XXX never bothered to wash her when doing his work on her," Numbuh 666 explained. "Even with all the robot parts, she was most likely still sweating and…defecating, even with some of her other body functions suspended and I don't want to wash her yet because I don't want to risk hurting her…and I'm pretty sure that, as a twenty year old man, I'm not supposed to wash little girls who aren't related to me."
"Just get your work finished, doctor," Numbuh 4.3 Light Years said as he got a look at the young girl. Her eyes were closed and much of the mech was gone, but she didn't look much better. Several robotic parts still lined her body and the parts of her that were still flesh were pretty much bone thin. No one had much to say anymore and one by one, everyone slowly filed out of the room.
"I'm pleased to report we're almost to Niter," Numbuh Infinity reported. "We should be able to land shortly."
"Er…about that," Numbuh 417 suddenly piped up, causing everyone to turn to her while she looked at her superiors. "Can I sit this one out? I don't really feel…comfortable about doing this one." The younger operatives were all beyond confused. The combat loving Numbuh 417 wanted to sit a mission out? What was next? Numbuh 4 sitting out a mission that didn't deal with water? But when they turned to the older operatives, they all clearly seemed to be understanding.
"We understand, Flarias," Numbuh 8 Infinity assured her friend. With a nod, Numbuh 417 headed off.
"What the crud was her deal?" Numbuh 4 asked almost as soon as the conversation was over.
"It was something that happened in the war ten years ago," Numbuh 8 Infinity said. She sighed. She knew that it was better to tell the kids. "As I'm sure you saw in that video, Numbuh 11:11 likes to…play with her victims."
"You can just say torture. We've probably all dealt with it." Numbuh Vine pointed out.
"Sorry," Numbuh 8 Infinity responded with a nod. "In an attempt to throw us off guard, Numbuh 11:11 ordered her troops to kidnap some of the operatives from our homeworlds' Kids Next Doors, hoping to get our friends or former sectormates. But one of the people she grabbed…was Numbuh 417's younger sister." She paused, letting everyone gasp before continuing. "417 was already really mad and ended up facing Numbuh 11:11 solo. The fight was normal for a while and then 11:11 told Numbuh 417 all the things she wanted to do to her sister and well..."
"Numbuh 417 lost control of herself and pretty much ripped off Numbuh 11:11's face off," Numbuh 6 Shot piped up, causing more gasps.
"There was so much blood…" Numbuh Hang 10 trailed off as he hugged himself. Numbuh 6 Shot placed a claw on his shoulder in support, but his boyfriend barely seemed to notice the gesture.
"She was almost unrecognizable," Numbuh 8 Infinity shuddered at the memory of her bloodstained friend, ferally ripping apart Numbuh 11:11, who, for once, got to see what begging for mercy that would never be granted felt like. It was only when they pulled Numbuh 417 off did she realize what she had just done. She was regretful, but more so that she'd lost control of herself over who she did it to. No one really blamed her and Numbuh 8 Infinity still wasn't sure if she wouldn't have done the same if she and Numbuh 417 had switched positions.
"Er, sounds like a good thing she's sitting out then," Numbuh 60 admitted. He'd seen blood in his time but that sounded like a bit too much for him. The younger operatives all looked at each other and no one could tell if the reason Numbuh 417 was sitting out was because she was afraid of a repeat performance or she didn't want to traumatize anyone else over if she did wind up having a repeat.
Still, everyone agreed that the lack of muscle would be worth it to prevent any more trauma to anyone-hero or villain.
"Niter. Y'all never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy," Numbuh 6 Shot declared once the operatives had landed. Niter seemed to be one giant, polluted, futuristic looking city. "Prudy much everyone's guilty of somethin'. Watch yer backs."
"C'mon, Hathor. It's not that bad," Numbuh 8 Infinity said in a tone that clearly showed she was joking. "Only about 75% of the people living here are guilty of something." Both she and Numbuh Infinity then shared a chuckle.
"So…where's this Numbuh 11:11 person hiding out?" Numbuh 5 asked. She couldn't be scared. Cree was counting on her.
"If I had to guess, in the lower regions of the city," Numbuh 4.3 Light Years guessed. "Via, Chsin, lead the way."
"I believe I know where her lair is," Numbuh Infinity admitted, using a wing to motion in a certain direction. "Follow me." No one had any reason to doubt him and followed.
"I never thought I'd be afraid of a pigeon," Chad admitted quietly as he tried to avoid looking at a shady looking group of natives.
"And I never thought I'd be trying to save a traitor from evil aliens," Numbuh 86 commented. "Why are we even here? Cree's evil! We should be chasing that evil boy before he can attack again!"
"Bet ya wouldn't be saying that if it was your dad," Numbuh 5 sharply responded. Numbuh 86 didn't respond. She knew Numbuh 5 was right. Even when they fought, that didn't change the fact that sometimes, the villains you'd fight were still family.
"Numbuh 9L, do ya think you can pick up the scent?" Numbuh 6 Shot asked, hands seemingly stuck to his two holstered guns. It seemed to be mostly for intimidation purposes and it seemed to be working, considering how most people seemed to be giving them a wide berth.
"I can try, but I think the smell from the ship may have killed off all my smelling prowess," Numbuh 9L replied. "But I'm gonna need something from either Numbuh 11:11 or her prisoner."
"Numbuh 5 might be able to help with that," She spoke up, holding out a small necklace. "Numbuh 5 found this in Cree's room the night she went missing."
"With a shot!" Numbuh 9L declared as she began smelling the necklace. Almost instantly, her tails shot up. "I think I know where they are! Everyone follow me!" With that, the cat-like alien took off, causing everyone to rush after her. Luckily, most civilians were able to get out of the way, although a few were still trampled in the process. Finally, they landed in front of what appeared to be an abandoned factory of some kind.
"Er….can I go back to the ship?" Numbuh 2 asked as he nervously twirled his fingers. The only response he got were a few glares.
"How do we get in?" Maurice asked as he turned to the door. Sure, he may not have actually loved Cree, but he wasn't about to leave someone who he had seen real good in at the mercy of an intergalactic terrorist.
"Just overall, or without her noticing?" Chad asked. A few people chuckled, but most stared at the building. From what little they had seen of her, they certainly didn't want Numbuh 11:11 to know they were present.
"Uh, I've got an idea, but I don't think you're gonna like it," Numbuh Hang 10 spoke up, causing everyone to turn to him. Once everyone was looking at him, he tapped a manhole cover with his foot. "We could go through the sewers."
"Space sewers. Fun," Numbuh 60 said for the rest of the group. Still, no one else was willing to offer up another idea to get in, so Numbuhs 4, 4.3 Light Years and Hang 10 all managed to pry the cover off. Everyone then wasted no time in heading down.
"How does it not smell as bad down here as it did on the ship?" Numbuh 86 had to ask, hoping that Numbuh 666 had a method of airing the medbay out. She wasn't sure if she could handle constant travel in that ship if it was going to smell that bad.
"Because it doesn't smell like a child who hasn't bathed in two years," Numbuh 6 Shot joked, drawing quite a few laughs. Kids could smell rather bad when they wanted and everyone knew it.
"Alright, let's try that vent," Numbuh 4.3 Light Years declared once he had calmed down, pointing towards a vent with his poleaxe. Numbuh 8 Infinity flew up to it, taking a moment to look inside. It seemed to be leading into an office of some kind. "Is it safe?"
"It looks like it," Numbuh 8 Infinity responded, still doing her best to keep her voice low. Everyone began climbing up.
"Numbuh 11:11 always liked creepy places like this," Numbuh Hang 10 mumbled as he ran his hand along a dusty table. "Ya know, if anyone was gonna go bad, I think we all knew it was gonna be her. Or, ya know, Numbuh 666."
"Let's…not think about what he would be like," Numbuh 8 Infinity said quickly and no one was willing to disagree. Someone with his skills and view on the world on the side of the Galactic Kids Next Door was…scary to think about to say the least.
"Should we spread out?" Numbuh 362 offered, trying to hide how utterly creeped out she was by everything.
"And risk running into that psycho by yourself? Not a chance!" Numbuh 60 exclaimed. Everyone began to look around, hoping that Numbuh 11:11 hadn't heard them. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice.
"Still, splitting up might be the best way to cover ground," Numbuh 4.3 Light Years pointed out. "It would be wise to group up and if you happen to get overwhelmed, don't hesitate to call." With a nod, everyone quickly made their way out of the office, with only Numbuh 2, Numbuh 5 and Chad soon left.
"C'mon Abby," Chad said as he gestured to the door. "Let's go get your sister back." With a smile, Numbuh 5 nodded and headed out, the two boys hot on her tail.
Cree grit her teeth as yet another round of electricity made their way through her body. This one was at a way higher voltage then the last few rounds.
"Had enough?" Her captor taunted her. For someone she couldn't even see, Cree had never wanted to hurt someone more. Both for the obvious fact and the fact that she was part of the group of people that wanted to blow up her home.
"I took worse shocks in training," Cree responded, letting a smirk cross her face when she heard Numbuh 11:11 snarl. For someone who was supposed to be getting under Cree's skin, Numbuh 11:11 didn't exactly have the thickest skin herself.
"You're a stubborn one, teenager," Numbuh 11:11 noted before suddenly slashing Cree across the face with her talons. This drew a small cry of pain from the teenager, but little more. "Or someone else has broken you long before I did. And considering what we know about you, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case."
"What are you talking about?" Cree had to ask. She knew that it was best to not engage with this psycho, but she honestly had no idea what the alien was talking about.
"You really don't realize it?" Numbuh 11:11 asked, sounding genuinely confused. When Cree shook her head, Numbuh 11:11 chuckled. "You were once a great hero of your own Kids Next Door! Why, if we had been scouting your planet back then, I wouldn't have been shocked if you were considered to join us. Yet, you gave it all up out of fear. You forced yourself to fight your friends and even your own family out of fear of losing a few memories." Another chuckle. "I'm told that cowards break easily. So either you are the exception and not the rule…or you're already too broken for me to do much too." With that, Numbuh 11:11 left the room, leaving Cree alone with her own thoughts.
"That little brat doesn't know what she's talking about!" Cree snapped internally. But as she thought more about it, the more she realized that Numbuh 11:11 had a point. She was once a beloved sector leader. She was one of the best the KND ever had. Someone who almost all the cadets would look up too. The coolest big sister ever in the eyes of the younger Abby. And yet…she gave it all up. She ran away. No, that was under selling it. She ran right into the arms of the Kids Next Door's worst enemies. She didn't even have to do that! She could have just laid low and not hurt anyone and still kept her memories! But…she did. And what did she have to show for it? Literally nothing. "I…I am a coward, aren't I?" Before she could dwell on that thought any longer, the door swung open, causing Cree to resume her struggles to escape. "Back to try again, brat?" Instead, Cree heard three gasps.
"It looks even worse than in the video," A voice noted as someone else pulled the blindfold back. Cree flinched at the sudden amount of light, but once her vision cleared, she saw two very welcome faces. "Abby? Chad? What are you doing here?"
"Whatta think?" Numbuh 5 asked. "Saving you from this crazy alien!"
"Even after everything I did to you?" Cree had to ask. Numbuh 5's expression turned soft.
"Been saying this all day and Numbuh 5'll say it again-you may be a villain and a total pain, but you're still my sister and you don't deserve this," Numbuh 5 responded as she began to remove the restraints that had been keeping Cree tethered to the chair. Cree also took the chance to look over her injuries and couldn't help but flinch again. She looked awful-bruises of various different colors lined her body along with several open and closed cuts, many of which looked as though they were beginning to become infected, going off of all the pus leaking out of them. Catching her reflection in the window also revealed several more bruises on her face, as well as two black eyes and a freshly opened series of talon scratches running across her left cheek, most of which still had blood dripping out of them. Finally, the restraints released their prisoner, allowing Cree to take a few uneasy steps forward.
"Do you think you can walk?" Chad asked as he came over.
"Not without support," Cree grunted as another shot of pain seared through her body. Chad merely looped an arm around her before she could collapse.
"Can we please go?" Numbuh 2 all but begged. "This place is really creeping me out."
"Aw, but you just got here?" A voice taunted them from the doorway. Everyone turned to see a swan-like alien standing in the doorway. She had a body shape similar to Numbuh 8 Infinity, only much smaller and dressed in a flowing dress with a white blood stained apron covering it. Her face was the most interesting part of her, as much it seemed to be a mask of some kind, yet if one wasn't looking closely, it would be hard to notice. "And the prisoner and I were having so much fun together!" Cree flinched and tried to make herself look smaller. For all her bravo, the last thing she wanted was to be back in the chair.
"Numbuh 5 isn't letting you hurt her again!" Numbuh 5 declared as she drew her weapon and stood in front of her sister. Chad similarly motioned for Cree to move behind him as he drew a weapon of his own.
"How sentimental," Numbuh 11:11 sneered as she pulled a buzzsaw out. "I guess I'll just have to gut all four of you!" With that, she rushed forward, forcing the four humans to dodge out of the way. Almost as soon as they landed, Numbuh 5 wasted no time in attempting to blast Numbuh 11:11 away, with Numbuh 2 quickly joining.
"You got a spare?" Cree asked Chad, who dragged her behind cover.
"You sure you're up for it?" Chad asked, still pulling an extra blaster from his hoodie either way.
"After what she did to me? I'm sure I could strangle her if I wanted to," Cree said, managing a smirk before firing a few shots, one of which blasted the buzzsaw out of her hand.
"You really think that's the only tool I have?" Numbuh 11:11 questioned before pulling out two knives and charging towards the two teens, attempting to stab Cree, only for Chad to deflect it with a piece of metal. Numbuh 5 then knocked her away with a kick.
"We need to get out of here!" She declared, only for one of the knives to narrowly miss her face, embedding itself on the far wall. Turning around, everyone saw Numbuh 11:11 stand up, only now, her mask was gone, having fallen off.
And Numbuh 6 Shot saying that Numbuh 417 had ripped her face off was not an understatement.
Only a few pieces of Numbuh 11:11's face were still untouched. The rest of it was a mess of rotting flesh, feathers and scars. Even parts of her beak were missing.
"Now you see it, don't you?" Numbuh 11:11 asked, her voice now sounding much more unhinged. "What makes others so much more deserving of the beauty I was denied!?"
"Well, maybe if you didn't threaten other people's sisters, you wouldn't be an ugly hag!" Numbuh 5 snapped back. "And maybe if you let yourself age, you would have healed!" Numbuh 11:11 pretty much roared in response to that, but before she could attack, she was struck in the back of the head of an arriving Numbuh Vine.
"Just got the distress call," She explained. "The reception here is not that great."
"Luckily, we're not planning to stay long," Chad pointed out as he helped Cree back to her feet. "Let's just get back to the ship and see if Numbuh 666 can treat some of Cree's injuries."
Numbuh 5 was tired.
In truth, everyone was tired, considering the two nightmarish events they'd just had to deal with pretty much back to back. But for her, things were hitting harder. Numbuh 1 was evil, the Earth was almost destroyed on her watch and she'd just had to recover her tortured sister. Cree had been putting up a brave face, but everyone could tell she was utterly terrified and still unsure of their new alien allies. The only way that Numbuh 666 was able to get her to agree to go under so he could operate on her was if Numbuh 5 had stayed in the room with her, something that, luckily, the doctor was quick to agree with, considering that most of his work was done by something he called a bacta tank. All he really did was move Cree into a bed once the job was done. Still, seeing Cree so weak and helpless scared Numbuh 5. She was so used to her sister being this unstoppable fighter, both good and evil, that seeing her unconscious and with a breathing mask on felt…wrong.
"Hope you don't mind this when you wake up, Cree," Numbuh 5 mumbled tiredly as she climbed onto her sister's bed, snuggling into her side. If she wasn't so tired, she might have felt Cree's arm wrap around her.
The way I see it is that you can have darker stuff, but there always has to be some lighter elements to break it up. Hence the ending.