No, this story is not dead. I had a lot going on-school started back up, my family moved out of my childhood home and Pikmin 4 has been a very hard addiction to shake. But I finally managed to get some free time to get this written! Now, we're back with the heroes! But since I forgot to mention it last time, here's Numbuh 55555's headcanon voice actor!
Numbuh 55555-Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice from the musical)
Now, onto the show!
"Er, Numbuh 4.3 Light Years?" Numbuh 6 Shot spoke up when he saw the next planet the group was visiting. "Why in tarnation are we going here?" The here in question was a planet fairly close to Niter going off the star map. It even looked rather similar. The only difference was that rather than the dark, murky atmosphere of Niter, this planet was much brighter and energetic. Everything seemed welcoming and it reminded the Earth operatives of Las Vegas.
"All will be explained, Numbuh 6 Shot," Numbuh 4.3 Light Years assured his friend before turning to the younger operatives. "Welcome to Banto Cight!"
"I have to agree with Hatty," Numbuh 417 interrupted as Numbuh 666 brought the ship in for a landing. "What the heck are we doing at the gambling hotspot of the galaxy?"
"I was getting to that," Numbuh 4.3 Light Years said. "Reports have stated that Numbuh 55555 is in the area, no doubt seeking riches in order to help fund Numbuh Aleph Zero's plots."
"Isn't gambling illegal for anyone under, like, 21?" Cree piped up in confusion.
"In most places, it is adults only," Numbuh 4.3 replied with a nod. "Here, however, as long as you are old enough to understand the rules of the game, anyone can gamble. And there's no limits on what can be gambled and what can't be."
"So…you could bet yourself?" Numbuh 60 asked. He gulped nervously when he got several nods.
"And pretty much everyone gambles too," Numbuh 8 Infinity noted as she crossed her wings. "I'm pretty sure that some people learn how to roll dice or count cards before they can walk. To put it bluntly, Niter and this place are two sides of the same, most likely stolen coin."
"So it's the perfect spot for a known criminal to come get money," Numbuh Vine realized.
"Pretty much," Numbuh 666 said. "But, by the same token, it's also the easiest place to find rare or valuable materials for a...decent price. It's actually where Numbuh 417 and I won our ships!"
"So…if you win it, it's yours?" Numbuh 2 clarified as he ruffled through his pockets, looking for anything valuable. Sure, he was smart enough to know why gambling was bad, but he was also very interested in taking home an alien spaceship or car for himself.
"Yep!" Numbuh Hang 10 answered. "Plus, the food here is pretty awesome too!" At that, Numbuh 5 sighed. She knew she was going to be babysitting her boyfriend this entire mission instead of hunting down the creeps that turned Numbuh 1 into a terrorist.
"Try to focus on the mission," Numbuh 6 Shot all but begged. He could already see that most of the operatives seemed more interested in testing their luck than doing anything productive. He groaned. He'd planned to remain on the ship for this mission (since most people on this planet weren't too fond of a law enforcement officer) but now it seemed like he was needed.
"And keep your coms on!" Numbuh 8 Infinity chimed in. "If you see anything, call and try to give a basic idea on where you are." Everyone nodded or gave some form of confirmation or agreement before scurrying off the ship, soon leaving only Numbuh 6 Shot, Numbuh 1849 and Numbuh Hang 10.
"Uh, Hatty?" Numbuh Hang 10 began. "Wouldn't it be better for you to ditch your badge? Might make it easier for you to get around."
"Right, thanks poppet," Numbuh 6 Shot quickly agreed as he took his sheriff's badge off and slipped it into his pocket.
"Hatty, you okay?" Numbuh Hang 10 asked. Sure, he was a bit slow on the uptake sometimes but he always knew when his boyfriend was uncomfortable.
"Just…this ain't really mah scene," Numbuh 6 Shot admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Ooooh! And this isn't even like Niter where we were doing something you're good at! This is just stuff you don't like," Numbuh Hang 10 realized, now also rubbing the back of his head. It was then he had an iea. "Hey, so the last time I was here, I went to this really good buffet on the outskirts of town. Bit quieter than the big city and the perfect spot to keep an eye out in case the little runts try to book it. How about we head there? My treat."
Numbuh 6 Shot smiled. "It has been some time since we got a bite together, huh?" He then glanced at his pet. From the looks of it, Numbuh 1849 was equally interested in grabbing a bite to eat. "Led the way, Hook." Hook, with a grin, eagerly grabbed his boyfriend's hand and led him off.
"So when were you two planning to tell me that you were double agents the whole time?"
The causal way Cree asked that question caused both Maurice and Chad to jump and left them stumbling over each other.
"How did you know!?" The latter exclaimed once he was finally able to get words out. He and Maurice both shared a nervous look. The last thing he wanted was a fight with an angry Cree. Sure, she might be a little weaker than normal, but considering that she was one of the best fighters in the Kids Next Door and Teen Ninjas, a little weaker still most likely meant "can and will mop the floor with you both with one hand behind my back."
"I heard you guys talking about it on the ship," Cree admitted, very amused by her fellow teen's reactions. "Word of advice, if the person you are trying to keep secrets from is in the medbay, maybe don't hold conversations about the secret directly in front of it."
"Yeah, that's on us," Maurice said awkwardly. "In our defense, we thought you were still unconscious."
"I was fading in and out," Cree lied. The day she admitted that she faked being unconscious longer so that she and Abby could snuggle together was the day she started liking the smell of the locker rooms at school. "But…in all honesty, it actually explains a lot. Namely Chad suddenly being really bad at everything."
"I did not!" Chad protested over Maurice's laughter. One of the worst parts about being a spy was all the dives he had to take in order to ensure that the KND would win their bouts.
"Chad, no offense, but there were theories that all your victories in the Kids Next Door were fabricated with how many times you threw fights," Cree revealed, causing Chad to grumble and look away. Cree then turned to Maurice. "But, I need to know…was it ever real?"
Now it was Maurice's turn to flinch. "Uh…" He knew that, no matter what, there was no easy way to answer this question. As evil as Cree was, Maurice knew that he still played with her feelings. Best just to get it over with. "No. No, I never loved you. I'm sorry, Cree, but with how cruel you were, I just couldn't fall in love."
"...Yeah, I kinda guessed that was what you were going to say," Cree said. She was trying to stay aloof, but both boys could hear the hurt in her voice.
"But…" Maurice continued. "Just because I never loved you didn't mean I never cared about you." When Cree looked at him in shock, Maurice smiled. "Even with everything you did, you were still my friend. I tried to make sure nothing bad ever happened to you, even when I was sabotaging you and a part of me did hope that you'd see the light someday…just wish it didn't happen how it did."
"Funny. Abby said the same thing," Cree admitted as she rubbed. She didn't exactly want her return to the light to come at the cost of spending who knows how long getting tortured. "Just…when we get back home, promise you'll vouch for me?"
"Shouldn't be that hard," Chad replied for both him and Maurice. "So…are you not mad at us any more?"
"No, I'm still pissed at you," Cree responded almost immediately. "But there is a way to get me to forgive you right away."
"What do you want?" Chad said with a sigh. He just hoped it wouldn't be a fight.
"Win me that space motorcycle," Cree declared as she pointed behind the boys. Turning around, Chad and Maurice saw what looked like a cross between a TRON bike and a speeder bike. It looks awesome and considering Cree had a not so secret love of motorcycles, it made sense why she and, from the looks of it, several others, wanted it. Still, Chad and Maurice realized that it was better to appease Cree for now then risk a possible fight with her.
They just hoped they had something worthwhile on them so they didn't have to give up any organs.
"Fanny, you can take your hand off your weapon," Numbuh 60 attempted to assure his girlfriend. He knew that getting her to trust their new alien allies was going to be hard from the get go.
"I'm just not sure about 'em!" Numbuh 86 snapped back, even if she did move her hand a little. Thankfully, Numbuh 4.3 Light Years and Numbuh 8 Infinity were distracted due to the latter spotting some weird alien taxidermy. "In case you forgot, a bunch of aliens tried to blow the Earth up twice within the last couple days!"
"...She has a point," Numbuh 362 admitted after trying to come up with a rebuttal. Not to mention, who you could trust was becoming more and more confusing, considering that Cree Lincoln was now on their side and Numbuh 1 was now a villain. Just thinking about that still made Numbuh 362's head hurt. "But we promise that you can trust them. And you trust our judgment, right?"
"Of course I do!" Numbuh 86 pretty much snapped.
"Then we're asking you to share our trust in them," Numbuh 60 chimed in as he pointed towards the alien couple. "And the others, too." Numbuh 86 grumbled a little, but took her hands away from her weapon, even if it was only so she could cross her arms.
"Fine!" She snapped. Thankfully, Numbuh 8 Infinity was done looking at whatever caught her eyes, allowing the group to keep moving.
"So…Numbuh 86, was it?" Numbuh 8 Infinity asked, trying to get a conversation going.
"What?" The younger girl gruffly asked.
"Your friends told me you have brothers?" Numbuh 8 Infinity questioned. "What are they like?"
"Oh don't get me started!" Numbuh 86 ranted as she began to count on her fingers. "They're annoying, they always find ways to gang up on me at home, and even though I'm the oldest, they never listen to me!"
"Guess that's a standard with little brothers," Numbuh 8 Infinity noted with a bemused chuckle. "Chsin could always be a real pain in my side. He was so freaking smug when he wanted to be!"
"Boys are stupid!" Numbuh 86 proudly declared. Both Numbuh 4.3 Light Years and Numbuh 60 looked mock offended, while Numbuh 362 seemed amused. Considering that she also had a brother, she could relate.
"That being said…I'd do anything to make sure Chsin was safe." Numbuh 8 Infinity admitted.
"...Is that just part of being the oldest?" Numbuh 86 had to ask. Even when Patty and Shaunie were annoying the living daylights out of her, the thought of anything bad happening to them horrified her. Part of the reason she joined the Kids Next Door in the first place was that she wanted to protect them.
"I guess so," Numbuh 4.3 Light Year noted solemnly. "Even after everything he's done, the idea of Dormax getting seriously hurt…doesn't sit well with me." No one could say much after that. The reminder of Numbuh Aleph Zero reminded everyone that they weren't on Banto Cright for fun. They had a mission. And it was one that would keep their younger siblings safe. Everyone's thoughts went to their younger siblings if they had them. They couldn't help but wonder if they were okay.
"Are…you two okay?" Numbuh 9L asked her fellow renegade Galactic Kids Next Door operatives. They ended up grouping up with Sector V and since then, Numbuh Infinity and Numbuh Vine had been completely awkward and quiet. It wasn't like either of them.
"We have a…bad history with Sector V," Numbuh Vine admitted. This was met by a mocking laugh from Numbuh 4.
"Bad!? If we didn't know any better, I woulda called both of you bad guys when we met!" He scoffed as Sector V all turned around. Numbuh 4 then pointed to Numbuh Vine. "She brainwashed Numbuh 1 the first time we met 'er and he," He then pointed to Numbuh Infinity. "Framed him and nearly got him decommissioned and killed!"
"Wasn't Chad the one trying to kill him?" Numbuh 2 pointed out.
"Yeah, but if it wasn't for him, it wouldn't have gotten to that! And he also got Numbuh 1 into this cruddy mess in the first place!" Numbuh 4 snapped.
"I'll bet you didn't even love him!" Numbuh 3 sadly exclaimed to Numbuh Vine. This caused the plant based alien to flinch. She never did love Numbuh 1. But even that didn't excuse the way she'd treated him. She and Numbuh Infinity shared a look. They couldn't even say they did what they did for the good of the mission or the Kids Next Door, since all they did was help a group of genocidal terrorists indoctrinate Numbuh 1 into their ranks.
"You guys did all that?" Numbuh 9L couldn't help but ask. She didn't know Vine or Infinity that well, but she couldn't picture either of them doing that.
"...They're telling the truth," Numbuh Infinity admitted as he looked away. "What we both did was not right and only corrupted a perfectly fine operative. We're sorry we dragged him into this."
"Sorry doesn't cut it," Numbuh 2 sneered. "You jerks turned Numbuh 1 into a monster!"
"You don't think we know that!" Numbuh Vine snapped, causing everyone to jump. "I may not have loved Numbuh 1, but I still saw how great of a person he was! And when he joined the Galactic Kids Next Door, he was so happy. But Numbuh Aleph Zero and his cronies kept corrupting him and soon, all that was left was a monstrous husk. And I knew that it was pretty much my fault they got their hands on him in the first place!" This caused Numbuh Vine to break down. Now, everyone else was quiet. Sector V was not expecting that reaction. Finally, Numbuh 5 stepped forward.
"Numbuh 5?" Numbuh 3 questioned, but Numbuh 5 paid her no mind as she placed a hand on Numbuh Vine's shoulder.
"Look, Numbuh 5 won't pretend that she's not mad about the ways you two hurt Numbuh 1," Numbuh 5 admitted. "But Numbuh 5 also guessed that what we saw back home wasn't the real Chsin or Lizzie. And, personally, I wanna get to know the real ones." Both Numbuh Infinity and Numbuh Vine couldn't help but smile.
"I think I'd like that too," Numbuh Vine replied. Numbuh Infinity simply smiled. However, before everyone else could say anything, their communication channels suddenly blew up.
"Numbuh 0.3 to everyone else! We found Numbuh 55555 and the other members of Sector Z!"
"Where are you!?" Numbuh 4.3 Light Years roared into the coms.
"Uh," Numbuh 0.3 looked around for any landmark she could point to. Finally, something caught her eye. "Near the giant…dinosaur zoo?" She was pretty sure that wasn't what she was looking at but it was her best guess. "Just hurry up! The Sector Z cyborgs have been seriously upgraded since the last time we fought!"
"I'll send everyone the coordinates now!" Numbuh 666 offered as he dove behind cover. Upon confronting Numbuh 55555, Numbuh 417 had assumed they could just treat it like all the other times they'd battled Project/Sector Z. But, clearly, Numbuh XXX had taken measures to make it harder for the group to fight them. Not only were they electric to the touch, but any long range attacks would empower the mech's next attack. "And hurry!"
"Roger that Numbuh 666!" Numbuh 4.3 Light Years responded for the rest of the group.
"They almost here?" Numbuh 417 groaned as she attempted to regain her barings. The electricity had hurt her a lot more than she'd cared to admit, not helped by her stabbing one of the cyborgs with her trident. She'd managed to wrench it out at the cost of getting repeatedly electrocuted.
"Hopefully," Numbuh 666 replied as he blasted as Numbuh 55555, who dodged out of the way of all the shots, cackling all the while.
"Man, Numbuh 666, you've gotten slow in your old age!" He taunted as she continued to zip around the area. "Shame too, since you could still be as spry as me if you wanted!"
"What you guys are doing is insane! And that's coming from me!" Numbuh 666 responded as he detonated an explosive he'd hidden, which successfully knocked Numbuh 55555 off his feet.
"So that's how you're playing?" Numbuh 55555 asked before bursting into laughter again. "I shoulda seen it coming!"
"Is he normally this annoying?" Numbuh 0.3 whispered.
"Sometimes he's worse," Numbuh 417 sneered.
"Aw, don't be like that, Numbuh 417!" Numbuh 5555 called out. "It's not my fault you're slow!"
"I'm not slow!" Numbuh 417 roared, all energy suddenly restored. "We've been through this! I'm not slow! I just think differently!"
"Yeah, you think a lot slower than the rest of us!" Numbuh 55555 mocked with another laugh. "It's probably why you hang out with Numbuh 666! He can do all the thinking for you!"
"SHUT UP!" Numbuh 417 surged forward, but was forced to dodge out of the way of several laser blasts coming from the Project Z robots. Numbuh 55555 was prevented from enjoying this, however, when Numbuh Hang 10 attacked him from behind.
"Sorry about the wait. Took us a bit to settle the bill," Numbuh 6 Shot admitted as he took aim at one of the robots.
"Don't bother shooting it," Numbuh 666 reported. "Pretty much anything we hit them with gets sent right back. Also, I'm fairly certain no one would have cared if you just dined and dashed!"
"Ya know ah won't do that," Numbuh 6 Shot replied. "Could ruin ma image of a sherrif!"
"WHO CARES ABOUT THAT!? IT'S LIFE OR DEATH!" Numbuh 666 snapped at his second in command. As he and Numbuh 6 Shot promptly got into an argument, Numbuh Hang 10 took the chance to help Numbuh 417 fend off the other members of Project/Sector Z.
"Yo, little dudette!" He called out to Numbuh 0.3, who had remained behind cover. "You think you could try to get through to them or something?"
"I'd try but I don't know which is which so I'm not sure what to say," She admitted as she blasted one of her old Sector mates away.
"Oh just give up, would ya?" Numbuh 55555 mocked. "You can't hurt my bodyguards and you can barely hurt me!" Before anyone could make another move, the roar of an engine caused them all to jump. No one was entirely sure what happened next as all they could see was a flash of neon suddenly rocket past and one of the Project Z cyborgs go flying into a nearby fountain, which promptly shorted it out. Said flash stopped, revealing a high tech motorbike whose rider was holding a bat in their hands. "What the-!?"
"That felt…so good," Cree declared as she removed her new motorcycle helmet. "Only bad thing was that I missed my actual target."
"Where did you get that!?" Numbuh 5 exclaimed as she came over with the other operatives she'd been walking around with.
"Made Maurice and Chad win it for me," Cree responded smugly. "And yes, I'm figuring out a way to keep it."
"Numbuh 5 isn't surprised," The younger girl admitted as she looked over her sister's new bike. "Any chance I can ride on it?"
"Not in this life or the next," Cree bluntly refused with an amused smile. "Maybe I'll buy a sidecar. Maybe."
"Thanks for leaving us behind Cree!" Chad grumbled as he and Maurice rushed over, both very much out of breath.
"You're welcome," Cree responded in a mix of complete sincerity and mockery.
"Is she still mad about the whole 'being spies thing'?" Numbuh 2 asked Maurice.
"Sadly," The other boy groaned as he tried to keep from falling over.
"Alright, so it looks like that I'm out numbered and you guys found a way to get past the defenses on these robots," Numbuh 55555 grumbled, causing everyone to turn back to him. "So if you don't mind, I'm going to be making an escape. Toodles!" With that, he threw a smoke bomb down, taking advantage of the chaos to escape with the other members of Project Z."
"We need to stop him!" Numbuh 6 Shot called out as he pointed towards where their foe had been standing.
"No need, Numbuh 6 Shot," Numbuh 4.3 Light Years declared as he rounded the corner with his group, tossing several bags full of cash down. "We discovered his ship and took the chance to take as much of it as we could."
"We also stuck a tracker on his ship to see where he goes next!" Numbuh 86 proudly declared.
"Then I guess we have our next goal," Numbuh 417 declared as she pounded one of her fists into her open palm.
"Uh, shouldn't we also get the other robot?" Numbuh Hang 10 pointed out, pointing to the fountain where said operative was still sparking.
"I'll get it!" Numbuh 4 proudly declared as he walked over to the unknown member of Sector Z. He ended up shocking himself several times, but was still able to get the robot out of the water.
"Now let's see who's under the mask," Numbuh 0.3 declared. "Er…does anyone have a pair of gloves?"
"I've got it," Numbuh Vine promised. Thankfully, without the water, there wasn't a lot of electricity left, leaving her with only a few mild shocks. As soon as the faceplates came off, Numbuh 0.3 was back at her old Sector mate's side.
"Lenny…" She trailed off. It was so weird seeing his face again, even if wires and metal covered parts of it. After all, she'd gotten used to seeing it covered by either a football helmet or a metal face plate.
"Doc, you think you can make some magic happen?" Numbuh 8 Infinity asked.
"I think I can do it before we discover where he goes next," Numbuh 666 promised as he and Numbuh 417 worked together to pick the mech up. "Now let's get back to the ship so I can get to work and we can start tracking that jerk."
Cree likes motorcycles and you will not change my mind. But we've rescued another member of Sector Z and are off to see where the Galactic Kids Next Door are headed next. See you then!