We have officially hit the end game of this story! But first, both hero and villain ready themselves for one last battle that will decide the fate of the universe at large. Let's go!

Flarias thought she was going to throw up and she wasn't fully sure why. After all, she'd already fought and beaten Numbuh Aleph Zero once. Yet, somehow, it felt like she was about to fight something else entirely.

"Maybe because you are," A voice inside her head taunted her. "You're not fighting a misguided friend. You're fighting a horrible monster. A monster you may have to kill." That was it. That was the reason. As much as Flarias loved to brawl, she also abhorred the idea of actually taking a life. Even if it was to stop someone bent on genocide, the idea of killing still bothered her.

"Er, Numbuh 417?" Alessandra asked as she walked over to her.

"It's Flarias when I'm not on a mission, kid," She grunted out. She did not need another reminder of what was coming.

"Sorry," Alessandra said quickly as she took a seat next to the alien. "So…are you okay? You seem really freaked out. You're doing that thing with the rubber band a lot."

"Hard not to be," Flarias replied, doing her best to keep a jokey tone as she glanced at her hand, which she was rapidly flexing her rubber band. "I mean, considering that we're not taking the easy way out this time of just banishing him. We're stopping for good!"

"Even if it means…you know…" Alessandra struggled to get the words out.

"You don't like the idea of it either, huh?" Flarias noted. "I get the feeling. I never bought any of that "if you kill the evil villain you'd be just like them" mindset, but the idea of being the reason someone never breathes again just doesn't feel right to me…"

"I get the feeling," Alessandra admitted. "All the times that my…other self…tried to kill Sector V or some other kid, I kept feeling horrible that if it succeeded, the death would be on me."

"I don't feel like that counts somehow," Flarias admitted with a smile. "It wasn't you in control, so I feel like that wouldn't be fair. But I guess, if we do have…kill Aleph Zero, it's something we'll just have to live with. At least we'll be keeping everyone safe."

"Guess that's one way to look at it," Alessandra noted. The duo smiled, but those feelings still didn't go away. But both of them knew it would be something they may have to confront.

"Hey, Via?" Chsin asked his older sister, who was looking over a map of some kind.

"Yes, Chsin?" Octavia responded, not looking up from the map.

"Are…is everything going to be okay?" The younger boy asked. Now, Octavia turned to look at her brother. He looked uncharacteristically nervous.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Octavia asked.

"Well, I know from the stories that you and the other members of Sector Alpha barely beat Numbuh Aleph Zero last time and now he's had a lot more time to prepare…so I just don't know what our chances are."

"Chsin…." Octavia knelt down and placed a wing on her brother's shoulder. "I promise you that we'll be fine. We've already done this once and Aleph Zero isn't the only one who's been training all this time."

"I know, I know, but it's just…" Chsin was met with a hug from his sister.

"I know you're scared Chsin, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't either, but I know that we can do this. It's not just the six of us leading an army. There's a lot more support. So I know we can do it."

Chsin let himself smile. "Thanks Via. I can't wait for this to finally be over."

"Me too,"

"Not a bad shot," Hathor noted with a nod after watching Chad practice at the firing range.

"Heh, thanks," Chad responded pridefully. "You're not bad yourself."

"Well, when you're a sheriff, you've gotta be able to hit yer targets," Hathor responded before pulling out his pistols and blasting a few targets, getting a bullseye every time.

"Show off," Chad jokingly mocked. He then sighed. "It's gonna be weird going back home after this. I don't really feel like I belong."

"How so?" Hathor asked, sharing a confused look with Silvo, who was resting on his shoulder.

"I mean, I've been pretending to be a traitor and yet I wasn't really loyal to either the Kids Next Door or Father. But even forgetting about that, I've seen a lot more than most people my age." Chad looked down. "I guess…I guess I just don't like being alone."

"Well, as cliche as ah know this answer is, ah've always been told that it's best to at least try to apologize for everything you've done if ya want to at least try to make things right," Hathor replied as he reloaded his six shooter. "Besides, ya seem to have your two buddies already."

"Cree and Maurice?" Chad questioned. When Hathor nodded, Chad was ready to dispute that claim before thinking about it a bit further. While he didn't spend a lot of time around them, he did quite enjoy hanging out with them and any missions they did get assigned to together tended to be a blast even if he and Maurice were trying to sabotage an unaware Cree. But now, with Cree ready to finally rejoin the light, maybe those missions could be something fun again. Fun for all of them. "...It's complicated."

"Most relationships are," Was all Hathor had to say. Chad kinda wanted to punch that smug grin off his face, but couldn't deny how right he was.

"...How long has it been since we fought together?" Cree suddenly asked. The two Lincoln sisters were stargazing on the roof of the building everyone was currently waiting in, partly for a few moments of peace and partly because they just missed hanging out together.

"...Since you were last an operative, I think," Abby admitted after thinking about the question for a few seconds.

"Damn it. Has it really been 8 years since we did anything together?" Cree thought aloud. She grunted. "All because I'm an idiot."

"Hey, if it means anything, most people wouldn't have made a different choice," Abby replied, trying to reassure her sister.

"But I'm not most people," Cree pointed out, a scowl clear on her face. "I was one of the best operatives of my generation! People wanted to be me…and yet I proved that if I'm anything, it's not a role model."

"Well, there is that old saying about not meeting your heroes," Abby noted in an attempt at a joke. Cree just grunted again. "Hey…you did finally see the light. And, if it means anything, I think that the Kids Next Door is pretty forgiving. Numbuh 5 knows she is."

"Just means you've got a big heart, Abs," Cree replied, letting a fond smile grace her face. "It's something I kinda wish I had."

"Numbuh 5's sure you got one. It's just buried under all the sass." Abby responded. Cree responded with a snort and playful shove, resulting in the sisters devolving into a brief play fight with each other, both of them laughing all the while before returning to their previous activity.

"You know, Aleph Zero is screwed now that we're back together. The Lincoln Sisters are unstoppable when not fighting each other," Cree commented.

"Especially now that Numbuh 5's not a cadet," Abby agreed, leading to more laughter and smiles. Especially once Cree pulled her younger sister close to her.

"So you were Sector Z's tech person?" Hoagie asked Constance, who had been helping him and Dr. Witherton upgrade the ships and weapons before they left for their big battle.

"Yes. It's honestly one of the things I missed the most while stuck under Father's thumbs," Constance admitted as she adjusted the nuzzle on one of the blasters.

"Well, I can assure ya that I got rid of any control that he or Aleph Zero could have over you once I pulled you out of those suits!" Dr. Witherton boasted, a cheeky grin plastered on his face. Said smile quickly became far more somber, however, as he asked his next question. "Er, if you don't mind me asking, what was it like under the control of those robots?"

"It was…weird," Constance admitted with a shrug. "Like, sometimes I was aware of what was going on and other times I was in a constant fog."

"Sounds like it sucked," Hoagie blurted out.

"It did," Constance replied, her voice taking on a wistful tone. "Every time I was aware of what was going on, I was screaming internally, just hoping someone would notice."

"I'm sorry that we never did. And I'm sorry we never managed to cure you guys," Hoagie said after a few seconds.

"Don't worry," Constance assured him. "Father did his best to make sure we were unrecognizable. After all, who would think that five legendary Kids Next Door operatives were now a bunch of creepy, adult butt kissing minions?"

"Well, you've got me there," Hoagie admitted with a chuckle. "But hey! At least you're free now and even though you are technically like eighteen now, I'm sure we could convince Numbuh 86 to let you live out your last three years as an operative!"

"And if not, I'd be more than willing to brainwash her into doing it anyway!" Dr. Witherton piped up. Constance and Hoagie could only chuckle nervously at that, as they had a feeling that the doctor was not joking.

"Should have expected you'd be bad at fighting!" Fanny mocked David, who had just gotten knocked on his back by Hook, his sparring partner.

"I haven't done this in a while and I've also never really fought a shark alien before," David grunted as Hook helped him back to his feet. "Besides, I'm still kinda shaken from…everything."

"Fair enough," Patton said with a nod after finishing his own sparring match with Maurice. "I think all of us are still a little shaken by everything that is going on."

"Hard not to be," Maurice pointed out. "This is so beyond the scope of anything any of us have ever really done before!"

"Well, I've done it," Hook pointed out. "But it's still really crazy. Somehow, it feels even worse than last time. Guess it's because now I know how much worse Dorm-er, Aleph Zero is."

"Old friend of yours?" Patton asked.

"Yeah. He was everyone's friend. Sure, he was a little weird, but we all would always like hanging out with him whenever Leo brought him over to hang with us. But the idea of power really messed him up." Hook looked down as he continued talking. "I don't get it. He had a loving set of folks, an awesome brother and yet he still turned out like this. Hatty talked to me about it, but…it just doesn't make sense."

"I don't really get it either," Maurice admitted. "But sometimes, people are just evil. And sometimes, even when they get what they want, they still want more."

"Power hungry people are the worst," Fanny grumbled. No one felt the need to disagree with her.

"I'm gonna miss you guys when we all have to go home!" Kuki declared to the group she was with.

"Who's to say you won't see us again?" Meowal asked, purring from Lizzie's scratches to her neck.

"Uh, because we normally can't go into space!" Kuki replied as if it was obvious.

"Well, considering how much time your friend is spending with Dr. Witherton, I'm sure he'd be happy to help you guys get a ship to come out here," Lizzie chimed in.

"Really?" Kuki asked eagerly. "I didn't even think of that!"

"Well, we all do have a lot of other things to think about," Lizzie noted as she looked away.

"Yeah! Stopping that meanie Aleph Zero from hurting anyone else!" Kuki declared in a grumpy tone.

"Meanie is one way of putting it," Lizzie noted in an amused tone. She had no doubt that everyone else would have no doubt had much harsher words about the mad supreme leader.

"You know, I'm beginning to think that maybe we shouldn't have sparred like that," Lenny noted as he offered Wally a bottle of water, which the other boy gleefully gulped down.

"Eh, we can just ask the doctor guy for some potion or something to heal us!" Wally replied as he ran his fingers along a new bruise. "But thanks for that spar. Been wanting to see what you guys could do ever since I heard about ya! Glad you aren't cowards like your other selves, anyways!"

"Believe me, so am I," Lenny responded as he took a swing from his own bottle of water. "Being the combat expert and then being forced to always run away with your tail between your legs was the worst feeling ever."

"You had a tail?" Wally questioned.

"It's a figure of speech," Lenny replied, trying to hold back a laugh. "But we do have a really big battle ahead of us."

"All the more reason to practice our butt kicking!" Wally declared. "I wanna show that Aleph Zero jerk what happens when you mess with me and my friends! And then when we go back home, I'm gonna do the same to Father!"

"You better save some room for us," Lenny said with a smirk. "I've been wanting to punch Father in the face since he turned us into the Delightful Children in the first place!"

"Nah, you gotta hit 'em in the crotch! Hurts way more!" Wally declared before flinching. "I, uh, have some personal experience with that. Don't wanna talk about it."

"Believe me, I think I get the idea," Lenny said as he cringed. "But, uh, do you want to go see if Dr. Witherton has some stuff for us?"

"Fine, but only so I'm not sore for when we lay the buttkicking on Aleph Zero!" Wally grumbled as he headed out of the area they had been sparring in. "Uh, you got any idea where he is?"

"Nigel? Are you okay?" Rachel asked as she walked over to her newfound boyfriend, who was staring at himself in the window. He had yet to change his outfit, but had finally put his old sunglasses back on.

"...I don't feel right," Nigel numbly confessed. "I feel like I'm wearing the skin of a completely different person." Looking at his reflection, Rachel could see why he felt like that. Between all the scars, the hair and just the effects of two years of aging, Nigel looked a lot different from how he did when he first left for space. He then let out a bitter laugh. "I wonder if my parents will even recognize me."

"Nigel, please don't say that," Rachel said softly as she took his hands in hers. "Your parents will know who you are. I know that you're still a little in shock over everything you learned and that has happened, but you are still the same guy."

"How do you know?" Nigel had to ask. "I'm not even sure who I am anymore! So how could you know?"

"Because if you weren't the same guy…then your friends and I would have given up on you a long time ago," Rachel replied with a smile and it was then that Nigel finally felt himself smile back. Sometimes, he truly wondered what exactly he did to deserve the wonderful friends he had.

"Even after everything, you really didn't give up on me?" Nigel had to ask.

"Never doubted you for a second," Rachel assured him. "All of us agreed that there was no way you would have become like Aleph Zero or even Father. We knew you either had to be misled or were working against the Galactic Kids Next Door. Besides, I'm sure you'll feel yourself again when you get to make Aleph Zero pay for what he did to all of us."

"Oh believe me. I look forward to showing him what I'm truly capable of," Nigel promised her, a mischievous glint in his eye. For a few moments, the duo stood smiling at each other before Nigel spoke up again. "Er, Rachel?"

"Yes, Nigel?"

"Could we kiss again? I really liked it."

"You don't have to ask me that~"

As his friends prepared themselves in their own ways, Leongar sat in the captain's chair on board the ship. Unknown to him, Numbuh Aleph Zero, once known as his brother Dormax, sat in his own chair. Both brothers couldn't help but think about the moments that led to this. All of their personal triumphs and failures, how they built themselves into leaders with loyal followers and now, in less than 24 hours, they would clash for what would be the final time.

And they both knew for a fact that it would be the final time.

With the way everything had turned out between them, both brothers couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt. They were once loving brothers who would go to the ends of the universe for each other, but now found themselves trapped in bitter conflict. Neither, not even Aleph Zero, wanted the battle to end in death. Even if they knew that there was a high chance it would, if only so that their ideals could be the ones that prevailed over everything.

Insert The Plagues from the Prince of Egypt here. But next time…it's time for the final confrontation with Numbuh Aleph Zero. I'll see you then.