Me: Can I fit more Helluva Boss references into this story?...Yeah, I think I can.
Seriously, it's somehow becoming my biggest influence for this story and I've been having issues with the show's writing as of late!...Maybe that's why this chapter is (partly) based on a season one episode. Anyways, let's begin!
"Where…where am I?" Numbuh 1 groaned as he woke up. The last thing he remembered was losing to his old friends and then Numbuh 55555 grabbing him and using him to block…something. Now, he found himself standing in the remains of his old treehouse. Various blobs of colors swirled around him, sometimes stopping to let out hellish screeches. One flew over him, causing him to get covered in the same goop it was made of. Looking down at the mess that now covered him, Numbuh 1 was horrified to discover that the lower half of his body was covered in a shadow-like form, much like Father had been.
"Well, well, well! Now you look more appropriate!" A voice sneered from behind him. Whipping around, Numbuh 1 saw one of the lines of colors morph into Numbuh 5. "Since ya became just as bad as Father! Numbuh 5 can't believe that she risked getting decommissioned just to get you into the Kids Next Door!"
"What are you talking about?" Numbuh 1 questioned. "There's no way I'm as bad as Father!"
"Yeah right!" Another voice called out as another line of color morphed into Numbuh 3, an uncharacteristic scowl on her face. "Then why are you helping a group of people oppress people they don't like!?"
"They're all traitors!" Numbuh 1 declared. He tried to sound impressive, but he couldn't stop his voice from wavering.
"Did you ever look into it?" Another voice-Numbuh 4 this time-asked as he shoved Numbuh 1 down, causing him to land in a puddle. "Or did ya just rush into battle without thinking that maybe there could be more to that?"
"You know you're wrong," Numbuh 2 declared as he took form next to Numbuh 4. "And yet you just keep pushing forward! You never tried to run! You just listened like a good little pawn!"
"That's not true!" Numbuh 1 exclaimed as he tried to get up, only for a boxing glove attached to a yield sign to force him back down. Numbuh 362 then took shape and pushed it down further.
"Really? Then why didn't you question anything?" She questioned, pushing even harder. Numbuh 1 didn't respond this time, shoving the yield sign away and trying to make a run for it, only to get a blow to the back of the head from what he knew was a S.P.A.N.K.L.E.R. His head was spinning and the throbbing only got worse.
"I always knew you were a stupid boy," Numbuh 86 mocked from behind him. Again, Numbuh 1 tried to stand up, only for a boot to the back to force him back down.
"And to think I told the cadets you were someone they should be looking up too," Numbuh 60 commented. Numbuh 1 couldn't tell if his tone was enraged or sorrowful.
"You called us monsters…but I think you're the one who deserves that label," Chad declared as he and Cree walked over. Cree said nothing, but her scowl said it all.
"STOP TALKING! NONE OF YOU ARE REAL!" Numbuh 1 snapped as he finally managed to get to his feet, slowly beginning to back away from these twisted nightmare versions of his friends.
"Oh c'mon Nigey!" Turning around, Numbuh 1 saw Numbuh Vine wearing her Lizzie disguise, only vines were wrapped around her and seemed to grow out of her skin. "You know the truth-we may not be real, but what we're telling you most certainly is!"
"You helped someone else turn us into puppets!" Forced to turn again, Numbuh 1 saw Numbuhs 0.3 and 0.4 take form, their bodies a mix of cybernetic parts and their delightfulization selves. Their voices were talking as one, but now also had a robotic filter over it. "And yet you still try to pretend that you're the good guy here?"
"I….am a good guy!" Numbuh 1 could barely get the words out. "You guys just don't understand!"
"You have it bad, huh?" It was Numbuh 5 talking again. "Never took the great Numbuh 1 to be so gullible."
"He's not gullible!" Numbuh 362 chimed in. Before Numbuh 1 could question why she was suddenly defending him, she turned back to him, a hate filled glare on her face. "He's probably enjoying hurting people! He's just like Father!"
"Guess that runs in the family!" Numbuh 4 declared with a mocking laugh. Suddenly, Numbuh 1 felt like he was being burned. Looking back down, he saw the shadows slowly beginning to creep further up his body. He did his best to brush it away, only for it to keep coming, all the while, his former allies declared the same thing.
"You're just like Father!"
"You're pretty much Father!"
"Can't believe I ever listened to Father Junior!"
"Never thought I'd be grateful towards Father 2.0!"
"Just like Father!"
"Just like Father!"
"JUST LIKE FATHER!"
"JUST LIKE FATHER!"
At that point, between the burning sensation rushing up his body and the words of his friends, all Numbuh 1 could do was scream.
Numbuh 1 woke up hyperventilating. He looked around frantically, for once taking comfort in the empty room he had been forced to live in for the past two years. The leadership had said that decorations were distractions. Numbuh 1 could understand that, considering Numbuh 3's massive Rainbow Monkey obsession. Yet, now, the comfort of a Rainbow Monkey, or just the bubbly operative herself, sounded amazing. Pretty much the sole major comfort he could take was that looking over himself showed that he was not only uninjured, but also not covered in any type of shadow.
"What was in that…whatever Numbuh 666 threw at me?" He then grunted upon remembering he wasn't the target. The doctor (at least he was being told that Numbuh 666 was a doctor) had been aiming for Numbuh 55555, only for him to pull Numbuh 1 into his path. At least he took Numbuh 1 with him, but a part of him wondered if the mad alien had only done that so that their opponents didn't get their hands on him. After all, he had been having quite a few doubts over the past few days about if he had his loyalty placed in the right place. So him getting captured would give him a chance to confirm them. He then taught more about what those nightmare versions of his friends were telling him or rather, what his own doubts and subconscious were telling him. With a determined nod, Numbuh 1 opened the door to his room and headed out.
It was time to stop just assuming things and actually get answers.
First stop was Numbuh XXX's lab.
As Numbuh 1 walked, he couldn't help but think about how few operatives he actually liked, or even really knew personally. Back home, while he was naturally close with Sector V, he also would say he knew a fair bit about Numbuh 86, Numbuh 60, Numbuh 83, Numbuh 84 and, of course, Numbuh 362. As he thought about her, he couldn't help but grin. Rachel was easily the person he was closest to outside of his sector and would sometimes seek each other out after school just to chat before Rachel would go on to become Supreme Leader. He'd never admit to anyone, but Numbuh 1 had always thought that if he wasn't dating Lizzie, then he would be dating Rachel. She had everything he liked in a girl-she was smart, a great fighter and she was willing to go above and beyond to help kids.
"What a woman…" Numbuh 1 thought to himself before slapping himself. He needed to focus! Thankfully, he had yet to walk into a pole and no one thought to question him on why he was walking around, even though he should have been recovering from what had happened previously. Finally, he arrived at Numbuh XXX's lab. Ducking behind a console, Numbuh 1 was relieved to see the rat like creature was indeed present, as were the Project Z robots.
"Sometimes I wish Aleph Zero was better at controlling his temper." He grumbled as he grabbed one of his tools before ripping off the faceplates of one of the robots and beginning to work on it. This gave Numbuh 1 a clear as day look at the face of Numbuh 0.1 under it. He had to fight the urge to vomit. How could they do that to five kids who already suffered enough?
"I'm glad at least two of them could escape…" Numbuh 1 said to himself. If he made it out alive, he'd have to thank Numbuh 417 for punching Numbuh 0.3 in the face so that people could figure out what was going on. Wow, that was something he never thought he would say. But he was being faced with the reality of a Kids Next Door that was evil while the adults that seemed evil were actually good all along, so it somehow wasn't the weirdest thing that Numbuh 1 had dealt with recently.
"And speaking of bad tempers, that Father guy!" Numbuh XXX noted to what he believed was solely himself before shuddering. "Honestly, really glad that he's so caught up in looking for Numbuh 1! And think it was all over a stupid pipe! But he did at least leave us with five very useful new toys!" Now, it was Numbuh 1's turn to shudder. The way he was talking about Sector Z like they were just his playthings to do whatever he wanted too…well, Numbuh 1 was grateful he had yet to end up on the doctor's bad side. And even back home, Father had really gotten that mad over Numbuh 1 taking his pipe? Not the loss of his children. Not the destruction of his mansion. That stupid pipe was what pushed him over the edge. "Ugh, and now we can't keep ourselves at twelve forever since those jerks set all of our age generators free. Those fools don't deserve their youth if they want to reject our youth!"
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Numbuh 1 mumbled. How much worse did it get? He then headed out just as quietly as he arrived, unaware that someone had been watching him from the vents…
"So, that Numbuh 1 guy? Really talented operative huh?" Numbuh 55555 noted as he flexed his arms into different shapes as Numbuh 11:11 cleaned her tools off. Numbuh 1 had paused upon hearing his name. He had to know what exactly everyone thought of him. He was already having his doubts about everything else they said, so who knew what else was a lie.
"He has shown himself to be talented, considering that he was able to frighten Numbuh 417 of all people," Numbuh 11:11 noted. Numbuh 1 nodded at that. Even though Numbuh 417 might not actually be his enemy, Numbuh 1 still felt a sense of pride over scaring someone who was widely considered to be one of the greatest fighters in the universe.
"But he's also an idiot!" Numbuh 55555 cackled, causing Numbuh 1 to flinch.
"It's not so much that he's an idiot," Numbuh 11:11 noted. "Rather, he's simply too trusting and too willing to believe in how good we are."
"I mean…that's most of the operatives we pick up," Numbuh 55555 noted. "He's just the best we've picked up in a while. But, honestly? I wish he actually was evil and didn't believe all that nonsense we spout about doing this to save the kids of the universe and make things better for 'em!"
"Well, we are," Numbuh 11:11 said with a smirk. Numbuh 1 almost let himself feel hope, but it was quickly dashed by her next line. "We're making it better for us!" As both of them began to laugh, Numbuh 1 slank out, only two thoughts in his mind.
"I'm such an idiot…I have to get out of here!"
"C'mon…there's got to be escape pods somewhere!" Numbuh 1 grumbled. He had almost nothing to bring with him, so he had mostly been roaming around the lower levels, trying to find a ship or an escape pod or some way of getting off the ship.
"Numbuh 1? What are you doing here?" Numbuh 74.239, who had been walking with Numbuh Aleph Zero, asked upon spotting the other boy.
"Crud!" Numbuh 1 internally panicked. But he had to keep it together. "Um, just exploring?"
"You're only allowed to be down here when getting assigned a mission," Numbuh Aleph Zero pointed out. His eyes then narrowed. "You aren't playing a betrayal, are you?"
Numbuh 1 froze. He knew there was no way he was getting out of this. So…he supposed he might as well just go for broke. Besides, he figured that he could take the two people in front of him. "I am. I realized that we're no better than the adults I used to battle. All you want to do is oppress everyone! Kids and adults!"
Numbuh Aleph Zero simply chuckled. "Of course! The universe isn't worth defending if they're going to reject my gifts!"
"That wasn't a gift! It was pretty much a war crime!" Numbuh 1 protested. "I don't want to age either, but not only is draining the age from other people horribly wrong, but it's also ruining your health!"
"Bah, it's worth it to never age!" Numbuh Aleph Zero replied. He then sighed. "At worst, I hoped you simply would remain in the dark, Numbuh 1. I meant what I said about your talent. I really did keep you on sanitation for too long."
"Maybe that was smart," Numbuh 1 replied as he crossed his arms. "If you had let me go, I bet I would have realized your true colors much sooner!"
"So that's your game? Planning to just run away?" Numbuh Aleph Zero asked. Both Numbuh 74.239 and Numbuh 1 were shocked at how…calm he sounded.
"Yes and I'm not going to let you stop me! I'm going to make things right!" Numbuh 1 declared as he got into a fighting position. Numbuh Aleph Zero simply chuckled.
"Maybe…but I know that he will stop you," Numbuh Aleph Zero responded. Numbuh 1, confused by what he meant, turned around.
And was met by Numbuh Blob lunging for him.
Cliffhanger! But at least now, Numbuh 1 finally realized he's in the wrong. Next time, we see what our other heroes are up to!