So, remember what Dreads was talking about in the last chapter? Well, here's what happened.
Numbuh 1 skillfully moved through the alleyways of Nevolla's capital, slowly making his way towards the castle. He had been warned by Supreme Leader Numbuh Aleph Zero that Nevolla was very much unfriendly to the Galactic Kids Next Door, being ruled over by a tyrant king who had everyone wrapped around his thumb. Numbuh 1, for his first mission, had been sent to topple his reign by any means necessary.
"Do whatever you need," Aleph Zero had ordered. "Capture him! Get him to surrender the throne! Heck, kill him if you need! Just make sure King Morfusta is off the throne!"
Numbuh 1 had accepted the mission with grace, although he was hoping to handle things non lethally. Even against evil adults, the thought of killing someone never sat right with him. But if it meant completing the Galactic Kids Next Door's mission, he would put his personal morals aside for the time being. Feeling his communicator buzzing, Numbuh 1 ducked into another alley to avoid being spotted and (hopefully) heard.
"Numbuh 1! How close are you to the castle?" Numbuh 74.239 asked. The tree alien had been sent with him to Nevolla as a "man in the chair", so to speak. Since flying ships had always been Numbuh 2's thing, he was also there to make sure Numbuh 1 could actually get on and off world.
"I think…about a mile out?" Numbuh 1 guessed. "I'm tempted to move to the roofs to speed things along."
"Just make sure to stay out of sight of the sky patrols," Numbuh 74.239 warned him. Just as Numbuh 1 was about to question what that meant, a small group of manticore-like creatures flew over his hiding spot.
"Understood," Numbuh 1 replied before ending the call. Deciding that his rocket shoes would attract too much attention, Numbuh 1 instead decided to parkour his way to the rooftops. Much to his joy, he found he still very much had his skills in that. Granted, when he wasn't stuck cleaning toilets, he would try to train, but a lack of field experience was still a like of field experience. You could train all you wanted, but if you didn't know how to apply your skills to the field, it wouldn't matter much in the long run. Jumping across each roof gave Numbuh 1 a rush he'd missed for so long, as did hiding from each patrol that flew by. But one specific patrol made him freeze.
"Numbuh 1! What's wrong!?" Numbuh 74.239 frantically asked.
"Nothing," Numbuh 1 replied, his eyes still locked on the patrol. "But…and this is going to sound crazy, the patrol that just flew past me was made up of all kids."
"King Morfusta is known for his powers of persuasion," Numbuh 74.239 replied. "He has this whole planet convinced he's some benevolent ruler, but only we know the truth! And once you get rid of him, we'll finally be able to convince everyone of that!"
"I suppose that checks out," Numbuh 1 admitted. After all, Father and the Delightful Children had always been very good at getting people to do what they wanted, even though everyone was well aware they were evil to the core. Manipulation was a powerful tool, but Numbuh 1 was far too smart to fall for any of those tricks.
He was evidently not smart enough, however, to notice an open skylight due to keeping his eyes focused for more patrols, which he then promptly fell into.
With a groan, Numbuh 1 pulled himself off wherever it was he fell into. The place smelt of cleaning product, making it very clear why the skylight was most likely open. Noticing that his new visor had fallen off his face, Numbuh 1 grabbed it, very relieved nothing was cracked or broken upon putting them back on.
"Numbuh 1, where are you!? Are you okay!?" Numbuh 74.239 asked in an extremely worried town. Considering how deep into enemy territory they were, Numbuh 1 didn't blame him for being so on edge.
"I landed in…a museum?" Numbuh 1 responded as he took in his surroundings. There were statues, paintings and photos everywhere. Most of them seemed to be depicting a war of some kind. Strangely, said war seemed to be one between different groups of kids. Before Numbuh 1 could question why two groups of kids would go to war, his eyes landed on the sign near the entrance.
Galactic Kids Next Door Civil War History Museum
Putting his communicator away for now, Numbuh 1 couldn't help but look around the place. While he knew the the Galactic Kids Next Door he served now were the losers of the war and Numbuh Aleph Zero had been building his powerbase back up before striking back, the paintings and statues were all really well made. Even if they were usually depicting a bunch of traitors and their supposed "heroic exploits" in "saving the universe".
"How can people actually believe all these lies?" Numbuh 1 scoffed as he looked over a sculpture of Sector Alpha and Numbuh 4.3 Light Years. To think that six bright kids had been so led astray by Numbuh 4.3 Light Years tyrannical father…
And worse, they had rejected Numbuh Aleph Zero's gift of being able to reverse your age! Who would willingly let themselves age into a teenager!? Or worse, an adult?
Still, it was interesting to see them all as kids. They looked so…innocent in one of the early pictures. Numbuh Hang 10's tusks were still small and just barely poked out of his mouth. Numbuh 8 Infinity almost looked fluffy with all her excess feathers and was smiling awkwardly. Numbuh 4.3 Light Years lacked his trademark mane. And Numbuh 417 still had a full tail and, strangely, didn't have the lines on her wings. Numbuh 1 assumed that maybe those just came in once you got older. Still, it was weird seeing them like that. A ragtag band of misfits who came together through their mutual desire to keep kids everywhere safe from danger. So what made them turn on the Galactic Kids Next Door?
Numbuh 1 scoffed. Everyone changed, he supposed, as they grew older. Which, now, sadly seemed to include Numbuh 362. As he continued to look around, Numbuh 1 couldn't help but think about the former Supreme Leader. She was easily the person he was closest to outside of his sector and he wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he'd sometimes wish that he was able to work closer with her. Why, he wasn't entirely sure, but he had always assumed that it was because he admired her work ethic and care for those under her. He was dreading the next time he had to confront her. While his mission came first, he didn't like the idea of having to fight his old friend.
"I'll make you see the light, Rachel," He promised himself before moving to head out.
"You know, we're closed for the day?" A voice behind him commented. Drawing his weapon, Numbuh 1 found what was, frankly, one of the ugliest beings he had ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on. "Galactic Kids Next Door, I should have guessed."
"Get out of my way," Numbuh 1 ordered, keeping his laser pistol leveled on the alien. "I won't let you stand in the way of me liberating this planet from the tyranny of King Morfusta!"
The wolf/lizard hybrid thing chuckled. "So that is what Aleph Zero has you sold on? I'd try telling you how mistaken you are, but I doubt you'd believe it."
"You're right, I won't," Numbuh 1 snarled, finger ready to pull the trigger. "Who even are you?"
"You may refer to me as Dreads," The figure responded as he pulled two sickles from under his cloak. "Or, if you are willing to consider me as such, Numbuh 0%. And I have no intentions of letting you continue. I have a feeling you seek to harm the king and as his loyal retainer, I cannot allow that to happen."
Numbuh 1 smirked. If this guy was never decommissioned, that meant he was most likely a traitor. Sure, he knew about the Teens Next Door, but considering the only operative he knew from that was Chad, he was pretty sure it meant the same thing. And he had no problems beating up traitors. "Alright, adult, if you don't want to do this the easy way, I guess I'll just have to MAKE you leave!"
"If you seek a fight, I am happy to serve as your opponent," Dreads responded as he got into a battle stance. Numbuh 1 wasted no time in attempting to blast him, getting annoyed by Dreads narrowly dodging or reflecting the shots back. This, in turn, forced Numbuh 1 to begin dodging as well.
"Stand still!" Numbuh 1 snapped as he continued to unload his blaster on Dreads, who he still had yet to hit. A laser shot then narrowly grazed his head, causing him to make the mistake of looking back, which was all Dreads needed to rush forwards and shoulder check him, causing him to slam into the wall.
"I do hope you know that I fully intend to arrest you once I win this battle," Dreads warned the young boy.
"We'll then it's a good thing I'm not going to lose," Numbuh 1 responded. He then noticed his blaster sat at Dreads' feet. He noticed it as well.
"Afraid blasters aren't allowed in here," Dreads said in mocking sincerity before he grabbed it and crushed it in his hands.
"Well, luckily for me, I don't need any weapons to kick adult butt!" Numbuh 1 declared before clicking his heels together to activate his rocket shoes. While he had changed his outfit to better match his allies, he was grateful they had allowed him to add rockets to his new shoes. Even in daily life, it made things much easier. But now, they were being used for battle! To charge into his foe and knock the wind out of him, if not knock him out outright. With a battle cry, Numbuh 1 rocketed forwards:
And found himself caught in Dreads' outstretched hands.
"You know, I've heard a lot about you," Dreads admitted as he pulled a squirming Numbuh 1 close. "And you're not really living up to the stories, kiddo." With a growl, he then slammed Numbuh 1 to the ground and broke into a run, dragging the boy along the floor before finally throwing him into a bench.
"Numbuh 1!" Numbuh 74.239 called out frantically. "Our cover is blown! One of the patrols saw the ship and are attacking! I'm trying to fend them off, but I'm not sure how much longer I can last!"
"I'll be there!" Numbuh 1 replied, once he regained his bearings. "Just need to shake an adult I ran into!" He hated leaving missions unfinished, but when the alternative was capture, he knew it was best to cut your losses and run. Dreads, however, took the chance to slash Numbuh 1 in the back as he fled, knocking him down.
"Like I said, I have no intention of letting you go," Dreads declared as he kicked Numbuh 1, preventing him from standing. With a chuckle, he leaned in close once again. "Do you want to know why I'm Numbuh 0%? Because no one, in the history of my time alive, has EVER beaten me in a fight. Oh, some have come close. Flarias almost had me once. But even she fell. So, tell me, why do you think you stood a chance?"
"Because…I'm a hero!" Numbuh 1 snapped as he managed to get free and attempt an attack, only for Dreads to effortlessly smack him away, knocking him into yet another wall. Numbuh 1 coughed a few times and was shocked to discover blood on his sleeve. He'd never been beaten this badly before!
"You are no hero," Dreads sneered as he slowly walked towards Numbuh 1, who clutched his arm in pain. "At best, you are a misled child who doesn't realize he's being turned into little more than a mindless soldier. At worst? You are a terrorist and villain who truly believes that all adults and teens deserved to be wiped out, even if that means living in a galaxy full of asteroid belts."
"Shut up!" Numbuh 1 roared, even though he knew he was in no condition to keep fighting. Reactivating his rocket boots, he flew back out and headed back towards where the ship was waiting. Along the way, he flew past several locals, all of which didn't have the reactions he'd expecting
"Dude, was that a Galactic Kids Next Door operative?"
"TERRORIST!"
"I thought all those guys were wiped out!"
"He's flying from where the castle was!"
"I'll beat Numbuh 0% beat the crap out of him and he's gonna go cry to Aleph Zero!"
"Or better yet, one of the REAL Galactic Kids Next Door operatives like Prince Leo!"
Numbuh 1 did his best to block all the comments out, mostly just gratefully no one was attacking him. Thankfully, Numbuh 74.239 saw him flying in and quickly opened the top hatch, allowing for a quick getaway.
"Numbuh 1…are you okay?" The plant alien asked once they were far enough away that he could focus on his temporary teammate.
"Just got a little roughed up," Numbuh 1 replied. "I'll get checked out once we get back to the ship." Numbuh 74.239 nodded and turned back to the controls. Numbuh 1 opted to simply stare out the window, leaving the ride silent and Numbuh 1 alone with his thoughts. Was he really a villain? He was just trying to prevent the spread of the adult virus! Surely Sector V would understand if he ran into them again, right?
Right?
Back on Nevolla, Dreads snarled. Not only did the Galactic Kids Next Door operative get away from him, he also left him with quite the mess to clean up. Still, he supposed it could have been worse. No art in the museum was damaged and he had prevented the king from possibly suffering harm. Looking around, Dreads noticed the boy's communicator, somewhat damaged, was laying on the floor.
"Perhaps the prince and his friends could put this to better use," Dreads decided as he picked up the device before heading off. The museum was closed for the day anyways. He could always come back and clean up later.
Sorry Numbuh 1! I like you but you need to suffer a little before you get to become good again (and you still get off better than some other characters in the story). Anyways, next time, our heroes begin their assault on the Galactic Kids Next Door headquarters! See you then!